On their way back from Truro, Nova Scotia visiting with our daughter-in-law's family there, our oldest son and daughter-in-law stopped in Quebec at a provincial park so he could set up his special sun-viewing telescope with its filters appropriate for the partial sun eclipse yesterday. While they were viewing the sun reaching the apex of the moon's traverse across it, people took notice as they passed by, eager to have a similar experience, and our son, whose specialty is historical astronomy was happy to oblige.

Long before they arrived last evening we had our own uneventful eclipse day, trekking into the forest at the very time that the sun was meant to be 60% covered at which time the process would reverse itself. I had cleaned the house on schedule earlier in the day which turned out to be clear and bright, but looking out throughout the early afternoon hours it seemed to me that the light cast by the sun was somehow different. Hard to say, though, whether that actually represented an aspect of what was occurring, or whether it was merely psychologically suggestive.

In any event, once we were in the forest, there didn't seem to be anything unusual happening. The landscape was brightly illuminated as it should be on a sunny day. We experienced no epiphany of discovery or feeling of anything unusual as the filtered sun shining its rays through the canopy of the forest appeared bright and very familiar.

Since it was also a Monday, we had the entire trail system to ourselves, coming across no one at all. There was a lovely breeze interrupting the warmth so the temperature never did rise to its forecasted high, though it was warmer than the day before. Jackie and Jillie were free to nose about, revelling in the messages they pick up about other dogs having done their daily circuit; their daily gossip column as it were.

There are already, all-too-soon signals of change however, with bright red leaves seen here and there. And it does seem as though some of the bracken on the forest floor has disappeared, subsumed at this late summer stage. Despite which, we're still coming across the occasional buttercup which obviously is oblivious to the fact that its bloom season has passed. Daisies are still about, mingling with the now more-prevalent fall asters. The Queen Anne's lace is shrivelling; goldenrod is prevalent, and now joining it ragweed, which affects so many people with its allergenic qualities.