Eclipse Photos

We tried to watch the eclipse with the East Valley Astronomy Club but the parking situation was impossible and there didn't seem to be any advantage to seeing it there.  Instead we headed back to the SandCastle where we had all the comforts of home.

Thanks to Cap'n Bob & the Damsel for the heads up on the event.  That gave me time to get our Eclipse Glasses ordered.  I only needed three but the minimum order was 25.  I figured I'd be able to sell off the other 22 as the date got closer.

The glasses may also be useful for the transit of Venus June 5th in the US.

BTW, Be sure and Check Cap'n Bob's blog.  They went to Page, AZ which was directly on the line.

Bird

The SandCastle Crew

The Sky is falling!

... Actually it's Virga - rain falling from the cloud but evaporating before reaching the ground. Weather here in the land of the SandCastle has been hot and dry, (114/11%) according to the National Weather Service. There is moisture in the upper levels of the atmosphere, but the lower levels are dry Cloud bases are 10-15,000 feet, and the rain just doesn't have a chance.

SandCastle Sunset

These days the "5 minute rule"* coincides well with sunset. Tonight we had a glorious sunset so I raced home, grabbed the camera and ran upstairs to where last night's storm convienently removed the screen. The SandCastle Queen came running in asking what was wrong. She understood with one glance out the window. Here's the shot from the SandCastle upper level.

* the "5 minute rule" (no wikipedia entry) is a somewhat nebulous idea that suggests the optimal time for peons to depart a particular work location. Specifically, 5 minutes after the boss leaves. That being the approximate time for the boss to clear the parking lot. After all, it's bad form to cut off the boss when leaving the parking lot ;-) Thus, Give'em a 5 minute head start and that should be enough to avoid such embarrasments.