Back from the Preclipse

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silvercamaro
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Back from the Preclipse

#1 Post by silvercamaro » Sun Aug 13, 2017 4:04 am

I'm back from Casper, and Lizbit is home from summer camp at the Bed and Biscuit. If Saturday snuggle time is a measure, we missed each other greatly. (This was her first stay away from home since the loss of her minion-sister, so she may have been lonelier than usual.)

Yes, I'm well aware that reasonable people will be heading to Central Wyoming for the Eclipse, but this was my annual trip to meet up with old friends dating back to, at minimum, high school and all the way back to kindergarten for some. I can report that we still really, really like each other. We waited too late to get a place to stay for the actual astronomical event, but we can use any excuse to go back to Casper, so we declared the Beartrap Music Festival on Casper Mountain to be as good a "destination" as any. (It would have been, too, if I hadn't started shivering before the first band started playing and continued until well after we got home again. There is no global warming when you need it.) Anyway, we rented a refurbished Craftsman house that was big enough to give each of us our own bedrooms, made numerous trips to Costco, WalMart and liquor stores for food and booze, and got the eclipse pre-party started. (The next occupant for the house is slated to be Ira Flatow, probably best known as the science guy for NPR.)

I tried to track down The Calvinator, but despite having met him and his wife in Dallas, I could not for the life of me remember his last name. I also searched the phone book for any attorney with the first name of Marty or Martin. No dice. I don't know if he's still there or may have returned to Texas.

Anyway, I did return with two of the best Eclipse t-shirts I've seen (including on-line) -- one from an art museum and one from a downtown store. For Sprots and anyone else who may be in Casper for the Big Event, check at a Lou Taubert store for the best-looking ones. Mine is lilac (or periwinkle) with graphics in teal, darker lilac, orange and black. If it doesn't get torn or too faded, I'll probably keep wearing it for years after folks have stopped remembering that the moon sometimes passes directly in front of the sun.
Now generating the White Hot Glare of Righteousness on behalf of BBs everywhere.

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BackInTex
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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#2 Post by BackInTex » Sun Aug 13, 2017 6:58 am

Too bad you couldn't connect. He'd of loved to see you. I asked him what the locals are expecting and he said they are projecting 35K visitors. That is a lot, especially considering there will be similar crowds east and west as far as the eyes can see.

I won't be going that far north, but will be driving up into Wyoming from the Denver area for the event on Monday morning. I'm not sure where we'll go exactly. I'll decide once I see the weather forecast on Sunday evening.

I wish I would have made hotel reservations for the Sunday night up in Wyoming to shorten what will be a 4 hour drive on Monday morning, but it is what it is.
..what country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? let them take arms.
~~ Thomas Jefferson

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jaybee
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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#3 Post by jaybee » Sun Aug 13, 2017 10:38 am

I'm planning on just walking outside from wherever I am working that day. :wink:
Jaybee

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silvercamaro
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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#4 Post by silvercamaro » Sun Aug 13, 2017 10:53 am

jaybee wrote:I'm planning on just walking outside from wherever I am working that day. :wink:
Your plans are more elaborate than mine. My sky will display 87 percent, which is enough to convince me that I am witnessing something very unusual. At that, I highly suspect that I may simply watch it on YouTube, which probably will have livestreams of the solar disappearing act from an array of locations as the sun moves across the country. That way, I won't even have to worry about the weather or the laborious physical challenge of of having to turn a doorknob.

And, I won't even have to change out of my pajamas unless I so desire.
Now generating the White Hot Glare of Righteousness on behalf of BBs everywhere.

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ghostjmf
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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#5 Post by ghostjmf » Sun Aug 13, 2017 10:54 am

Despite having obligations I just may say "effit" to, my attempts to get a flight into Nashville was fine but getting back after eclipse was another $700 even the next day.

So I went back to my 1st choice, because of likely cloudlessness, Casper, & Expedia crashed. Try try again.

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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#6 Post by ghostjmf » Sun Aug 13, 2017 10:58 am

Believe me, as someone who got clouded at the last second in Goldendale WA in '79, 99% is not good enough.

Reading that essay by a person probably a couple miles from me (OK, they were in Yakima) who had a religious experience, apparently, did not make me happy.

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littlebeast13
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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#7 Post by littlebeast13 » Sun Aug 13, 2017 11:32 am

ghostjmf wrote:Believe me, as someone who got clouded at the last second in Goldendale WA in '79, 99% is not good enough.
BackInTex wrote:I asked him what the locals are expecting and he said they are projecting 35K visitors. That is a lot, especially considering there will be similar crowds east and west as far as the eyes can see.

