Spring Break 2024 Part 2: Totality
In part 1, I said my spring break lasted until April 8th. That wasn’t 100% true. That day was the day of the solar eclipse, and I had an online work meeting from 8:30 to 10:30, then I had the rest of the day off. Now, you might recall back in July 2020, there was a comet called NOEWISE that passed by Earth. I’m not super interested in big solar events, but I enjoyed seeing NOEWISE with my family because we were in the heat of the pandemic, and that event was a pretty cool distraction. I thought that the eclipse was going to be very similar but without the backdrop of a global pandemic to elevate how cool it was.
On Saturday the 6th, Paige and I left the cabin in Hocking Hills and drove back to Columbus. When we got to my parents' house, Mom asked, “What are you guys doing for the eclipse?”
“We were going to watch it downtown, so I was going to stay at her apartment because of traffic,” I replied.
“Well, we're planning on going to the Mitrey’s house because they'll be in totality,” Mom explained.
After my meeting on Monday, Paige and I went to my parents' house. My parents, Ryan, Luke, and Josh, got there around noon, and by 12:30, we were on our way. When we got to their house, the Mitreys (Aunt Melissa, Uncle Andy, Alex, Maci, Nicholas, and Ellie), were making a charcuterie board, and other food, with three of Maci’s sorority sisters. By 1:30, Aunt Cyndi, her kids, Caitlynn and Cameron, my Grandpa and Nana, and one of Andy’s co-workers, Erin, had arrived.
The eclipse started around 1:50. Everyone started going outside at that time, and we periodically put our glasses on and looked up. Right away, I thought I was right because it wasn’t living up to all the hype. That's not to say we weren’t having fun together; it’s just that the first hour was no different than any other family gathering.
Somewhere between 2:50 and 2:55, everyone who was there stood on the back steps to get a group picture. We wanted two group pictures; one without the glasses and the other picture with them. Getting those two pictures exactly how Mom and Melissa wanted them took 5-7 minutes. Now just something to know about my family, we tend to hate group pictures. Pictures, in general, are fine, but trying to get everyone to just stand there and get the pictures done so that the moms are happy with it is very frustrating. We were all complaining so much that we didn't realize how dark it was getting until the pictures were done.
I'm just estimating, but I'd say at this point we were at about like 97% totality, so it looked like it was dusk. Over the next 10 minutes, we watched as the moon took over the last bit of the sun. Language is funny…there are some emotions and experiences that are limitless, but humans aren’t, and as a result, language can’t often describe something that is.
As of the posting of this installment, it has been almost two weeks since the eclipse, and despite how much I have thought about it, I don’t think I will ever be able to accurately describe how amazing it was! It was not, as I expected, slightly boring without a global pandemic to elevate it. All I can say is that the stillness at the moment of totality was something I have never experienced, and it is something I will remember for the rest of my life!
Have a Greattastic day and be safe!
J. Mitchie Ulibarri
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