“Hurry up, times a wasting, and the super moon is out there” I am prodding my husband out of his favourite chair and into the darkening evening. The too heavy tripod, and the long lens of my camera clank together as I slip through the front door, that’s not good for them, but it’s late, and I am too thrilled to be out, to worry about damage. We head off down the gloom of the street lit only by the failing light of a setting sun, towards the open field that should be the perfect place to get a great shot. It’s cold, cool, and damp, and it’s getting darker by the minute.
When we reach the edge of the playground bordering the field, I remind both of us to watch where we walk, since this is more dog park, then kid park. The setting sun through the still bare branches is even more dramatic for the lack of leaves. I set up the camera on the tripod, and peer up, nothing but large patches of clouds, and grey sky. They said the moon would be up at 8:30 –9 pm tonight, and it would be the optimum time to view it. Focusing on the branches, with the pastel peach sky in the background I click the camera… nothing happens, No CARD! comes up on the screen.
This photographer in her hurry to get out of the house forgot to bring her camera card, it’s a classic mistake, and I have made it a few times. “So who’s going back for the card?” We both end up going back, I grabbed the card off of the desk, and headed out alone.
Standing out there in the dark field I realized how poignantly the birds sing before they go to bed, with their one last call. And how raucous the frogs are as they fully wake up. I never got the shots, the moon didn’t bother to show, too many clouds. But I got to listen as the birds fell silent one by one, and the frogs started up like a large choral ensemble singing it’s favourite music. I saw my neighbourhood by dark, and the silhouettes of the giant trees that reach for the sky. I heard the sound the wind made as it whispered down the mountain, that was my lullaby… Good night moon, I’ll see you another night.