After weeks of anticipation, the day arrived for the total solar eclipse. Thousands of citizen astronomers gathered in anticipation of the experience and I was among those caught up in the excitement. In San Diego, it would happen between mid-to late-morning on Monday, 21 August. The Nature-lover in me was stirred to find some way to experience this rare celestial event. I thought of 3 things I could do: 1) acquire something to mark the event, 2) experience it first-hand, and 3) enjoy it through others. I left at 7:50 AM, aboard a blue trolley.
I had heard that the postal service had a new stamp celebrating the eclipse. It featured a special heat-sensitive ink, with a black ball surrounded by radiating white lines. The black ball magically disappeared with the momentary touch of someone’s warm finger, revealing a fleeting image of the moon. I was so awestruck by its description that I had to have one! I took the #215 bus to the Hillcrest post office and was disappointed to find out that were all sold out by 9 AM. Undaunted, I headed to the Normal Heights branch. On my way, I noticed the sunlight had diminished, indicating that the eclipse had begun, achieving goal #2. At 10:10 AM, I was delighted to purchase a sheet of “Total Eclipse of the Sun” stamps, my #1 goal. From there I took the #11 bus to San Diego State University, arriving near peak eclipse time at 10:22 AM. I was unable to sense anything different, but I had fun watching 3 bus drivers view the eclipse through a hole in a piece of cardboard, achieving goal #3. By 11 AM., I was on my way home via the green and blue trolley lines; and, yes, the stamps are really cool.