Saturday Culebra Grab Bag

There are all sorts of little bits to toss in today's post. The first is the gathering at 1 p.m. today at Mamacita's for Marsha and Ren. I didn't know Ren as well as I knew Marsha, and I didn't know Marsha near well enough, but enough to miss her frequent visits to the cart for conversation. If you know them, I'm sure you'll want to be there to spend some time with their various children and friends, to share stories and memories of these two, who are gone, but will never be forgotten.

It might be early yet, but not to early to mark your calendars for a couple of great sky shows coming up. The first is the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks on the 13th and 14th. How can you not want to see a meteor shower that is the favorite of NASA astronomer Bill Cooke, who says "The Geminids are my favorite, because they defy explanation." Keep the magic in science, Bill! This meteor shower can be seen from almost everywhere on the planet...so look up and feel the wonder!

Even though the star map from above is from 2004, it doesn't matter, because "The Geminids are so named because if you traced all the meteor trails backward, they would meet within the boundaries of the constellation Gemini." from Astronomy Magazine

Total eclipse from Culebra, from a few years ago

The other event is another big one, a total lunar eclipse, on December 20th or 21st, depending on your time zone. "There won’t be a total lunar eclipse this far north on the sky’s dome until December 21, 2485. That’s because this eclipse is happening almost simultaneously with the December solstice – which in 2010 occurs on December 21 – when the sun will be southernmost for this year."  from Earthsky, which has a lot more cool info on this eclipse. Since I don't plan on being around in 2485, I'll be hoping for clear skies. Check the links for your time zone so you don't miss one of the more amazing sky shows above earth.
 
I was going to add a story here about a boat, but I think I'll save it for another time, another cup of tea.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear".  ~Ambrose Redmoon

Have a strong Saturday. Do something singular.