Orel Family

Port Austin, Michigan. August 12, 2024. 2:40am I booked the motel room in early June. Port Austin , in our favorite cute little motel up by Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay . Tip of the thumb, with gorgeous sunsets, quaint little eateries, art barns, farm stands, and easy access to a dark sky preserve. I made the reservation for Sunday, August 11th, the best night for the annual Perseids Meteor Shower s. Astrophotogaphy mode -- the Auroroa moves, and I got a meteorite! Port Crescent Dark Sky Preserve. August 12, 2024. 1:01am. Then Aaron came home at the end of his semester. Then Ezra decided to come, too. And then... at midday Sunday afternoon the motel called. They had some water issues in the room and had to cancel the reservation. Should I cancel the trip? To spend more time with the children? The forecast was iffy, this was my chance if I wanted it.  Port Austin, Michigan. The Autora is out! August 11, 2024. 11:18pm A friend had texted me, "Pray to the sun gods," which meant ...

10:42pm, May 10, 2024: The Northern Lights over Silver Lake near Pinckney Recreation Area I'll keep this one simple. I saw the Northern Lights! Aurora Borealis! Barely a month after witnessing a total solar eclipse in Ohio , I got to witness something that is rarely seen in Southern Michigan. Twice! Night 1: May 10, 2024 For the eclipse, of course we all knew years in advance that it was coming. For this... it was on the local weather report Thursday night. We were panning to get Ezra in Ann Arbor for dinner. At 2:55pm I texted, "Northern Lights might be visible tonight. Want to try?" Just like that. 10:50pm, May 10, 2024: The Northern Lights over Silver Lake near Pinckney Recreation Area Finding a dark spot was going to be the challenge. We drove to Chelsea, but the place we tried was too bright. So onwards to Pinckney Recreation Area . At 10:23pm, I received a text from my friend Kim: "It's out. Just get out of car." I was on a dirt road in the middle of n...