A Twilight Moon and Fireworks

Heading out to sit and watch the fireworks last night (we can see the city display, and 5 or 6 other 'displays' from home), this interesting shot presented itself. It's a contrail that seems to cut the moon. I took quite a few shots of course, and the contrail "moved" across the moon.

I had to take pictures of the fireworks, of course. Some turned out and some didn't, but they were great to watch. The only "festivities" we felt up to because we didn't have to leave home.

The What!? jumped over the moon?

A local paraglider presented me with this picture I just couldn't resist.

You have to zoom in to see the detail of the glider.

Foggy night

The fog,

the moon,

the field,

the lights.

Moon and Mars

Mars is the closest to the Earth it gets in its orbit. The little red dot to the right of the moon is Mars. It looks a bit brighter with the naked eye - my camera doesn't really like night shots. This was taken through a break in the clouds. I like the way the moon highlights and colors the clouds.
Here in Forks, we are sky watchers again. The sky, when clear, is so beautifully bright with stars. We can see constellations we haven't seen for a long time, and enjoy the heavenly entertainment whenever we can - weather permitting.

Before the Lunar Eclipse

Getting ready for the eclipse, and taking shots of the beautiful full moon,

a mist kept coming in and going out, creating wonderful effects around the moon.

Some the camera just wouldn't capture, but the starburst effect stayed for a while.

The moon was so bright that we didn't need our flashlights to walk around.

The skies were clear, and Mars stood out in the eastern sky, even with the full moon blocking out most of the stars. During totality, the stars were bright and amazing, the Milky Way shining across the sky, and Mars was brighter than ever.

We didn't stay out to see the moon coming out of Earth's shadow, and a good thing. By a little after 5, clouds had moved in and covered the moon completely.

A great way to spend a night: bundled up in fleece blankets, drinking hot chocolate, relaxing on the deck with my favorite fella, watching the earth shadow take a bite out of the moon, then see the moon turn shades of brown and red and orange, while the stars twinkled overhead.

I love retirement!