…and I on the shore of the nearby beach, waited in the chilly night...waited and waited for the moon to rise. I really wanted a good photo of this March moon.
One or two cars came by, headlights killing the darkness, but they didn’t stay. Only me, and the foxes and squirrels and surely tigers in the woods nearby, sharks in the water, seagull vultures circling in the clouds above…and me, standing there humming to stay warm… “Shine On Shine on Harvest Moon Up In The Sky…” It was pretty pathetic.
A half hour after the moon was to rise I finally gave in to the reality of overcast clouds, got back in the car and headed home. But wait! Maybe the clouds will be a little thinner down the road? I thought I’d give the moonrise one last effort. I drove to the end of the beach and parked. It was very dark. No one else around. Those tigers were still in the woods, sharks in the water and I could hear the screech of the vultures above but I braved the cold from inside my car and waited.
Finally, behind thick clouds I could make out a faint glow. The moon was rising. I scrambled to get a photo but the light was so dim, my camera on aperture control and shutter speed open for a full shaky 20 seconds… nothing came out… or worse than nothing.
Back home I tried again, the moon now halfway up the sky. I stood in the backyard near the fence, balancing my camera on the top of the clothesline pole. Trees blocked my view and the wild turkeys in the bushes were distracting. But I got a shot.
Oh well, glad there will be an April moon. Nature is kind and gives us one chance every month to get it right.