Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Well, I went out tonight to look up at the sky in hopes of seeing some of the Perseid meteor showers.

Last year, mom and I drove out to the cemetery. We sat, and we waited, and we waited and we waited. Despite the very wide view unobstructed by trees/buildings and such, we saw nothing streaking across the sky...

Tonight it is a wonderful night, about 70 degrees and a crisp light breeze. The IF Symphony is in full concert. I had forgotten it was that time of year already and only just stumbled upon the news of the showers.

So, I threw on a longsleeve shirt and headed out into the yard. I stood with my head tilted back.

My neighbor, the one that is not a dog genius, has a really really bright yard light that lights up my whole back yard. Still, I was able to see some sky and some stars, if I stayed on the side of my house.

As I stood there, again with the waiting, I recalled the most magnificent night sky I have ever seen.

Kadavu, Fiji.

I was staying at Matava eco resort. Kadavu is an island in the south pacific and the nearest source of lights was in Suva, on the main island of Viti Levu, about 60 miles away. Suva, the cosmopolitan hot spot of the S. Pacific, is not brimming with bright lights at night. 60 miles of ocean between us, it made zero impact on visibility. The nearest major city is over 2000 miles away, in Australia.

Result?

The absolutely most stunning star studded sky you have ever laid eyes on.

It was hard to comprehend seeing that many stars, in that many layers.

I cannot really describe it. There were so many layers to the stars, so many sizes, brightness and radiance. The sky danced, glittered and shimmered. It appeared to be in constant motion.

Pure absolute grace.

No ambient lights to interfere, just the night sky as our ancestors experienced it.

In the prior week, I had been staying on Moorea in French Polynesia and had been enjoying the night sky there. However, we were only about 11 miles from the city of Papeetee on Tahiti, and it had a much larger night time light presence, and was much closer to where I was. Moorea was also much more populated, making the night sky there nothing compared to what I was to witness in Kadavu.

I arrived in the islands in a certain mood to begin with. It was the starting point for my open ended backpacking trip. I had read Kon Tiki during the flight from LA to Papeetee and was in a very magical place as we flew into the airport in the middle of the night. Reading the Kon-Tiki as I was arriving, really impacted my experiences in the S. Pacific.

Anyway, standing in the yard tonight transported me back to those nights at Matava, trying to absorb the true immense nature of the universe.

My mind then shifted to a cold winter night in February 2008. The lunar eclipse. Ohio. I shared this night with dad and mom. I surfed onto the web via an open wireless connection in their neighborhood and showed them live video feed. I went outside and stood across the street and video taped it for dad. That was Feb 20th, 2 short months before we would say goodbye. I remember clinging to every moment of that night, wishing it would never end. But we knew our days were drawing to a close.

Amazing what the night sky can deliver.

I stood outside tonight having one of those odd conversations with dad. Fleeting bits, no sentences completed, but thoughts full transmitted.

I am forever thankful to my dear friend Mandy for telling me to come home that Christmas, she said it would be our last. How I wish she had been wrong.

Well, a bittersweet night to say the least. The promise of tomorrow, the heartache of the past. I think I'll go out and give it another look before I turn in.

Maybe I will reread Kon-Tiki soon.