random thoughts – Day 1,696 – (Friday) – full beaver moon

Downtown at dusk, 11-15-24.

It’s the full beaver moon tonight, and I’m sorry, but the 12-year-old that lives permanently in my brain can’t stop giggling at “full beaver moon.” 

Anyway, the moon was swollen and silver and barely visible over Merrimack Street for most of the walk to the garage. It hadn’t ascended enough to clear the rooftops and there was no hope of trying to get more (quantity) and hopefully more clear (quality) photos of it in the center of a wreath downtown during the walk. I could have hung around downtown waiting to see it climb higher and there were times I would have, but tonight was not one of those times.

From the fifth level of the garage, the downtown streetlights and windows glowed and the distant sky was blue and gold and orange-pink. I bet the scene was nicer and more interesting from the rooftop level, but I wasn’t about to climb another flight or walk up the ramp to find out and once I’m in the car, it’s a serious case of automatic pilot taking over to get me to the exit and out of the place.

On the Aiken Street
bridge, 11-15-24.

The ride home has become a tad more strategic lately. If, when approaching Aiken Street on Father Morrisette, I can see that the traffic is already piled up on the approach to the University Ave Bridge, I’ve been turning off at Aiken and taking that bridge instead. With all the metal, angles, and rivets, it’s a more interesting bridge on which to be sitting in traffic. 

Tonight, the full moon reflected on the river, very low from the drought. When the traffic light changed and the cars advanced a bit, the moon was framed by the diamond shapes in the metal supports. 

I love finding ways to entertain myself while in traffic. Reflections, displays in shop windows, brake lights ahead, brick buildings, birds on windowsills, whatever. It’s all interesting on some level, if only for fleeting seconds while in slow moving traffic.