Vegan Practically

Like so many people living in or near the North American ribbon that fell within the “path of totality” of yesterday’s eclipse, I took the day off to experience this awe-inspiring celestial event. I heard many times in the lead-up to April 8th that the difference between a 99% partial eclipse and totality was “night and day.” So off I went with my friend Rosemarie to Port Stanley, a popular summer beach destination on the shore of Lake Erie, about 40 minutes drive from London.

We left around 10, hoping to get there early enough to park at the beach and then just walk around town from there. We made a wise decision because by noon there were no spots left there. And our early arrival meant we didn’t have to contend with the worst of the traffic.

The town was abuzz with excitement and you couldn’t help but get caught up in it. Lots of local shops and restaurants that might normally not be open until the summer season kicks off at the end of May opened their doors for this special day.

The cloud cover that threatened to put a damper on the event cleared around noon, at which time we walked back to the beach for lunch at Mackie’s, a family-operated beach restaurant established in 1911. If you are familiar with the Port Stanley beach, you are familiar with Mackie’s. I have been going there ever since I moved to London back in 1992, mostly for their fries. They also have a good veggie burger. So that’s what I had for lunch.

After lunch at Mackie’s we grabbed our chairs and gear (eclipse glasses, some blankets and towels to keep warm, drinks) and set ourselves up on the beach with a thousand-ish other people. We got there right around the time the partial eclipse was starting. Of course you could only tell with the glasses on. Within about half an hour of totality it started to get visibly darker and the temperature began to drop. It was already quite cool on the beach, but the darkness made a big difference.

The palpable excitement as we headed into totality yielded cheers and shouts (including from me). Something about the moment made me and Rosemarie want to hug each other, which we did. I also grabbed my camera, which I had not equipped with a filter to photograph the partial eclipse, to take advantage of the short period of totality when it was safe to take a photo without risking melting the sensor (for the same reasons it’s safe to remove your eclipse glasses during totality without risking your eyes). I snapped a couple of photos (literally just a couple because I didn’t want to lose the experience of the moment by being preoccupied with capturing it well). I got lucky, though if I had planned better I think I would have captured more colour in the aura. Oh well! Now I know for next time.

I also captured some silhouettes on the beach, leading up to and in the middle of totality.

I am posting about this here today because witnessing the solar eclipse was a humbling experience that made me aware of my/our place in the order of things. As we humans ravage our planet and show complete disregard for its fragility, the Universe continues apace, with us just the tiniest part of it.

When something happens, whether it be a natural disaster or a moving celestial event like the eclipse, it’s a good time to regroup and gain some perspective on what we have and how fortunate we are to have it.

Did you get to see the 2024 eclipse?