Moonset and Other Nature's Wonders

I stood still long enough to watch the moon move across the sky and set!

The full weight of these words will take some effort to explain. Perhaps you've watched the sun set over an ocean before... a truly amazing sight, for other than watching a solar (or lunar) eclipse, it's hard to actually watch stellar objects move across they sky. They just do... here one moment, here the next.

But when the sun sets over the ocean, it's amazing... you can actually watch the sun fall into the ocean, and unless you've watched the shadows moved on the ground during the day, you've probably never seen anything similar.

Well, we know the moon moves across the sky the same way and I was shocked to actually be able to watch the moon move across the sky. Thought it moved too slow to watch with the naked eye, but as it turns out, you can!

I was out looking for the moon (as you do) when I saw it just above the tree tops at the end of the compound. Fresh off a good high, I was content to stare at it while smoking a cigarette. First, I noticed that just 1/4 into the fag, the moon was now illuminating a branch it wasn't before. Had the moon just moved that much in 4 minutes? I scrutinized and was amazed to watch it fall through the branches of the trees and disappear.

Long had I considered the experience of the first men (and women) to watch the stars move across the sky and now, for the first time on this planet, I was able to discern the motion of our moon. Different from knowing how the moon moves, this was the first time I had experienced the knowledge. Amazing.

And the best part?

I stepped back about 20 feet and watched the whole thing all over again! Can't do that with a sunset! :)

Later that week, I noticed that the bushes growing outside the front door have little ivy-like tendrils which seemed to move. At first, dismissing this motion to the wind or human contact, I later had the opportunity to watch the plants just like I watched the moon. Similarly, I noticed movement from lighting up to the final draw. This was one of those rare nights when there was no wind or convection currents in the desert... all was calm.

I watched those little tendrils for nearly 30 minutes and was amazed see them move. I know the mechanism that plants use to anchor themselves (having seen it on Planet Earth) but again, was completely amazed to witness without time-lapse photography this plant moving on its own accord. TV isn't that good!

I will miss lighting up for these nightly meditations in the desert. I've spent so much time out there, even the cockroaches seem friendly now. Creepy, but friendly.