August 28, 2017
IMPORTANT NOTE: The ‘comments’ section of this website is not currently operational. If you’d like to answer our trivia questions, just email me at john.oconnor@eagleradio.net. I’ll put them in next week’s replies as usual.
Well, lessee, if memory serves, this would be Week Number 317 of Vital Information for Modern Times, a subsidiary of the You Can Never Know Too Much (and I don’t) Association.
Okay, let’s do a little summing-up of the Great American Eclipse, or as a marketer would probably put it: “America’s Choice in Eclipses.”
We knew it began at about 11:35 in Great Bend, but we didn’t bother going out right away because it was cloudy and we figured we would wait until it was a little farther along before we took a look. Plus, we weren’t ready.
Along with two pairs of ‘America’s Choice Eclipse Glasses’ (obtained by a kind friend from St. Louis who mailed ‘em to us) we decided to also try the old cereal box projector technique. I removed the bag of Kellogg’s Cornflakes from its box. Sally, remembering her sixth grade science, put a piece of white paper (think movie screen) in the bottom of the box. In the top she carefully cut two square holes, one on each end. She taped foil over one hole and poked a pinhole in it. The other hole would be the ‘viewing port.’
A few minutes after we finished our lunch at 12:15 ( strawberries for dessert delayed things a little more) we strode purposefully out into the front yard. Hmmph, nothing but clouds, but overall it did seem to be getting a little darker. The ‘clipsy was underway.
Suddenly, the clouds parted briefly and we had a good view of the Orb in Question. Being a little suspicious of Chinese ‘glasses’ we tried the Kellogg’s ‘America’s Choice in Eclipse Cereals’ box projector method. I stared into the dark box, moving it this way and that.
“I think you’re pointing the business end at the house across the street” she said helpfully. Hmmm. So I was. I shifted it more toward the general direction of the sky, where I understand the sun usually positions itself.
“Ahh, I got it!” I exclaimed. The little sun image in the bottom of the box was bright and sharp, about 70% covered by now. She also took a look. “Oh, that is so cool,” she said. “I don’t think a Post Raisin Bran box could have done it.”
The clouds were on the move so we quickly tried the ‘eclips-o-specs.’ Amazing. The sun image was orangey and well-defined, about 85% obscured at this juncture.
“Oh, we gotta get pictures of this,” Sally said, whipping out the smartphone. She shot pix of us using the eclipse-o-specs (did I mention they’re America’s Choice?) and me manning the cereal box. She posted them on Facebook, of course.
Reaction was swift. Within 15 minutes she had a bunch of likes, comments and similar pix from other folks. The best comment was from our favorite local actor/artist: “Shame on you, Sally, telling John there was a prize in the bottom of the cereal box.”
There you are, the big Eclipse of 2017. Any memorable moments from your viewing experience?
Remember, until the ‘comments’ section of the site here is up and running again, just send your trivia answers and/or comments to my station email john.oconnor@eagleradio.net. I’ll put them in next week’s feature as usual.
Since we didn’t have any comments that made it through this week, let me just re-state the questions from last week:
What was the last place in GB where you could get a real fountain-style cherry phosphate?
How ‘bout a trio of spacey questions in honor of Eclipse Week:
What astronaut landed on a farm and scared the locals until they realized who he was?
What actor with an ‘other-wordly’ name uses his Mom’s maiden name for his many movie and TV roles?
What Kansas space wizard barely out of high school made an important contribution to space science?
And a music question: Philadelphia was a hotbed of pop and soul music in the ‘60s. What duo act put it back on the map in the ‘80s?
Again, reply to these questions by emailing me direct, john.oconnor@eagleradio .net. Thanks! Have a great week!
John