Sunrise, Moonset

Lunar Eclipse, in the clouds 10-8-14

Getting up at 5 AM is normally a difficult process, especially when it is dark and chilly. However, knowing that there was a lunar eclipse about to happen made me practically jump out of bed, get dressed, and go out to the kitchen to put on coffee. Instead of my usual slow motion, stiff-in-the-hips-and-back morning self, I was suddenly an energetic photographer, racing to an assignment. The power of motivation, self-expression and creativity should never be underestimated.

The roads were dark as I traveled to my favorite spot for photographing sunsets in the western sky. The moon, now a crescent, was peeking in and out of clouds leftover from last night’s storms. By the time I reached my photo spot, the moon had descended further toward the horizon, and was completely hidden behind a low bank of clouds. I sat in my car and waited for the clouds to clear, if only for a brief peek.

In the meantime, I became aware of the increasing traffic on the cornfield-lined road. Sets of headlights whizzed past me, people hurrying to jobs. I wondered how many of the drivers had noticed the slowly disappearing full moon, or were even aware of the lunar eclipse that was going on. Their speed was mostly too high for the two-lane road, and I was reminded of how many times I had been tailgated and illegally passed on that same road by speeding, impatient drivers. Drivers who were not seeing the progress of the growing corn, were unaware of the horses that sometimes were rolling or jumping behind their paddock fences, and drivers that didn’t look enough above the roadway to observe the sun, the moon, or the stars. Sure, you can’t be staring out your window like a tourist while you are driving, but I can’t help but think that these same people might not notice these things even if they were just standing on the side of the road.

My musing was interrupted by the sound of a police car pulling up behind me,then slowly rolling up next to me. The young officer just wanted to ask me to pull up a bit, so he could park in the optimum spot to catch speeders. When I told him I was there to photograph the lunar eclipse, he smiled and said, yes, he had caught some glimpses of it between the clouds. He wanted to know if I got any good pictures. “One,” I said, and nodded toward the clouds. He wished me good luck.

We sat there in our cars for a while, as the light of pre-dawn rose around us. The moon, now in full eclipse, was somewhere behind the clouds, very low on the horizon. Lower, perhaps than the stalks of corn would let me see. Eventually, I realized that if I left this spot, and traveled to the other side of town, I might be able to catch the sunrise over the lake in the park.

As I started my car, a speeder flew past us, and the young officer turned his car in pursuit. I turned also, and followed him. He stopped the speeder, and I passed him, hoping that after he finished his work he would stop to glance at the sky turning crimson over him.

A sky that reflects my life at this exact moment—a moment where both sunrise and moonset are visible to me, a moment I can look in either direction and see beauty, wonder, and love.

I headed east, toward sunrise, and morning.

Additional note 10-8-2014, 12:30 PM - For those who know me and my apparent affinity (some say obsession) with the moon, the fact that this 6 month countdown for me takes place almost exactly between two "Blood Moons" (October 8, 2014 and April 5, 2015) will not be a surprise.

Sunrise reflected in the clouds 10-8-14