Total Eclipse of the Heartland

A total solar eclipse swept across the entire continental United States on August 21, 2017.  The buzz began years before--people made plans all over the world to visit a site along the path.  Hotels sold out months, even years, in advance by those with the foresight to plan ahead.  The procrastinators were left scrambling for accommodations, and many resorted to sleeping in cars in the middle of a parking lot or field.  

The Heavens aligned for this particular eclipse to allow almost anyone in the U.S. to catch a glimpse if desired.  The path of totality ran straight through the Heartland of America, and a partial eclipse spread even wider.  A simple road trip could lead anyone to a view of the eclipse.  

And so road trip I did.  

Colorado sunflowers, Sonic, Bruce, Eclipse glasses, and the Platte

I grew up in Nebraska so I had a choice of places to go.  My hometown of Alliance, Nebraska was right in the path of totality, and the city planned many celebrations.  Major television stations set out to observe from our own Carhenge.  I decided against that choice since my family isn't there anymore. 

My brother Mark lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, which also was in the path, but the length of totality was not at peak.  I decided to tag Lincoln on to the end of my eclipse trip.

That left me with Cairo, Nebraska--right smack in the middle of the path and offering the longest possible view of the total solar eclipse.  Of course I wouldn't have known any of this if it weren't for my sister Peg, a science nerd through and through.  She started talking about it way back in the spring.  Plus, she lives in Cairo--how perfect was that!  

In order to get an unobstructed view, we watched from her friend's house on a golf course.  After a little bit of a morning freak out with mostly cloudy skies, we settled in with lawn chairs, mimosas, yummy food, and family.  We rationalized that even with  clouds, we would still get to see the darkening sky and feel the temperature drop.  But then a miracle happened--the clouds dissipated, the skies cleared to a bright blue, and we were on our way to a perfect view of totality.  

We watched, with our eclipse glasses, as the moon carved a small crescent into the sun at 11:33 am.  We watched that crescent grow as it covered a fourth of the sun and then half and then three quarters.  At this point there was a definite change in the sky as it took on a late afternoon look.  Right before the moon took over completely, the temperature dropped to a cool evening feel and the sky darkened.  Birds started acting strange, crickets chirped, stars came out, and we even saw Venus in the middle of the day.  At 12:58 pm, the moon covered the sun and we had totality.  For the next 2 minutes and 34 seconds we gazed at the blocked sun.  Without glasses!  We saw it all--solar flares, the sparkling corona of the sun's edges, Bailey's elusive beads.  And the diamond ring!!  I wanted to see that most of all.  We saw it just as totality ended.  We all cheered.  I choked up a bit.  I have never seen anything as amazing as that--I now understand why people travel the world to witness a total eclipse.

And then the sun began to emerge and back on went our eclipse glasses.  The sky lightened, the temperature quickly heated up, and our little neck of the woods returned to normal.

My sister posted this quote by Fred Espenak (Mr. Eclipse) a few days later--

"But within those few precious minutes people have joined an exclusive club of the most spectacular thing you can see with a human eye. There are few events in life that leave a permanent, indelible impression," he said, and "a total eclipse of the sun is just such an event."

I am thrilled to be a member of that exclusive club.

Diamond rings, Total eclipse of the heart shirts, eclipse glasses

My words pale compared to those of a four-year-old--here is Drake's story:

While the Total Eclipse was an amazing event, it was just one of three on my Nebraska road trip.  I got to see almost all of my Nebraska family.  First up:

Kearney and Elm Creek

Bike rides, Apple trees, Board games, Hotel fun

Royal babies, nieces, sisters, Mom, and Jewel

Onward to Lincoln

UNL, Ice cream, State capital, Amazing elevator, Views

Royal babies, nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters, kisses, and Mom

I never imagined seeing a solar eclipse would end up being so unforgettable.  And seeing my family along this week-long road trip really did make this a Total Eclipse of the Heart!

Reason to Believe

"Some People Are Worth Melting For"

I'm not a movie reviewer, partly because I just don't go to that many movies, but I know what I like.

 And I LOVED Frozen!

It's true--I love most Disney movies--the princesses, the princes, the good conquering evil, the love stories, the unforgettable music, the comic relief, the darkness inside all that light, the vibrant, breathtaking colors.  Frozen has all of these, and even though Disney movies can be predictable as a result of the familiar, Frozen has something more, making it sit right there at the top of my Disney movie list--right along side The Little Mermaid, and that's saying something. 

