Eclipse - a few percentage points makes a difference

We thought that 98.6 percent totality would be enough for us. The eclipse seemed like a lot of hoopla with the possibility of horrific traffic there and back. We knew in our cloudy part of the world, the chances of seeing anything were slim, but we weren't worried. It all seemed like a crazy fad.

 A dear friend of ours remembered the one from 1979 and has been waiting most of her life for another chance to see a solar eclipse. She planned to drive to Corvallis for the event and bought enough special glasses for all of us. Her enthusiasm sparked our interest, and we did some quick research and educating just in case we MIGHT get a chance to see it.

Nature was on our side. The clouds cleared early and we watched as the moon slowly covered the sun's light. Toe's first comment was, "It looks like a cookie with a bite taken out!"

We had tried to make a pinhole viewing device as well, but it never worked for us (my sister, following the same instructions, made a magnificent device that showed the eclipse, even over Face Time). We experienced the drop in temperature, the crazy onset of crickets, the eerie half-light, but we did not see any stars or solar flares. Our old dog Sasha stayed in the back yard with us but was restless the whole time. Jason was particularly moved and said that he could see the attraction of seeking the path of totality.

Toe and I actually watched the event twice - once in our back yard and once on Face Time with my sister and her younger daughter. It was fascinating to see how they experienced it - the similarities and differences of being half-way across the country, but also near (but not in) the path of totality.

My poor mother, a few miles southwest of us, experienced mostly fog. Apparently, it was a sunny day until the eclipse started and then the fog rolled in and stayed until the eclipse finished. All I can figure is that the heat of the sun was burning off the morning fog and without the sun's heat, it rolled in as it often does. 
 
After conferring with friends, we have determined that those two percentage points make ALL the difference. What we experienced was cool; what they experienced was a connection with the galaxy. Perhaps next time it comes around, we'll have to track it down.

The trees in our yard did a better job than my home-made pinhole viewing device.

Added photo: the yard debris from a major laurel hedge and spruce trim