Last night was the full moon, the Harvest Moon. It was also a lunar eclipse. We loaded up the dogs and drove out to the boat launch at the point. The area where we live is a lobe, a peninsula, which bumps out into Lake St. Clair. At the tip of this bulb, the nipple, is a narrow strand that follows the river flowing into the lake. Residents refer to this as “the point.”
From the outlook at the end of point, you can see nearly a 360-degree view of the lake. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) maintains a walking trail which leads from the boat launch to the very tip of the point.
We arrived just before sunset and led the dogs along the trail. Standing near the lighthouse, really just a beacon, we watched the line of sailboats returning to shore before dark. They reminded me of cows lining up for the barn at the end of the day, slowly gliding across the placid water.
The skyglow of the setting sun fills me with awe every time. Added to the quiet lapping of the water, the sunset was a soul-affirming experience. I’ve always felt a calming influence inspired by being near the water, and I’ve lived my entire life within a few miles of a body of water. I find being in the presence of flowing water to induce a near-meditative state for me. During some of my toughest times, I would park under the bridge and walk along the river in my hometown. Now, I walk along the lake.
Being in a peaceful, natural environment resets my nervous system and calms me. I’ve read about a process known as “grounding.” It makes me wonder if there isn’t something similar to be found in “watering.”
We witnessed the well-known seven swans a-swimming during our stroll. Actually, I counted nine of them. They are so beautiful, but it was hard to get a good picture in the fading light.
As we ease from summer to autumn and the leaves slowly turn scarlet and golden, the wildflowers add their own brilliance to the display.
When we returned to our car, we sat for a little while in the deepening twilight, waiting for the moonrise. Clouds clustered low on the horizon and obscured our view as it rose from the water, but midway through its journey, a gap in the clouds allowed me to capture an image of the harvest moon peeking through.
All these images were captured with my cellphone camera, so they come nowhere near the professional shots I’ve seen of the moon last night and the eclipse that occurred somewhere around 10:30 pm local time. I stepped outside to try and catch the eclipse, but my efforts were limited by my cellphone’s technology. What I have is a picture of the moon in the sky over our garage, but still – look at the moon!
Did you get any pictures of the moon last night? Did you travel somewhere special to look at it? Share your pictures or stories with us in the comments. I want to see the moon through your eyes.
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YES! I was in Michigan this past weekend - not for the full moon, but for the days leading up to it, and let me tell you, as a lifelong "I need to be near / in the water" kind of person (sorry, the muddy Mississippi doesn't cut it), I know EXACTLY what you mean!
Love the idea of "watering" , like grounding. 🌊