We were dithering and undecided up until the last minute. News of heavy traffic and hoards of people coming to Maine to view the eclipse almost made me settle for the 98% view right here in Belfast.
It was a beautiful day with bright blue skies and the recent snowfall melting quickly so we decided to go for it, and Monson was our destination. The two-hour drive along country roads avoiding any traffic pitfalls but finding many frost heaves was lovely.
A traffic jam before Monson was not a big deal as we had plenty of time before the action was to begin. Shooting off on to a side road we ended up at a pull-in with about five other cars, overlooking the still snow and ice-covered Lake Hebron.
Ffly and her buddy Ffin were ready and eager to play stick in the snow after their “long” car-ride.
Meanwhile the adults enjoyed the warmth of the still full sun.
Just after 2PM the moon started sliding from the bottom right corner in front of the sun.
We were waiting and watching.
Our friends Judy and Rick were with us.
And then at about 3:25PM it started in earnest. Surprisingly it was still quite light despite the moon covering all but a sliver of the sun, but it was definitely a lot cooler – maybe 10-15 degrees.
And then! What we waited for – the halo appeared and it got still and dark. What an amazing sight!
After a good drive home we reconvened on our deck for a drink! The blackbirds were all hanging out in the oaks!
Wow! We were about 97 percent here in Bellingham. It did not get dark, but we had lots of birds singing. I love the photo of you in a sleeveless top with snow in the background. The entire experience must have been awesome.