I’m in the Recovery Room this week. Not to worry. I’m cooked, fried, and wasted from our Beach Party with the City of Plattsburgh Community Development Office. It went off extremely well! ~1000folks swung by and chatted, several hundred observed the phases of eclipse through OOMPAH, took selfies with Enterprise (Big E’s solar filter went to a poor guy at his first totality who became separated from his own filter), and signed in our Star Party Board from as far away as England, Poland, Prague, and Central America. The true Heart of our #Stars Gazed ideal, folk were generally excited, awesome, and NICE!
Prepping this event was the work of YEARS, and ate my summer hike/climb planning time for a bit. Completely Worth It. By virtue of standing, talking, and observing, it ate my right kneecap, right shoulder, and gave me a massive opportunity to clean, organise, collate, and refine my Outreach capabilities and exposure. New Friends, come see us again? Some interview links below.
A New York Times article about our local preparations, which caused several readers from Los Angeles to come visit us!!! https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/03/nyregion/solar-eclipse-plattsburgh-ny.html?ugrp=u&unlocked_article_code=1.jk0.Hjlr.7rEc1Nwka1HB&smid=url-share If this doesn’t work, the April 3rd edition, entitled “Psychedelic Rock and Tammy’s Lunch Box,: A Small Town Prepares…”
Talking with the great Gaelan Trombleyhttps://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-a7uuh-15cf05c
Many microphones hove into my vision during the day from podcasters in D.C. and Germany, NCPR, and CBS and ABC affiliates, and I enjoyed, as I do, all of them. None of them blocked the goal: that amazing ball of gorgeous.
The above is veering narcissistic: my amazing son Chet (The Boy named Soo) came to join me for the day, fielding questions and deflecting the first-time astrophotographers who wanted to force their way between the telescope and the visitors thereon to ask pertinent questions like “Should We Go Somewhere Else for Better Sky?”, “What f/stop and speed are you using?”, “You upset this day isn’t perfect?”
Would you like my tactical, statistical, or personal answer?
My friends are astro imagers: I’m showing your wife the sunspots?
This is a Perfect Outreach Day. Doncha think?
Written out, I am amazed people weren’t punching me for these. Instead, Natty B, my hike/boat/life partner would get them to sign our boards or hand me a sandwich, and the event would flow on, with the crowd all about cheering first responders and DHS boats with joy and dropping off delicious dark chocolate to keep me going. I didn’t need the food. Being in a crowd of enthusiasts powers me. Let’s find something we can all enthuse about again, real soon?
A cliff. A cave. A canoe. The trail. The glorious Adirondack Sky. Sign up, come up, and look up, friends.
Ed
Next time: an actual Ascent Gully scout-out.😁
