Cloudy with a chance of a total eclipse

Notes from an overcast day along the path of totality

We went outside a little after 2 p.m.

My wife and daughter curled up under blankets on our trampoline. I broke the hammock out of its hibernation.

We got comfortable. My wife brought snacks and found a playlist on Spotify.

We were ready for a once-in-a-lifetime event. A total solar eclipse. Our home in Fairport, N.Y., a suburb of Rochester, was on the path of totality. We’ve been hearing about this for years.

We looked up.

And saw nothing but gray.

To be fair, it wasn’t exactly a surprise. For the past week, the weather forecasters have been telling us that cloudy skies were likely. The dumb luck was that Sunday, the day before an eclipse, was picture perfect. Not a cloud in the sky.

Monday, there were all the clouds in the sky.

Which made the day, on some level, a disappointment. Which is natural.

Then the fatalism showed up on social media. Of course, WNY can’t have nice things, right? This is the most Rochester-Buffalo thing ever, am I right?

But I mean, you can’t really do anything about the weather, right?

And at the same time, it was kind of nice to sit outside with my family, ignoring emails for the afternoon and playing hooky. Maybe the eclipse was the friends we made along the way.

Then, things started to happen. Imperceptibly at first. It’s starting to get cool. Did it just get darker, or am I imagining it?

Then, the birds started. We have a lot of big, tall trees in our neighborhood, and all at once the birds started chirping. They were roosting. It just started to feel like dusk. Our dogs, and others in the neighborhood, were losing their minds.

Then it started getting a little darker. And darker still. Look at the clock. 3:20 p.m. Just about time. The neighbors come outside.

And then.

It was like somebody pulled the cosmic power cord.

Suddenly, it was night.

The birds stopped chirping, the dogs stopped barking. It was very still and very quiet. Peaceful.

It felt like the world was on pause. 

Even without being able to see the sun, it was magical.

And them, just as suddenly, the cosmic power cord was plugged back in. And it went back to an overcast day.

One we won’t forget.

Because at the end of the day, no region or area is jinxed. You make your own memories. You can either complain about the clouds or ride with the world as it is, finding the peace and pauses and the beauty where you can.