The Great Solar Eclipse of 2017 crossed the continent, from Oregon to South Carolina, and gave millions of people the chance to witness one of the most awe-inspiring events in the natural world.

But you had to be within the "path of totality", a narrow band across the earth's surface several thousand miles long but only about 70 miles wide. Outside that band you would only see a partial eclipse, not a total eclipse.

And there is no such thing as a "partial total eclipse", despite the impression blogs and the news media might give. I honestly think that's why so many people misunderstand the utter beauty of the spectacle; they may have seen a partial eclipse in the past that was total somewhere else, and even though they weren't in the path the news kept gushing about it being a total eclipse, so they assume they must have seen a total eclipse and just didn't find it all that impressive.


Posted by Dan 08/29/2017, revised 09/06/2017

Seven years ago, some girls on my football team suggested I join them at an event called the Danskin Women's Sprint Triathlon. I had recently completed an 8K (the furthest I'd ever run!) and I was ready for a new challenge. I already had a swimsuit, I just needed a bike.

The budget was tight, so I went for the cheapest secondhand bike with air in the tires - a GT Hybrid - and started biking the 7 miles to work on it. A co-worker, horrified by my new ride, admonished me, "You can't do a triathlon on THAT thing!"

I was genuinely bewildered.

A bike is a bike.
If it can go 7 miles, it can go 12.
What's the big deal?

Of course, I proved her wrong and I did do my triathlon on "THAT thing," finishing a respectable 368th place, thank you very much.

Every year I've returned (excepting the broken leg year) with a few more details refined, inching my way up in the ranks.
In 2005 (with a new, lighter secondhand bike) I came in 30th place. wow!
In 2007 (with an actual new bike) I cracked the top ten overall, coming in 8th!
In 2008 I made the leaderboard, in 5th place.

In 2009, I came in 3rd, one second behind speedy Stacy Kiefer, and then in 2010, we swapped spots - she came in 3rd to my 2nd.

This year, Stacy held the lead for awhile, making me chase her all the way to mile 8 of the bike course. Once I moved into 1st, the motorcycle escorts guided me in, red & blue lights flashing to announce the arrival of my mini-motorcade.

The run course out there may not have a single spot of shade, but it's filled with memories, from all the past years of the Danskin Women's races, then the Trek Women's races, and the Pleasant Prairie Triathlons too. This is the 10th time I've trotted alongside Lake Andrea, wishing I could just dive right back into that refreshing water and take a break from all this silly running business.

I remember the exact spot where, in 2004, I dumped a cup of water over my cotton T shirt and quickly learned that - while it's a clever way to cool off in dry climates like California - soaking your cotton clothing in midwestern humidity is rather like wrapping yourself in a sleeping bag on a hot day.

And I distinctly remember that glorious moment of victory 7 years ago when I saw the finish line come into view, and knew it was all mine.
well, 1st place or 368th place, it's still a grand moment.

Posted by Kim 07/12/2011, revised 07/15/2011

In December 2001, Nik graduated with honors from Universal Technical Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, with a degree in Automotive and Truck Technology. He made the Director's Honor List 13 times and was named Student of the Phase three times. His final GPA was 3.95.

Nik now works for a boat repair shop on the SF-Bay waterfront in Alameda. He performs maintenance and repairs on all manner of recreational watercraft, including fishing, power and sailboats.

Posted by Dan 01/07/2002

Once upon a time, a tiny ball of snow sat atop a hill. One afternoon, a wind came along and nudged the little ball over the crown of the slope. Slowly, the ball began to roll... down, down, down. As it passed over the land, it gradually picked up more and more snow to add to its constitution. With the newly added substance, the ball rolled faster yet, garnering still more matter.

Soon, the ball rolled with such power, such momentum and strength, that to try and act on the mass in a direction other than its rollin' way was... futile.

This, my friends, is why I have not managed to inform you all of the goings-on of my Life. The snowball has been rolling, rolling, rolling, and I have been running beside it, laughing with childlike glee all the way. I will not try to run uphill through the powdery fluff to tell you of what happened at that part of the slope or describe to you what this tree looked like when we flew past it. Because while I do that, the ball is still rolling, still passing other beautiful trees, still gathering more snow and continuing on its way. Thus I can only attempt to depict the here and now, and keep rolling along with Life as it flies.

Loving and living

Posted by Whitney 06/09/2011