Extreme Super Moon

March 19, 2011 (approximately 11:10 am PDT)...date of the 'super moon'...one this bright or this large not having been seen since March of 1993! The typical NW rain kept the clouds in place to obscure the view of this shiny orb the night before. Therefore, I climbed out of bed at 5 am today to behold a beautiful pre-super moon. There she was in all her glory: scattered clouds adoring her from afar, a golden-reddish orb encircling her circumfrence, farther away from her shimmering and permeated within the deep blue abyss, twinkling stars dotted the early morning...it was an absolute perfect feast for the eyes.

At almost the same time on this date 30 years ago (the last day of winter on a Thursday morning) the weather was not much different than today. It was still pretty brisk for March, giving you 'goosebumps' if you were without a jacket in a slight breeze...but seeing the pink ornamental plum trees and bright, golden daffodils in all their glory warms you up very fast. That day, 30 years ago, I was feeling on top of the world because I was lucky enough to be married to my second husband overlooking incredible Snoqualmie Falls. Nevermind that the wedding ring fell off the pillow and bounced to the very edge of the Falls overlook, and thankfully suddenly stopped. You can hear the gasp of my matron of honor in the audio tape when that happened. Signing the marriage license on the huge outdoor sundial, throwing 3 coins in to the fountain and a bus full of seniors clapping as we walked away as man and wife are etched in to my memory. The picture I remember most, though, is of a triumphant husband lifting his new bride in to his arms with a perfect wall of green ivy in the background. Even though the marriage started falling apart years later, I have always said that "I married in a beautiful place and I divorced in a beautiful place"...trying to extract the positive out of any given situation.

Having not traversed very much of Washington state, even though I had resided there for 2.5 years by the time of this event...I was driven by my new groom to a suprise honeymoon destination. I had absolutely no idea where we were going; I was merely instructed to pack both for cold and warm weather. In the dark of night he asked me to roll down the window when we arrived. I heard a 'rushing water' sound and instantly thought he had brought me to another waterfall. He replied, "well, it's the Pacific waterfall." He had brought me to a secluded & rustic ocean destination named Kalaloch in western Washington, perfect for honeymooners. Three days later I was almost killed by standing on one of the huge coastal logs moving amidst an undertow. However, during the honeymoon I also found a four-leaf clover for every year the marriage lasted. From the fantastic ocean vistas, smelling the enticing aroma of wood fire smoke from the fireplace, to discovering treasures from the sea deposited onto the shore; the moral of the story is: whether your life contain wax or wane, enjoy the beauty of the moment while it is happening...and as the famous poem goes:

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry:
For having lost but once your prime,
You may for ever tarry.

Carpe diem

©2011 Debbie Ballard