Time flies when you are having fun!
Sue and I have been doing a little traveling this year after resting up from our 40-day Antarctica cruise, last year.
We traveled back to DC in March to visit long-time family friend Quinci Fisher (see my 10-year Post about her dad, Brad) and had a great time. Quinci was just completing an internship with the Department of Commerce. She took time to show us around and arranged a private tour of the Capital.
Thanks Q, we had a great time! Thanks also to Q’s Mom Jennifer for treating the three of us to a great meal at an Afghan restaurant in DC.
In April we traveled to Texas to visit kids and grandkids. While down in Texas we also were treated to a spectacular total solar eclipse.
This month we got the treat of a lifetime in our area with a beautiful display of the auroras from a significant solar storm. A huge sunspot was the source of the solar flare bringing the auroras to us.
I have been doing a little solar photography through a Coronado solar telescope and took the image below, a couple of days prior to the auroras. The large sunspot, visible on the left side of the sun in this image, was the source of the solar flare which brought the auroras to us.
Sue and I went out to the WSU branch campus with lawn chairs and a camera to try and get a glimpse of the auroras. We caught barely visible auroras while sitting out on the bank of the Columbia River. Time exposures provided better detail.
The lite auroras display continued, and we decided to head home about 10:30. When we got home and opened our car doors, we could not believe how bright the display had grown. I continued to take pictures until about 2am, with gratitude for getting such a treat!
