Another lovely essay, Will! The video certainly makes the flag look as though it’s flying, though I have no doubt it was hoisted on the Moon. Your description of some pattern-recognition problems produced by our brains is, as usual, worthy of pondering and beautiful.
As we get to full moon, I always think of you and hope your health is improving.
Best wishes from New Zealand, where the full moon shone last night through gaps in the clouds whipped along by a chilly wind.
And another lovely message from you, Anne! I love picturing you in New Zealand squinting up at the same bright Moon as me, just tilted upside down. Thanks for asking about my health, which waxes and wanes like our mutual friend.
Great excitement at the weekend just gone because after a run of cold, clear spring days there was going to be a near occultation: Antares poised on the tip of the Moon’s terminal at about 11.50 pm on Sunday. I was all set to sprint across the suburb to my friend Adam’s to view it through his telescope. (Mine too big to be portable.) On the day itself it was overcast and pouring rain all afternoon, so we abandoned the idea and Adam shelved his plan to livestream it.
Then at 11.30 pm the clouds rolled off to reveal the last crescent low in the west. (sadly behind the hill for me). No livestream but a lovely photo by Adam. I’ll attempt to post it, to remind us all that the waning crescent is also a cool sight.
Great essay! A lot of interesting information- I still can’t get over the fact that a nylon flag from Sears was what was planted on the moon! From a fellow luna-tic🙏🏽🙏🏽
Oh Will! So beautiful and evolked such clear memory of my father standing with me on our back steps and pointing to the moon (later that day) telling me there were men up there. I was just over 3 but can remember being with my mother and watching at a friends place. This is where my lunatic tendency’s can be fondly traced back to! She still holds me in her thrall! Was in Tonga for this full moon
What a luminous memory! I can imagine you standing on the back steps, your father pointing upward, the Moon suddenly occupied not just by shadows but by men. No wonder she claimed you so early. Tonga must have been amazing! Thanks, Jo, for your story and fellow moon-madness.
Do you know the tradition of “Rabbit rabbit!”? My wife Kate discovered it and now we reflect the idea every month on our outside Bulletin Board. (Instagram: @radaghast11)
Apparently originating in England, the story is that on the first day of the month everyone should say, “rabbit, rabbit” to bring good luck. Probably a bit better luck for all concerned than carrying around a rabbit’s paw, eh? 😄🐰
In New Zealand on the first of the month as children we said ‘White rabbit!’ That’s a while ago now. Will ask great nieces whether the habit still holds.
It’s particularly comforting to know that in America there was even a discussion about what Flag to post on the moon. Had that discussion been proposed in the, then, USSR, it wouldn’t have been “embraced” so delicately. In regards to the 13% statistic, this number reflects nothing more than an increasing number of individuals who will oppose ANYTHING in an effort to exert a semblance of intellectual domain and avoid feelings of irrelevance…regardless of the overwhelming historical data. I give you the flat-earthers☺️
I suspect you’re right: in other regimes, the question would have been swiftly “resolved” without debate. I try not to let the flat-earthers bother me, but I think I would really have a problem with flat-mooners 🤣
Thank you for another thoughtful Lunar dispatch. I agree, it’s the heart that moves. Beautiful, Will. And a thought I will carry with me for a long time.
oh my oh my... what an evocative lovely read this morning... I wasn't able to see the moon before going to bed last night but awakening early with the moon, suu, reflected, and illuminated light all around my space, my house. I saw a spectacular FULL Sturgeon moon... at 5:59AM this morning in the night's sky. planting the flag on the mon.... claiming it... mmmmm... had been dreaming about communion on the moon.. taking wafer, host, and sharing and how we must keep that a secret... all the preparations for travel, mercy and GRACE.. nice so nice... thank you...
The moon is so hard to capture. It's like a reclusive author that doesn't like to be photographed. The Salinger of the sky. Hope you're doing well, Simon.
I love your posts, but this one, your quirky fantastic trip to the moon and back, with little fanfare and recognition, warms me with memories of sitting before the television that was dragged into a summer camp dining hall to watch that flag-in-dust moment, and smiling at your nod to how we, with our faulty personal radars and many versions of seeing and believing, may interpret that event. Got to admit, though, in a factual comparison, your version seems more plausible! 😊
I love the scene you paint, a dining hall full of campers gazing at the Moon through the glow of a dragged-in television. And yes, our personal radars can be fuzzed with static, and sometimes, like a TV, our heads need a good tap on the side. Thanks so much for reading, Deb!
Thank you, Robert! Late arrivals are always welcome. Never a bad time to loosen gravity's tug. I may not be feeling much better, but I am still trying to catch those passing moments of lift, however brief, that carry us a little higher.
Another lovely essay, Will! The video certainly makes the flag look as though it’s flying, though I have no doubt it was hoisted on the Moon. Your description of some pattern-recognition problems produced by our brains is, as usual, worthy of pondering and beautiful.
As we get to full moon, I always think of you and hope your health is improving.
Best wishes from New Zealand, where the full moon shone last night through gaps in the clouds whipped along by a chilly wind.
Anne
And another lovely message from you, Anne! I love picturing you in New Zealand squinting up at the same bright Moon as me, just tilted upside down. Thanks for asking about my health, which waxes and wanes like our mutual friend.