Frozen has a twist.  Just when all the pieces are falling into place, the plot changes directions, leaving predictions for the ending wide open.  I won't be a spoiler, though, because what I love most about Frozen, aside from this twist, is that this is a movie about

SISTERS

and the sometimes complicated love and loyalty that is unique to the sisterhood.

Of course I thought of my own sisters as I watched, spellbound, as Elsa and Anna grew up on the screen in front of me.  Their Disney lives somehow reflected many of my own experiences as the middle sister of the four Thompson girls, and the fact that Elsa was blonde and Anna was a redhead just made that reflection even more clear.  Lynne and Peg, sisters 1 and 3, are the gingers in the family, and Kerri, the baby sister, and I are the blondes.

Just like Elsa and Anna, our sister roles, seemingly so defined, change from time to time as life changes.  The take-charge, lead-the-way big sister role has passed through all of us at one time or another, as has the spoil-me, play-with-me, teach-me baby sister role, and the mediator, hold-everthing-together, backbone role of the middle sister.

One sister role that never changes, though, is that of forever friend.  I've experienced many times throughout life that it isn't the prince who is going to be the hero in my life.  That role has already been taken.  If I need saving, my sisters will take care of that.  Or (maybe a little spoiler alert here) teach me to let go of my fears and save myself.

Yep . . .

I would melt for these reasons to believe anytime.

My Annas                            My Elsa

"You get older and a lot of ghosts walk along with you. Which is good." Bruce Springsteen

                                        

TEARS.  

Tears of bliss, tears of anticipation, tears of enjoyment,  tears of laughter,
 tears from the heart, tears from the soul,  
tears of rapture,  
remembrance tears, goodbye tears, 
tears of sorrow
my-cheeks-hurt-from-smiling tears. 

TEARS.

From the moment Bruce Springsteen walked on stage and said, "It's great to be back in that Rocky Mountain high," (while making jokes about our recently passed Amendment 64!), TEARS welled in my eyes, oftentimes streaming down my cheeks and even splashing into my glass of wine.  I probably shouldn't have been bawling all the way through a concert that I had been anxiously looking forward to for three months, but that's exactly what happened.  

The night started with everyone in high spirits.  Seeing Bruce with my sister Peg and my best friend Eileen was a dream come true.  Our first stop was Racine's, one of Denver's classic restaurants, where we enjoyed dinner and drinks. All three of us were feeling almost giddy. Yet  . . .

As excited I was to be seeing Mr. Springsteen again and being in the company of these two amazing women,  I also had a small sense of dread.  I had been trying not to dwell on the fact that this would be the first time Big Man wouldn't be on stage with the E Street Band.  I wondered how that would be, how empty his spot on stage would seem, and how Bruce would address his absence.  I was especially dreading hearing the song "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out," one of my absolute favorites, and I was secretly hoping that they wouldn't do that one.

I did great for the first five or six songs.  I mean, opening with Bob Seger's "Get Out of Denver" had everyone rocking from the beginning--a perfect way to open a concert at the Pepsi Center!  It was when Bruce did "Roll Call" and introduced the band, about thrity minutes into the show, when the tears  were uncontainable, no matter how many times I tried to blink them away.  After he introduced everyone, he said, "Are we missing anyone?  Are you missing anyone?" and a light shone on the empty spot where Big Man usually stands.  I am actually tearing up as I type this--it was a subtle-yet-perfect way to honor Clarence Clemons.  Bruce didn't say his name--he didn't need to--we all knew who was missing.

That led into a quiet monologue about ghosts--we all have ghosts who walk beside us.  We've all lost someone or something, but they're with us all the time.  This spiritual side of Bruce got to me as I thought about my dad, of course, but also my grandparents and other family members and friends who have passed.  I truly could feel their presence--it "was good" as Bruce said.  Bruce broke into "Spirit in the Night" appropriately, and, once again, we were all smiles as we sang along.

The thing about a Bruce Springsteen concert is that there is absolutely no down time.  The band goes from one song directly into the next.  There is no buffer time, no wait time for applause--one song turns into the next.  And so, for the next three hours, Bruce and the band played song after song.

I had to "translate" my typing the next day!
8:13 = time Bruce came on stage
11:10 = time he left the stage

You would never know The Boss is 63.  He never stopped--never sat down--never took a break.  And, Bruce doesn't stand at the mic all night and sing slow love songs--he is all over the place.  He's on stage, on a walkway leading into the crowd, on a platform in the middle of the crowd, falling into the crowd and body surfing back to the stage, jumping, sliding, dancing.  For three hours.  

