I think that I want to be a Cicada Groupie

[clean]

The 2024 solar eclipse (totality zone -- I only saw a partial eclipse last time) seems within reach.

Good Call!

After the last 'big one' I saw that the 2024 one would be near enough that I should consider making reservations to get to the prime zone.  I remember putting that date in my calendar. I will have to see if I still have it listed, or if it is just a note to remind me to do it!

[Liquidambar]

Add me to the list of those wishing to see the synchronous fireflies.  Maybe we should have a forum meetup in Great Smoky Mountains NP...  (And Liquidambar, I'd love to hear more about your research sometime!)

Yes, sounds like a fun place for a meetup!

My research area isn't that exciting, unfortunately.  When I said it had some relevance to synchronous fireflies, I meant to the synchronous part rather than the firefly part.  People like to show videos of the fireflies in their research talks, though.

Reading the article mamselle linked, in which the author wonders if the aurora is really worth trying to see, I was reminded of the 2017 eclipse.  After all the hype and everything I'd read, totality did not disappoint.  It was well worth the trip.

Random side note...  I almost stole someone's cat on the drive home from the eclipse.  We stopped at a fast food restaurant by a busy intersection and found a very friendly stray cat that was desperate to come home with us.  This wasn't a residential area, and the cat had no collar or tags.  It was too late at night to take the cat to a shelter.  I was on the verge of taking it home, but an employee told me it was someone's pet.  Bullet dodged.  I would have hated to drive 10 hours the next day to return a stolen cat.

[Wahoo Redux]

I'd like to see a tornado, in a field someplace, not a town or trailer park, from a distance.

No, no, no, no! Bad idea! Tornadoes are unpredictable, and you could get sucked into one just like Dorothy.

I'd just hold my breath until I came back down.  I'd be okay.

[apl68]

I'd like to see a tornado, in a field someplace, not a town or trailer park, from a distance.

No, no, no, no! Bad idea! Tornadoes are unpredictable, and you could get sucked into one just like Dorothy.

My mother and father saw one in the distance before I was ever born.  From their own yard, in a populated area.  It was this tornado:


https://www.kark.com/news/49th-anniversary-of-conway-tornado-that-killed-6/



The way they describe it, their view was not unlike the photo in the article.  It was one of the most terrifying moments of their lives.

[cathwen]

The 2024 solar eclipse (totality zone -- I only saw a partial eclipse last time) seems within reach.

Good Call!

After the last 'big one' I saw that the 2024 one would be near enough that I should consider making reservations to get to the prime zone.  I remember putting that date in my calendar. I will have to see if I still have it listed, or if it is just a note to remind me to do it!

Our older daughter lives in an area that is on the edge of the total eclipse zone.  It will be only a short drive to get to the total eclipse area—so she has been warned to expect visitors in 2024!

[clean]

One of the 2024 total eclipse webpage

https://nationaleclipse.com/maps.html

[hmaria1609]

Heard them full blast while I was emptying the exterior book drop this morning!

[Larimar]

They haven't come out yet here. Any time now, I hope.