The Best 24 Hours!!! (Eagles Eye Spy)

FINALLY, The Northern Lights made their debut at 11:45 pm on the night of March 6th and in the wee hours of the morning of March 7th.  It was breathtaking.  I could not believe I was seeing it.  I felt like my eyes were playing tricks on me because I wanted to see them so badly.  But no tricks...it was FOR REAL!

This was the first nights pictures.

So here are some lessons learned from this viewing:
1. Learn your camera before you go out to see the lights in the dark night.
2. Good luck trying to hold the camera still when your heart is pounding out of your chest.
3. Wake your husband up before it gets grand.
4. Keep your boots right next to the door.
5. Pray that it returns again.

Then, we woke up and celebrated a birthday (see birthday post) and sent the kids out the door to school.  Two seconds later I hear them barrelling up the steps to the house.  "MOOSE!" they are yelling.  Yep, he was in our culdesac.  He got spooked to our front yard.  What an amazing viewing.  Our neighbor boy jumped the backyard fence and I drove the kids to school.  What an adventure. 

Poor Moose is just hungry.  Food is hard to come by in the winter.  He hung out in our culdesac all day until about 7:30pm.

Then, driving into downtown Eagle River there is an area that the bald eagles like to hang out.  It is near the fire station and Lions Club here.  For some reason the eagles like to "hang-out" here most days.  You usually can see at least one.  Not today...try about 30.  I tried to do a panoramic through multiple shots.  Standing in the parking lot we could count 30+, CAN YOU?  They are so majestic.  And one was even on the ground with the nasty crows...ravens...they call them here.  We call them nasty fat crows.  They are huge!

Eagle Eye Spy

Then off to lunch, shopping, and home to enjoy the kids.  What a wonderful day.

BUT WAIT...24 hours is not up yet!

Actually, that night the moon was so bright and high in the sky that it made it difficult to view Aurora.  BUT...Thursday March 7 it was A M A Z I N G!  Of course there are no pictures because I was going to a friends home who was kind enough to teach my lesson at church.  I didn't bring my camera...still kicking myself over this one...and walked out her door to a sky filled with green.  It was so brilliant and amazing. I ran back to her door and told her to come out.  She was talking to her hubby on skype.  He works on the North Slope for 2 weeks then home 2 and then gone 2.  She left him hanging...literally. It only lasted for about 5 minutes.  By the time I got home they were very dim.  But, all the kids were able to go out and see them thanks to some quick action on Daddy's end.  What a treasured memory.  I'm sure there will be many more viewings, but these first ones are seared in our memories.  And boy are they beautiful. We feel very blessed for all of our adventures here.  It is so...CHOICE!