Eclipse

     I did not witness the eclipse, so here is Matty's report:

      "When I first read the scary stories about how central Oregon would fail to accommodate the expected throngs I was reminded of a "What If?" column in which a scientist answers absurd questions. What would happen, one writer asked, if earth's entire population stood shoulder to shoulder in the state of Rhode Island and all jumped at the same time? Would it affect the earth? The answer is no, the earth outweighs humanity by a factor of trillions. What intrigued the scientist was thinking about how everyone would get home and how many people would starve before being able to leave. His deduction: billions. It turns out that, thankfully, the Apoceclipse turned into a Y2Keclipse. It was also spectacular, thus avoiding being seen as a Comet Kohouteclipse. When I arrived at Smith Rock in Oregon the families near me consisted of whining children and nagging parents. As the sun disappeared the families bonded in wonderment. An hour and fourteen minutes later, of course, everything was back to normal. A total eclipse changes a person, but not necessarily for long. A radio station asked listeners what song should be played during totality. The clear winner was Dark Side of the Moon. While watching the eclipse I got very sad. I would have chosen Total Eclipse of the Heart."

     We will be two more days in Sunriver. I am enjoying the deer. We have staring contests and I win. The aptly named Sunriver is a resort made up primarily of large houses arranged in loops of up to twenty. The loops are accessed by windy roads with traffic circles. It is super easy to get lost. There are lots of paths with some walkers and packs of bicyclists. Matty jerks me out of the way if one gets too close so I don't worry about getting run over. There is a large swimming pool called an aquatic center and a village with a grocery store, outdoor stores and more bicycles for rent than you can imagine. In the past the police have been invisible, but they are cracking down on crime by citing car travelers not wearing a seat belt. They have nailed at least three people in three days just at the entrance to our loop. So if you come to Sunriver get good directions and wear your seatbelt.
     Thursday we will drive to nearby Bend and spend the night with a friend who has a cat. The cat hates me, but I don't mind. I just like having a cat around. Then off to Spokane and Duluth. We have a deadline to get to Minnesota and Montana is ridiculously wide so we dare not dawdle.
     A note about Emma Peel. Kathy had named her The Polluter because she has the cheating VW diesel engine. Happily, she underwent the diesel emissions fix before this trip and, we trust, is running cleaner. Hence, a new name.

Precious