Super Moon in Yorktwon (8/10/2014)

Well, it was “super moon” night last night, and what better way is there to watch it come up over the Chesapeake Bay/York River?  It seemed that a lot of people had that idea and there were literally hundreds of people at the Yorktown Beach.  It was the place to be, that’s for sure.  Yorktown is slowly becoming the attraction our county administrators always wanted it to be.  I just wish that there were a few more places to eat and drink, or should I say, more diversity.  The few places that are there have American fair, and I’m not sure if the sushi place ever opened.  No I don’t want another Mexican chain, or any other chain as such, but a few more terraces where you can sit, relax and drink something would be great; maybe a bit more European flair.  However, last night finding parking was even at a premium.  But for sure Yorktown was the place to be last night. 

Everybody was out there, taking photographs.  It was amazing seeing all the flashes from cameras when we were standing on the fishing pier and looking back into town.  It is actually insane, people taking flash pictures of the moon.  I guess most do not know that it is probably better to turn off the flash when taking moon pictures; our flashes in Yorktown are not going to make the moon extra bright.  It reminds me of what we experienced when I worked in Nepal in the early 1980s.  We were in a hotel in Pokhara looking at the full moon reflecting on the snow of the Annapurna Mountains.  All the sudden a tour group of Japanese tourist came out and the photo flashes started going off like crazy.  They were trying to catch a photo of mountains at night that were at least 40 some miles away.  Pity this was the time before digital cameras, so I bet there were a lot of disappointing faces when they came back home and had their films developed.  But then you still see it in stadiums during sporting events.  People would make such better pictures when they take one or two photography lessons instead of opening the box and start shooting.

Waiting for the moon was probably the most interesting.  It was approximately two fingers thick held at arm’s length above the horizon before you could actually see it.  I guess the humidity (light fog) or pollution over the water obscured the moon for a bit, before we could actually see it.  I am posting two pictures I took last night that I particularly like:  the one with the grasses and the one with the reflection of vehicle headlights in the sand (timing is perfect).  It was a nice evening; I still can’t believe what a great summer we’ve had.

Seaford (7/12/2014)

Friday and Saturday were the days for a “supermoon”, or the closest a full moon comes to the earth that year.  So naturally we had our evening coffee on the boat this Saturday evening play some music and gaze at the horizon for the moon.  Truthfully, it was spectacular but nothing you can capture with your measly cell phone camera with only has a digital zoom.  But of course I forgot my hotshot camera.

There were others at the marina, drinking beer/water and enjoying in conversation.  A few had ventured out to see it come up over the bay.  Moreover, I heard (after the fact) that there was actually a moonlight (sail) race that night as well.  Sailboat owners are an active bunch, and it is fun to be part of them. 

I really think sailboat owners represent a fairly good cross section of the population.  Yes, sailboats can be expensive; in particular new ones, but the members in our club range from conservative to liberal.  They needle each other so now and then, but the one thing they have in common is their love for being on the water.   Although, some of the guys openly admit that it is nice to be out of the house for a bit on the weekends to work on the boat.  Another thing in common is the love of nature; sailing in a sewage lagoon is no fun, and most if not all are committed to keeping the Bay clean.  This is very much like people from organizations like Ducks Unlimited.  Yes they are all duck hunters, but without good wetlands there would not be any ducks, so they are a driving force in wetland protection.

I think this all comes to show that persons with great differences in conviction and belief can work together to further a good cause.  While we live in a pluralistic society, it feels more and more like we live in a polarized society.  I sense a loss of civility, compassion, and empathy, whether it is in international politics and strife, or our national politics.  I find this very disturbing, and I’m not sure what I, as an individual, can do about it, except for trying to practice empathy myself and writing this blog.

Anyway, this is my rendition of a wonderful evening of watching the supermoon and thinking about things I see and learned this Sunday in the church I attend.