I reached a full hour before the alleged moonrise time. The car park was already packed, I had to park semi-legally. A dozen cameras stood on tripod with foot long lenses pointing ominously at downtown Seattle. The appointed hour came and went. A theory quickly circulated that the hill behind the space needle was the culprit.
Then at 8:51pm, tersely, an orange scar was carved in the dark sky. Conversations stopped midsentence. Half eaten tacos were abandoned. Photographers melded into their cameras. The curve turned into an orange globe. It ruled over the downtown sky for what seemed like a few seconds and quickly darted behind a conveniently waiting cloud.
It happened so quickly that I had time to grab three meager frames with the moon full. A few minutes later when it emerged from the cloud, it had changed out of the orange cocktail dress into satin white pajamas.
The biggest and brightest moon of the year rose over Seattle today and I was at the Ursula Judkins viewpoint with the l’il girl in tow.