Great excitement at the weekend just gone because after a run of cold, clear spring days there was going to be a near occultation: Antares poised on the tip of the Moon’s terminal at about 11.50 pm on Sunday. I was all set to sprint across the suburb to my friend Adam’s to view it through his telescope. (Mine too big to be portable.) On the day itself it was overcast and pouring rain all afternoon, so we abandoned the idea and Adam shelved his plan to livestream it.
Then at 11.30 pm the clouds rolled off to reveal the last crescent low in the west. (sadly behind the hill for me). No livestream but a lovely photo by Adam. I’ll attempt to post it, to remind us all that the waning crescent is also a cool sight.
As a fellow lunatic, my heart too is moving! :)
❤️🌖
Great essay! A lot of interesting information- I still can’t get over the fact that a nylon flag from Sears was what was planted on the moon! From a fellow luna-tic🙏🏽🙏🏽
Thanks so much, Beena! 🇺🇸🌕
You touch something in me every month. Thank you 🌝
Thank YOU for reading!
You are my kind of weird, Will. Big love to you!
Right back at you! Glad our kind have found each other here.
Oh Will! So beautiful and evolked such clear memory of my father standing with me on our back steps and pointing to the moon (later that day) telling me there were men up there. I was just over 3 but can remember being with my mother and watching at a friends place. This is where my lunatic tendency’s can be fondly traced back to! She still holds me in her thrall! Was in Tonga for this full moon
What a luminous memory! I can imagine you standing on the back steps, your father pointing upward, the Moon suddenly occupied not just by shadows but by men. No wonder she claimed you so early. Tonga must have been amazing! Thanks, Jo, for your story and fellow moon-madness.
San Diego is presently “socked in” but maybe we’ll get a moon glimpse before bedtime. 🥲
Great story, Will! Thanks!
Hope the clouds cleared for you in time. If not, there's always the upcoming lunar eclipse to make up for it!
Do you know the tradition of “Rabbit rabbit!”? My wife Kate discovered it and now we reflect the idea every month on our outside Bulletin Board. (Instagram: @radaghast11)
Apparently originating in England, the story is that on the first day of the month everyone should say, “rabbit, rabbit” to bring good luck. Probably a bit better luck for all concerned than carrying around a rabbit’s paw, eh? 😄🐰
In New Zealand on the first of the month as children we said ‘White rabbit!’ That’s a while ago now. Will ask great nieces whether the habit still holds.
It’s particularly comforting to know that in America there was even a discussion about what Flag to post on the moon. Had that discussion been proposed in the, then, USSR, it wouldn’t have been “embraced” so delicately. In regards to the 13% statistic, this number reflects nothing more than an increasing number of individuals who will oppose ANYTHING in an effort to exert a semblance of intellectual domain and avoid feelings of irrelevance…regardless of the overwhelming historical data. I give you the flat-earthers☺️
I suspect you’re right: in other regimes, the question would have been swiftly “resolved” without debate. I try not to let the flat-earthers bother me, but I think I would really have a problem with flat-mooners 🤣
Thank you for another thoughtful Lunar dispatch. I agree, it’s the heart that moves. Beautiful, Will. And a thought I will carry with me for a long time.
Thanks, Teyani. Always wonderful to hear your thoughts. Hope you're well this month.
oh my oh my... what an evocative lovely read this morning... I wasn't able to see the moon before going to bed last night but awakening early with the moon, suu, reflected, and illuminated light all around my space, my house. I saw a spectacular FULL Sturgeon moon... at 5:59AM this morning in the night's sky. planting the flag on the mon.... claiming it... mmmmm... had been dreaming about communion on the moon.. taking wafer, host, and sharing and how we must keep that a secret... all the preparations for travel, mercy and GRACE.. nice so nice... thank you...
Thanks so much, Jackie! Your vision of the Sturgeon Moon at dawn sounds luminous—almost like waking into a dream already in progress. Grace indeed.
Excellent as always…can’t tell you how glad I am to have you back!
Thanks, Paul! Hope you're doing well.
Excellent as always…can’t tell you how glad I am to have you back!
Love it. I took some photos of the full moon, but they were not very good, blurry and soft. Love the idea of a moon kiss flag.
The moon is so hard to capture. It's like a reclusive author that doesn't like to be photographed. The Salinger of the sky. Hope you're doing well, Simon.
I love that analogy, Will. I am well and I hope it is getting there for you…
I love your posts, but this one, your quirky fantastic trip to the moon and back, with little fanfare and recognition, warms me with memories of sitting before the television that was dragged into a summer camp dining hall to watch that flag-in-dust moment, and smiling at your nod to how we, with our faulty personal radars and many versions of seeing and believing, may interpret that event. Got to admit, though, in a factual comparison, your version seems more plausible! 😊
I love the scene you paint, a dining hall full of campers gazing at the Moon through the glow of a dragged-in television. And yes, our personal radars can be fuzzed with static, and sometimes, like a TV, our heads need a good tap on the side. Thanks so much for reading, Deb!
Love what you do here, and can't help but see a picture book version. I think it may have been that thought that first led me here.
Lovely as always, Will.
Thanks, Joan! 🙏
Great piece, Will. I always arrive late, but I always value the release your work gives from the gravity of this earthbound life.
You sound like you might be feeling a little better. I hope so.
Thank you, Robert! Late arrivals are always welcome. Never a bad time to loosen gravity's tug. I may not be feeling much better, but I am still trying to catch those passing moments of lift, however brief, that carry us a little higher.