Serendipitous Saturday

Growing up, my family enjoyed spending our Saturdays going on small adventures together.  Whether we went out to explore a new museum exhibit or discover the bluffs of southern Minnesota, each adventure started the same way—piling into the minivan in anticipation that we may have another "serendipitous Saturday."

While my family and the minivan were missing today, I think I may have just had a serendipitous Saturday of my own here at 62.6˚N. After dinner, my friend AnKa called to ask if I wanted to go play some frisbee.  I had no other plans, so we bundled up and headed out to the river.  As the sun set behind the clouds, faint pinks and purples subtly swirled about the sky as if on cue from our plastic disk. 

While our game of frisbee was spectacular, the real serendipity came when we headed back home.  As AnKa and I were leaving the river, I happened to glance behind me to see a large sphere the color of a ripe pumpkin floating on the horizon.  I pointed it out, and my friend looked back and asked, "what is it?"  It's the moon.  A large sphere the color of a ripe pumpkin.  While at the time I did not know this, later in the evening I found out it indeed was a supermoon.  Tonight, the moon came closer to the Earth than it has in 18 years, making it appear 10 to 15% larger than normal.  If you missed it, be sure to mark your calendar for November 14, 2016—the date of the next supermoon.