Yesterday, in the evening, after dinner but before bath time, we took the kids out for some stargazing. It was chilly, and my poor little city boys were a little freaked out by the depth of the darkness (Liam said, “I scared!”, and when I asked why, he said, “Dark!”). We didn’t stay out long, but even on a partly cloudy evening, we could tell the sky was full of more visible stars than we are used to. B was even able to pick out a few stars that shone with a slightly different color than their neighbors.

But then, later in the evening, after the kids were asleep, Dan and I stepped out onto the balcony to a clear sky absolutely full of bright, twinkling points of light. I was awed by the number of stars, their clarity, and the extent to which they twinkled. It was pretty amazing. We were even treated to a shooting star in the first few moments we were out there.

I bundled up in my heavy coat and stayed out until I got too cold. I’m hoping for another clear night tonight, because I hope to get to sit out and stare at the stars again. (And this time, we’re making hot chocolate.)