Well... That Was A Letdown...

   As a follow up to the much heralded and ballyhooed build-up to the Great American Eclipse of 2024... here in the quiet lil' berg of D'hanis, TX it was a total bust...!

  The Sky was cloudy in the early AM hours but you could make out where the sun was. As the morning progressed in its unrelenting push into the future, the clouds thickened enough to fully obscure Ole Sol. By the appointed time to witness the solar eclipse we were in a complete and low cloud cover.

  We had a large contingent of visitors and members alike gathered on the Co-Op green to witness this historic event...

Viewing Tent On Co-Op Lawn

  We were fortunate enough to have a representative from NASA (Never Access Space Again) telling us just what a wonderful, life altering spectacle we were about to miss... 

NASA Image via Mexico

They had a fancy automatic, systematic, telescope set up, a link to NASA telescopes and a projector (in white tent pictured above) to assist us in viewing the 'once in a lifetime experience'... none of which worked, probably budget cuts... We should have called Elon! It didn't even get DARK.

  Inside the Co-Op clubhouse our people had managed to get a feed from Mexico 

and project it on the clubhouse screen. Lanie (Mrs. Phantom Phaeton) and I stayed outside to drink in the comradery and atmosphere during the celestial occurrence.

  That evening we broke bread with our guests in a gastronomic repast featuring some of the best pulled pork I have consumed in quite a while, a delicious version of coleslaw, a rice medley and baked beans.

  Following the glutenous victuals, led by our MC Neal K, we entertained the assemblage with rousing renditions of well-known songs with our Karaoke Master and great all-around guy, Jack Hubber. Our resident KJ (Karaoke Jockey) has tens of thousands of titles available to suit any taste. There were a few skit numbers like Tina Turner's "Rolling On the River" an encore performance of the 'Blues Brothers' classic, "It's Hard to Be a Woman" one or two operatic attempts at unknown religious offerings, a few sing-alongs for everyone and a couple of hours of raucous renditions of what was supposed to be on the screen (follow the bouncing ball...) interspersed with selections by Jan Kelso on her mighty keyboard... 'Phantom of the Opera' is a crowd favorite.

  All-in-all it was a great three days with lots of fellowship, fun and games, minor injuries, and new acquaintances. The 'Arrival and Parking Team' did a wonderful job of directing arrivals to their assigned spaces and the 'Mayhem Prevention Squad' was not needed. Unfortunately, the bonfire planned for the final night was quashed by the Fire Marshall (Boooo Hissss) due to the ongoing county fire ban. Let's do this again !!

         As Always - 

             "May The Odds Be Forever In Your Favor"

2024 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

  Salutations from wonderful southern Texas, Y'all...

 It has been a while since my last 'blog'... I have been extremely busy since returning to Lonestar Corral SKP Co-Op. Many facility repairs and improvements have been completed in a compressed window of time.

  But, as we have a historical event on our doorstep, astronomically speaking, I thought it incumbent of me to document this upcoming Total Solar Eclipse with a post... 

  We have a Hondo, TX mailing address, but the Lonestar SKP park is located in the tiny Hamlet of D'Hanis, TX. We are directly in the path of 'totality' for this eclipse. As such the Co-Op is hosting fellow Escapees from Rainbow's End SKP Co-Op in Livingston, TX as well as other Escapees and family members from near and far.

  We have lots of activities planned for the three-day Eclipse event to keep the attendees and our membership well entertained. 

(Ring of Fire - Courtesy of N. Kelso)

 The next total solar eclipse will be visible on Aug. 12, 2026, but will NOT be visible in the United States. According to NASA, the next total solar eclipse in the contiguous United States will be Aug. 12, 2044, with totality in Montana and North Dakota. 

 I was fortunate enough to have witnessed the Eclipse of 2017 and I figured that if you have seen one Eclipse, you have seen them all... " au contraire mon frere.", I am told, "this one is special!!" This remains to be seen... the atmospheric outlook for Monday, the day of the eclipse, is not looking all that stellar. The forecast is for cloudy to broken cloudy conditions with possible thunderstorms in our greater area. The cumulonimbus occlusions may preclude a clear view of the southernly sky during the time range (10:30 - 2:30) of the Eclipse. The greatest chance for a Thunderstorm is predicted for 6ish PM timeframe.

  I hope you are someplace where you too might witness this momentous event and make a lasting memory of your own... 

UNTIL NEXT TIME - 

"MAY THE ODDS BE FOREVER IN YOUR FAVOR"