Monday, August 21, 2017

The Path of Totality

Well folks, we did it! (To be honest, we are still currently trekking back from the path of totality, but for this hellish commute I think we're past the part where we are stuck in a poop-filled potato field so, really, we are on the upswing.)

Honestly, for days we'd been doubting whether we should attempt this crazy trip. This is despite it being the purpose of our trip out West and even despite the hours of research I did that informed me Idaho or coastal Oregon were the best visibility options. Two days ago, after reading the LA Times article about how terrified tiny Idaho Falls was or the near constant warning from the Salt Lake City news that we were surely diving into an apocalypse, I was even shaky with our commitment to be real eclipse chasers. Now, having done it and despite being up from 4am until likely 1am tomorrow and this hellacious traffic, I would do it again with 1000% confidence that it's worth it. It really was.

The excitement and community we built with strangers out in Tautphaus Park in Idaho Falls, the hours spent just being a family, killing time outside, and making memories, and the actual gobsmacking beauty of a total eclipse made for an exceptional afternoon. The price we're paying now won't be what we carry home with us.

So, what was it like? Was totality really as cool as everyone said it would be. Yes! I think so!

We were up at 4am and on the road twenty minutes later. The kids slept until 6:30 and we were pulling into Idaho Falls around 7:30. We had company on the highway but no traffic. I had researched and researched and discovered that Tautphaus Park would have large grassy fields, restrooms, a playground, an amusement park and a zoo in walking distance. We had a morning picnic of croissants and chocolate cake and made friends with the families around us. Sam took all of the kids to check out the skate park and I got to stretch out (and call my momma!). Later I discovered that the big kids we're actually sliding into the bowl of the skate park and then running up the sides, and pulling themselves up and over the edge. Goodness. It was Zahra's ripped skirt and dirt smudged nose that gave it away. But! The kids loved it and I'm pretty sure we can convince them to go to the skate park near us with their wheels. So, win win for everyone other than that skirt.

We did origami in the park and had a crowd of five year olds come join us. We played soccer and even Ziyan was dribbling and kicking. We stretched out on a fuzzy blanket, glasses on and watched the sun slowly get eaten by the Moon. "Mommy, it looks like the Moon took a bite out of the sun," conjectured Zahra. "Or a dragon!" posited Zayd. We had an hour and eighteen minutes between that first tiny bite and totality and we spent it together in anticipation and it was simply lovely. Everyone spread out on their blanket was so friendly and talkative. We shared stories about where we came from, what we were eating, and how the traffic had been. We shared glasses and origami papers and insights about the sun. (Mormons were there sharing free books!) Aman nearby was the local expert and he had a special countdown timer. By thirty and then definitely by ten seconds the whole park was woohooing and yelling and joyous. I can't actually explain why, other than a buildup of energy that we were all engaged in together.

When we reached totality suddenly it was truly dark. The horizon had the dewy pink hue of sunset for 365°, which was truly spectacular. The corona of the sun flamed and flared around the moon in a truly magical way. Seeing the sun slowly disappear, you come to understand how magnificently powerful it really is. At 60% covered, it didn't seem any darker and even at 90% we could still see one another. Just before it disappeared strange (apparently unexplained) wavy shadows danced on the sidewalks. And the second it was gone, it got so cold.

During totality Zahra especially buzzed around and I felt teary. Zayd offered to pick her up so she could get a closer look. Then...double teary. Sam seemed awestruck. Ziyan slept through the entire thing, just like I hoped he would. It was two minutes of unthrottled excitement and maybe even euphoria. Let's just say, I can't wait for 2024. But also, the adventure, minus this horrific commute we're still slugging through, made it more special. We built up the suspense for so long, skipped out on our normal lives, and journeyed halfway across the country together and then witnessed what felt like a miracle but was actually better, it was science!

We bummed around Idaho for some hours, rode the ferris wheel, visited the zoo, and ate. We attempted to leave around four but the traffic made is about ship nearly an hour in. Fifteen minutes later, we were touring the Museum of Idaho with 300 other eclipse chasers. We're now two hours into our late night trek headed for SLC. Wish us luck!

PS As a last hurrah, the sunset tonight over the mountains and fields of Idaho was magic. The sun was was an enormous orange disk, the sky so pink. What a great day for our solar system's prized jewel.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Frio Adventurers

We spent one of our last summer weekends at the Frio. Just like real Texans.