This is all the reason I need to gladly enjoy the 99.5% view I will get from my backyard. I don't need half the world gawking over my shoulder and peeing on my lawn...

lb13
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silvercamaro
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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#8 Post by silvercamaro » Sun Aug 13, 2017 11:52 am

littlebeast13 wrote: This is all the reason I need to gladly enjoy the 99.5% view I will get from my backyard. I don't need half the world gawking over my shoulder and peeing on my lawn...

lb13
Darn it. Lizbit and I were talking about coming to see you and Evil Squirrel. I can tell Lizbit not to pee on your lawn, but as you know, she obeys me only about half the time.
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Beebs52
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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#9 Post by Beebs52 » Sun Aug 13, 2017 12:01 pm

silvercamaro wrote:
littlebeast13 wrote: This is all the reason I need to gladly enjoy the 99.5% view I will get from my backyard. I don't need half the world gawking over my shoulder and peeing on my lawn...

lb13
Darn it. Lizbit and I were talking about coming to see you and Evil Squirrel. I can tell Lizbit not to pee on your lawn, but as you know, she obeys me only about half the time.
Well shit. I was hoping to come pee on your lawn since we don't have a lawn.
Well, then

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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#10 Post by littlebeast13 » Sun Aug 13, 2017 7:32 pm

Beebs52 wrote:
silvercamaro wrote:
littlebeast13 wrote: This is all the reason I need to gladly enjoy the 99.5% view I will get from my backyard. I don't need half the world gawking over my shoulder and peeing on my lawn...

lb13
Darn it. Lizbit and I were talking about coming to see you and Evil Squirrel. I can tell Lizbit not to pee on your lawn, but as you know, she obeys me only about half the time.
Well shit. I was hoping to come pee on your lawn since we don't have a lawn.

ES will be taking care of any lawn pee-ers with his knowledge of backyard physics and a bushel of apples...

lb13
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tlynn78
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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#11 Post by tlynn78 » Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:46 am

My son and d-I-l will be going mobile with their bar and restaurant and moving it up to Dubois, WY, from their usual spot in Evanston, WY. She has family there who put out the S-O-S. They are expecting to triple (at least) their usual population (NASA has set up a viewing station in the local high school), and had only a couple food vendors showing up. They should stay pretty busy. I'll probably pop out of my office at the appointed time, if only to enjoy the promised drop in temperatures.
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Spock
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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#12 Post by Spock » Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:53 am

Just don't look at the sun with binoculars. A much younger version of myself did that (Circa 1975) once, and only once. That hurt.

I assume that it didn't do my vision any good. My kids happily call me an idiot for doing that.

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BackInTex
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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#13 Post by BackInTex » Mon Aug 14, 2017 9:06 am

Spock wrote:Just don't look at the sun with binoculars. A much younger version of myself did that (Circa 1975) once, and only once. That hurt.

I assume that it didn't do my vision any good. My kids happily call me an idiot for doing that.
I bought a pair of these
Image

I've already used them to look at the sun. I saw a small spot last week. There was no spot yesterday.

After the eclipse I can remove the filters and I still have a pretty good pair of 10x50 binoculars.

The place I bought them from online is out of them now. The only alternative is more than twice as expensive, only 8x32, and have dedicated non-removable solar filters.
..what country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? let them take arms.
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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#14 Post by T_Bone0806 » Mon Aug 14, 2017 9:07 am

Hmmm...with all this talk of what are apparently weak bladders among us, I am rethinking my idea of holding a "what's left of us BB's" backyard BBQ. :shock: :shock:


Perhaps we can all Skype.
"#$%&@*&"-Donald F. Duck

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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#15 Post by Spock » Mon Aug 14, 2017 9:22 am

Beebs52 wrote:
silvercamaro wrote:
littlebeast13 wrote: This is all the reason I need to gladly enjoy the 99.5% view I will get from my backyard. I don't need half the world gawking over my shoulder and peeing on my lawn...

lb13
Darn it. Lizbit and I were talking about coming to see you and Evil Squirrel. I can tell Lizbit not to pee on your lawn, but as you know, she obeys me only about half the time.
Well shit. I was hoping to come pee on your lawn since we don't have a lawn.
You can pee on my lawn. I will even share my spot and let you stand on the front steps and let fly into the flower beds. Although it is more of a weed bed so Mrs. S can't complain too much.

In my defense, we only have one bathroom for 5 people and Mrs S gets mad when me and the youngest pee in the basement drain.

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Re: Back from the Preclipse

#16 Post by ghostjmf » Tue Aug 15, 2017 7:16 am

tlynn78: I bet all food vendors will be much appreciated. I can't remember what/where I ate in '79, but I was so young I practically didn't need food. I had brought my sleeping bag, planning to treat the bus station like an airport, & was happy when a public building, probably the library, was made available to eclipse campers.

All you pee-ers: The combo of diabetes & kidney stone, for which last I'm prescribed 64oz H2O daily, makes lining up, if that's the right phrase for a woman, a place to pee very important these days. Although being put back on insulin has made the H2O control situation miraculously better.

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