The Strawberry Moon

On Friday night we hoped to see a Strawberry Moon -- the full moon in June. Too many "oooo"s going on there!

An hour before moonrise, I snapped some shots of the sunset on the other side of the sky.
Then I cupped my sunglasses eyepiece over the camera lens and achieved a rosy look.

At 8:30 PM we parked at the foot of the big bridge over the Neuse River. Adam opted to stay in the van with the puppies; it's a long trek uphill for a fellow on crutches.

But Peter, Julia, and I went in the twilight.
A powerboat zoomed beneath us.

Sunset was still happening in the west over Smith Creek.

We sat on the other side of the bridge, scouring the horizon for indications of moon.

These two are adorable. They get along so well -- and I do mean that seriously! You parents know what a joy that is to live with!

In the northwest sky, throbs of distant lightning would randomly flare up behind the clouds. Here you see the last of the sunset pink.

I hoped to capture the lightning, but never could. Julia said she could conjure up the lightning with this magical hand-throw, but it never did work when I had the camera at the ready! She's a nut, but a very fun nut.

The time for the moonrise -- 8:42 -- passed. No moon. The kids told me I'd gotten the time wrong. All that bother for nothing ... well, not exactly nothing. We had fun. We laughed. We saw some lovely sky. We heard some fun-loving boaters partying on the water. But no Strawberry Moon. I snapped a photo of the marina alight.

At 9:00 we turned to leave, and as we headed down the bridge, Peter said, "Look!"
And there it was, the red moon nudging its way above a heavy cloud bank, invisible to us, along the horizon. Soon it rose above its cloud blanket and glowed in the sky. My camera was unequal to the task of capturing its glory.

Pitiful. But the Strawberry Moon itself was anything but pitiful. I was glad we participated in its glory. I discovered later that some friends were in kayaks, on the river, waiting for it as well. I was happy to do this with my children, and thankful to God for putting such beauty into our lives.