After the movie we stepped out onto the back deck to enjoy the Perseid meteor shower. It was a clear night, but the full moon (and those nasty city lights) helped diffuse most of the spectacle. It was still a fun and exciting thing to do. We reminisced about the August 14, 2003 blackout several years earlier, where we spent most of the night swimming in the pool and sitting on the deck, listening to CBC radio and enjoying the fact that there were no bright city lights blocking our view of the night sky. Yes, I know it was a disaster and caused lots of personal and financial hardships, but we'd taken the time to enjoy the peace of the moment.
It reminded me of the last time I was hunting on Manitoulin Island with my cousin and my dad, and he woke me up at about 2:30 in the morning. My father had gone outside to go to the washroom and discovered a spectacular meteor shower. Because the cabin we were staying on was far from any artificial lights, and Manitoulin itself is pretty isolated in terms of light pollution, being surrounded mostly by a great lake, it was one of the clearest night skies I have ever seen. I remember standing there on the deck with him my mouth agape, and just watching the light show with my father.I look forward to taking Francine and Alexander camping up north, far from the city lights, to enjoy a similar sight.
3 comments:
a few years ago we woke the limelets to watch the leonids in the middle of the night. i will never forget their gleee over watching an entire sky full of shooting stars. what fun. so glad you and your family could have memories liek that too...provided lights are not inthe way.
i've never seen a meteor shower or even a shooting star...i'm so deprived.
How interesting. I've seen a meteor shower, and on Aug. 27th Mars will be as big as the moon and will be visible to me at 12:30 a.m.
I can't wait to see that.
It's hard to see things like the Perseid meteor shower unless we leave the city lights and venture out into the dark countryside.
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