So last week I told you about our Total Eclipse experience. One of the reasons that I really wanted to take the girls for a cool astronomical adventure was because of an experience I had many years ago with my dad. In 1986 (I would have been 9), he and I woke up incredibly early in the morning, stopped to pick up some doughnuts for breakfast (for some reason I remember having a blueberry one), and went out to Upper Tampa Bay Park to see Halley’s Comet on its nearest approach to Earth. One of the park rangers had a telescope set up so that we could view the comet (it wasn’t a particularly close approach – so it wasn’t quite visible to the naked eye). We got to view it, and we may have checked out a few other celestial objects while we were there (it was a long time ago!), but even 30-some years later I still remember going to see the comet, and since the next time it passes near the earth, I’ll be 84, I’m glad I got to see it the first time around. I always had an interest in space and even wanted to be an aeronautical engineer for a while. Kim and I hope the girls enjoyed their eclipse viewing and hope that when they are older, they will remember the experience. And, hey, maybe they’ll check us out of our nursing facility and take us to see Halley’s Comet when it comes around again.

Sometimes I think outer space is alot like the garden. No matter how hard we stare at the night sky, we just can’t take it all in. It awes us, inspires us, and makes us feel really small. Our gardens are like that, too. Each day in the garden is different. The butterflies are different, the bees are different, the flowers are different, and it is just a little bit beyond our comprehension. But I think that’s why we keep staring at the night sky, and why we keep getting out in the garden. You just never know what you are going to discover.