His life has been simple but packed full of experience. Most of my life I knew he was an amateur Astronomer. My Dad doesn't have a framed University degree or College diploma hanging from his wall but has boxes of 75 years of life experience hidden somewhere from my Mum so she doesn't throw it out mistaking them as "junk".
It was my amateur astronomer Dad that introduced me to Halley's comet when I was a young child. He taught me that Miss Halley doesn't grace our skies with her presence very often and my Dad wouldn't be alive anymore the next time she comes around. However, I may still be alive to see her again as well as my children and maybe even my grandchildren would be able to catch a glimpse of her when she visits again.
That's what my Dad shared with me on that chilly night where I caught a brief look of Miss Halley's speckled tail through a fellow amateur astronomer's telescope. From my childish perspective, the fuss surrounding the event seemed greater than what I viewed through the telescope but it stuck with me. I can still see my Dad peeling over the newspaper articles of her every space move. I can almost smell the chilled air of that evening of our viewing and my Dad's excitement over the entire time period that Miss Halley visited. It's still a palpable memory, even after 28 years.
It was no surprise to me when my Dad began planning his trip to view the full eclipse of the sun that would be celebrated around Cairns, Australia in 2012. If I remember correctly, he called to ask me to help him research some information "on the line" in 2011. Why Australia, Dad? Because it was expected to be the best place in the world to catch a front row view of the eclipse - as long as they're no clouds in the sky that day. That was a risk my Dad was willing to take for this monumental event. Nothing that I said about travelling alone at his ripe age of 73 would convince him from taking a detour onto the comforts of the internet to view this eclipse. He was going to be there in person and continued making his plans and I began the prayers in my heart that there would be a clear sky for my Dad to view the solar eclipse in Port Douglas, Australia (close to Cairns).
Almost two years after his return home, Dad wanted to put together his photos of his trip in a scrap book of some kind. I told my Dad that I would be happy to make a book for him of his experience but thought that it would be nice if he could put together a summary of his trip to go along with his pictures.
I did't know what to expect when my Dad handed me the summary of his experience. I can tell you that I didn't expect to be that little girl watching Halley's comet all over again with the eyes of a mature adult that could recognize the brilliance and wisdom of my Father within his own words. My Dad!
I'm very excited to share with you the beautiful account of my Dad's trip to Port Douglas, Australia on November 14th, 2012 along 4 Mile Beach. The following account is in his own words along with photos taken with his disposable camera...
November 14th, 2012
Full Eclipse of the Sun from Port Douglas, Australia
At 3:30AM November 14th, 2012,
I awake in my motel room.
I start my walk to four mile beach in complete darkness
for approximately 12-15 minutes.
I arrive at 5:00AM.
Many people have now gathered on the beach and
are awaiting sunrise at 5:36am.
First contact occurs at 5:44am.
The eastern sky is very cloudy
the sun is only 20% visible than
cloud moved into 60% visibility
as the moon's shadow progressed into the sun.
As the minutes went by,
visibility increased to 85%, 90%, 95%, 98%,
then a flash, a very bright light occurs
and the sun is 100% covered by the moon's shadow
and we are in complete darkness for 2 minutes and 3 seconds.
Full and total eclipse of the sun has occurred.
I look up and view planet venus and some star's overhead
- just as I had seen at 5:00am,
when it was completely dark,
when I first arrived at the beach.
As the moon's shadow begins to leave the sun,
after 123 seconds,
once again daylight emerges than by 6:30am or so.
It's daylight and the sun was all visible and back to normal
as the earth traveled east and the sun rose higher into the sky.
I then walked slowly back to my motel room.
For the remainder of the day
I was excited as the action of a stimulant on an organ of the body or of a plant.
in
Port Douglas town."
"Just a minute before full eclipse of the sun."
"Full eclipse of the sun.
It's now complete darkness for a few minutes."
"Complete darkness when the moon completely
covers the sun."
"It's now almost back to daylight after full eclipse of the sun."
The above poses that my Dad strikes are pretty classic of his character. I now look at them with new, mature and informed eyes versus rolled eyes of annoyance or embarrassment.
I now look at my Dad in the above pictures and appropriately recall the song,
"Stayin' Alive!"