We rented a house at the Concan Country Club (unlike most Texans) and enjoyed days at the river and evenings in the pool.

The kids had a great time with 12 kids running around and we enjoyed having some one else (neighbor kids) entertain them!

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Big Bend

You don't need words.

Just go!

Marfa! Because we are the hippest!

Early one morning, Ziyan, mom and I escaped our west Texas house (and those men and big kids!) to drive forty five miles to Prada Marfa. If you're unfamiliar, it's an art installation in the middle of the desert that is an unopenable building stocked with Prada merchandise from 10 years ago.

Hmmmm. I'm no art critic but I felt convinced the artist would laugh at us. I think you can juxtapose our excessive trip into the desert to see Prada things behind a glass to the excessive expense of actually buying one of those things. And thus, we're all fools. Everyone but the artist? Isn't that how art works? I wish my dear friend Payal had been there to critique my critique.

Afterward, we did a little shopping and because there weren't enough stores by our big city standards, we bought entirely too much hand milled soap.

To cap our art-filled day, we had the guys+Zahra meet us at Donald Judd's artist compound Chinati foundation. We enjoyed 100 aluminum cubes housed in an old military barrack that once served as a  POW facility for German soldiers we captured in North Africa during WWII. The best thing to help me enjoy art more is definitely art mixed with history! I love math and I love performance but sometimes inanimate art is hard for me. (See Prada Marfa, above.) While the experience was lovely, the pictures are phenomenal!

Marfa, check! This trip is almost complete!

West Texas Traipsing

Back in early July... Two vacations ago...

After arriving in the stillest of the night, Sam and I were up and at em searching Ft Davis for breakfast tacos first thing the next morning. Just as in San Antonio, Zahra wanted to accompany us (as on any adventure out of the house) and it would take a considerable bribe (or threat) to get Zayd out the front door. So we took our Littles and headed into town. We found a tiny shop at the base of Sleeping Lion Mountain. My goodness. This was the view walking into the taco shop.

It was breathtaking. I was glad to have arrived so late and thus experience the Davis Mountains with fresh morning eyes at the very start of the vacation.

Through out the trip we enjoyed our home base of Fort Davis. We enjoyed ice cream at the local drugstore and soda fountain, ice cream out of a train car, and fresh honey lollipops. Yum! The kids both discovered awesome finds at the rock and fossill  store. The town was tiny but the mountains we unbeatable. Most of us took a quick hike up a mountain on the second morning. The kids complained quite a bit but I'll make adventurers of them yet. Ziyan was beyond eager to hike and actually walked down the last little stretch while I held both hands firmly so he didn't just tumble all the way down. I loved seeing that at least one of these Zs is going to be exuberantly Lonely Planeting with me. (I knew I needed a third baby!)

For Sam and I, a highlight from trip was absolutely the McDonald observatory. We went to a Star Party that we would do again any day... Without our kids. We saw Saturn, Jupiter, and some nebula before we had to whisk Zahra off that freezing mountain.

Ziyan, Zayd, Nani and I ventured to Alpine to catch the Big Bend Cowboys in their win over some other tiny Texas town. I think it was Zayd's first baseball game and he enjoyed it. I'd been to Jon's little league games in bigger stadiums and loved the down home feel... Mostly.

Honestly, the entire trip I thought repeatedly about the things I've learned about America over this past year or two. That lots of Americans don't like immigrants, for example. Not all, by any means, but apparently lots. That's not even getting into religion where we know I, again, don't fare very well with "many" Americans. Throughout the trip, I repeatedly questioned my decision to traipse all of the beautifully pigmented babies out to meet "many" presumably good and loving Americans. I would never claim there are more of the "many" out in Alpine than right here in San Antonio, as I have no idea. I will say, when suddenly you (and the people you brought) are the only people who look like you that you've seen in five days...it can be unnerving. All of that said, everyone was pleasant and my worries were for not. My occasional discomfort though, is a useful resource that serves to keep my family safe. A depressing, realistic resource.

Just as we started that first morning, this vacation was wonderful for giving each of us special time together in different little groupings. I don't know if Sam, Zahra, Ziyan and I have ever done ANYTHING alone as a foursome. Ziyan spent so much extra time with Nani and Nana that he likes to video chat them these days! It's amazing how you create and then evolve unique dynamics when on a big family vacation. It was an opportunity to experience each other more fully, which is probably exactly the purpose of family vacation.