While West Seattle was not in the "path of totality" that didn't keep people from coming outside all over the community to take a look at what for many would be the first and best eclipse of the sun they could see. The greater Seattle area was only set to see 93% eclipse (the path centered more on Prineville and Madras Oregon here on the west coast). But along Harbor Ave SW the atmosphere was clearly party like as hundreds of people brought out their lawn chairs, and home made eclipse viewing gear to share in the historic event, the first one seen from coast to coast in nearly a century.
Other eclipse parties, including one at the High Point Library also celebrated the event.
An early morning fog bank had at first threatened to obscure the celestial light show but then just clung close to the water giving spectators a clear view.
All along the water's edge people had devices, some dreamt up some inspired by sources on the web to protect their eyes and/or project the sun on to a surface.
Joe Gullick, visiting from Albequerque, New Mexico had created a tiny pocket viewer from an old cinnamon spice tin though when viewing the result confessed the image was not very big inside. Another family had just purchased a new refrigerator and made a large scale viewer with a pin hole in aluminum foil over a cutout which projected the eclipse inside the darkened space. Joe said his family brought, "Moon pies, Sun Chips and Crescent rolls" to snack on during the eclipse which in Seattle lasted a total of 2 hours and 20 minutes from 9:09am to 11:39am.
People brought colanders, graters, and other devices to shine the sun through. Some (those with smaller holes) worked better than others.
Alki Adventure Camps brought all their kids down (normally they would have been paddle boarding) to share in the event. They created some pinhole glasses they saw on National Geographic and then headed over to Jack Block Park to view the event.
Many were impressed by the appearance of "eclipse leaves" which were shafts of light passing through and between leaves in trees creating half moon shapes on the ground.
