Sunday, October 01, 2006

Northern Lights

Last night I was doing the dishes when the phone rang. It was my friend, Julie. Our conversation went something like this:

"Hi Donna, it's Julie. Have you been outside recently?"

"No."

"Well go outside. The northern lights are out."

She may have said something else after that, but after I heard "northern lights", I was gone. Bren was in the living room doing homework. I yelled at her,
Bren! The northern lights are out! Come on!". I ran outside, the phone still pressed to my ear. When I looked into the sky and saw the green light making waves in the sky I was in awe. It is so beautiful! I kept saying into the phone, "Oh my gosh! It's so pretty!"

Julie must have known I would react that way, like an excited little kid, as I've been giddy since I arrived here. I'm so glad she called me to let me in on Alaska's big show.

(I found this photo via Google Images and posted it here because this is is what the lights looked like last night. You can read about the Aurora Borealis here if you like.)

The temp dipped into the 20's last night and the sky was clear. Later in the evening Bren and I went out to the back porch and were amazed when we looked at the sky; there was an incredible amount of stars visible. What captivated us the most, though, was how close the Big Dipper seems. The last time I remember seeing that many stars at night was on a scuba diving trip in the Philippines in 1987. I look forward to getting out to a place where there are no lights and a good view of the sky here.

The high temp today was around 50 F and it was beautiful. We took the dogs on a nice long walk this afternoon. They really like their new stomping grounds!


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

pretty-pretty-pretty...I always wanted to see the Northern Lights. The Alaskan adventures are fun to follow!

Donna said...

Ant Nut, I'm so glad you're following along! It almost makes up for me not emailing you ;o) I love you!

J said...

I've just got to say thank you for sharing that. My husband and I were at Ft. Wainwright for almost three years. We left in Dec. last year and I miss it so much. Not a day goes by that I don't think about Alaska and wish I were back (and this is despite the fact that I love my job and like where I'm living now!) Enjoy your time there. It is one of the most incredible places that I've ever lived and I hope to return someday.

Anonymous said...

So pretty! Now did you know that when you chose a green blog template, the n-lights would exactly match?

Donna said...

Jill, thank you so much for your comments! I know already I would miss this place if we had to leave, I love it too!

Violet, no, I hadn't noticed the color, but you're right! It is pretty.

Unknown said...

wow - those northern lights aree amazing!!! I've never seen em.. WOW WOW WOW!!!~!

Take a few more for me!