I was exhausted after one!  I did, however, have enough energy to get up and dance to "Dancing in the Dark."  I can't stay seated for that one.  (see short video below--I can't believe I'm posting it, but it really was a labor of love for me to do this.  With the support of my sister and my BFF, I danced the whole song!!!)

The last song of the night, at 11:18 p.m., was indeed "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out."  I had been dreading it, true, but it was during this last song that I could finally let go.  Bruce was out in the midst of the audience again,  singing the familiar words.  When it got to "They made that change uptown and The Big Man joined the band," the music stopped, Bruce froze, and Big Man's face appeared on the Jumbotron.  The cheers from the audience were so loud I thought the floor was going to give out.  A video tribute played for maybe 5 minutes, and yes, I was blubbering.  It "was good" though--I know that Big Man will always be a part of a Bruce concert, and his spirit and music will always be with us.

Big Man's nephew, Jake Clemons, keeps the spirit alive.

The night ended with Bruce putting on a Santa hat that someone from the front threw up to him, and he rewarded us with a verse of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town."  He left the stage, leaving me feeling light hearted and so happy (my cheeks hurt from smiling so much!)  The feeling of dread and sadness was long gone, only to be replaced by all those ghosts walking with me, keeping me safe and giving me new reasons to believe.

"Various Songs Live in These Guitars" Jackson Browne

I saw Jackson for the first time at Red Rocks during the Running on Empty tour.  That must have been in the late 70's, which means I was in my twenties.  My oh my, how things have changed!  Somehow, though, Jackson has managed to stay pretty much the same.

My date for the night was my gorgeous sister, Kerri, who flew in from Minneapolis--for the concert but also to visit with Mom.  We started the night out with dinner and drinks at D Bar Desserts.  (a MUST for anyone who has never been there!)  After enjoying a delicious dinner and some fancy cocktails, we were ready to enjoy Jackson's beautiful music.

We took advantage of the valet parking at Downtown Denver's historic Paramount Theatre, a perfect venue for an intimate Jackson Browne concert.  In fact, I saw him perform there maybe ten years ago.  Because it seats just under 2000 guests, the setting is intimate.  

When Jackson finally took the stage after Sara Watkins' longer-than-necessary opening act, I felt as if I were seeing an old friend.  His warm greeting to his loyal fans, a simple "hello" with a wave as he walked to his piano, transformed the Paramount into a living room.  The audience immediately mellowed, matching the mood and music that is Jackson Browne.

From that moment on, I was lost in the music as Jackson performed so many of my favorites.  He obviously had a set list in mind, but, as is typical at a JB concert, the audience called out their own song requests, and frequently, Jackson obliged.  He would be getting ready to begin a song, and someone from the audience would call out a request, which would cause him to stop, think for a split second, and then change directions and head over to the piano (or back to his guitar at center stage) and grant one happy audience member a wish.  At times, that got annoying to me--I just wanted to hear Jackson, not the front row yelling out their requests (which oftentimes were not my faves).  But Jackson handled all that with grace and charm, and the resulting setlist included most of everything I wanted.

(I had so much fun taking notes on my iPad during the concert!)

My favorite moment happened when Jackson, who had an entire row of guitars on stage with him, was deciding which guitar to use for a request that wasn't on his setlist.  He picked up one and then immediately changed his mind and grabbed a different one and then a different one still.  We all laughed a little bit, to which Jackson explained, "Various songs live in these guitars" and he selected the one that housed "In the Shape of a Heart."  At that point, MY heart was in excellent shape!

Jackson and his guitars

Jackson played for us for 2 1/2 loved-filled hours.  Kerri and I sang along to our favorites, sipped on a few glasses of wine, and tried to sneak in some pictures.  That wasn't easy, though, since we had this crazy-mean usher who watched us like a guard dog all night.  Never mind that EVERYONE in the front row, directly in front of Jackson no less, was taking pictures AND video.  If we even took out our phones, she was there threatening to have us thrown out.  Towards the end of the night, Kerri was at her "that does it" stage, and she jumped out of her seat, went over to her and gave her a piece of her mind.  We didn't see her again after that!

This concert, like so many Jackson concerts, felt familiar, warm, and comfortable--like a trustworthy friend who never disappoints.  And Jackson NEVER disappoints!