Star Struck
I was born and raised in the dry flat lands of North Dakota. Despite its dryness it hosts one big wet spot. I spent some of my summers as a youth out at Lake Sakakawea, the largest man-made lake. It was so large that when you cruised across the lake you couldn’t see the other side. At such a young and ripe age, and not seeing the ocean until my mid-30’s, that seemed so awe-inspiring. My parents had friends that had a cabin there and we would go and visit them and stay. I have a lot of fond memories of the events that happened there.
The one I wanted to share was about a summer evening I spent in my early teens sleeping on a pontoon boat on the water.
My parents’ friends had three daughters and they varied from plus or minus two years from my age. Pam, Cindy and Dawn. Pam was the youngest and Cindy was the oldest. They had a big blue pontoon boat. The bottom of the boat had enough seats to sit about sixteen people and a ladder in the middle to climb up to an open balcony area.
On this one particular evening, Pam, Cindy, Dawn and I went to spend the night on the open balcony of the pontoon boat. We got there and laid out the sleeping bags and sat on top of them. Summer nights in North Dakota generally still stayed in the low 70’s so it was comfortable to sleep on top of the sleeping bags. We eventually talked ourselves out about the day of water skiing and jet skiing and then laid our heads back and ventured our eyes to the wide open starry sky.
That’s when it happened. Something I’ll never forget and pray my children can see one day. Up in the night sky, speckled with stars was a brilliant bright rainbow of color. It ebbed and flowed like the waves lapping against the boat. It was the most magnificent sight I had ever seen. Red, blue and gold colors faded and brightened before my eyes. I remember lying there and feeling so small and yet excited.
I’ve never forgotten that moment. From where I live now I can look low into the eastern night sky and just above the horizon you can see with the naked eye the red planet of Mars. It is a strange marvel to look up into the darkness and see a red and gold star twinkling back at you. I’ve shown my children the red star and I’ve told them this story. They look at me like I’m crazy. It’s one of those moments I guess, where you just have to be there.
If you ever have a chance to see the northern lights, please don’t pass it up.
The one I wanted to share was about a summer evening I spent in my early teens sleeping on a pontoon boat on the water.
My parents’ friends had three daughters and they varied from plus or minus two years from my age. Pam, Cindy and Dawn. Pam was the youngest and Cindy was the oldest. They had a big blue pontoon boat. The bottom of the boat had enough seats to sit about sixteen people and a ladder in the middle to climb up to an open balcony area.
On this one particular evening, Pam, Cindy, Dawn and I went to spend the night on the open balcony of the pontoon boat. We got there and laid out the sleeping bags and sat on top of them. Summer nights in North Dakota generally still stayed in the low 70’s so it was comfortable to sleep on top of the sleeping bags. We eventually talked ourselves out about the day of water skiing and jet skiing and then laid our heads back and ventured our eyes to the wide open starry sky.
That’s when it happened. Something I’ll never forget and pray my children can see one day. Up in the night sky, speckled with stars was a brilliant bright rainbow of color. It ebbed and flowed like the waves lapping against the boat. It was the most magnificent sight I had ever seen. Red, blue and gold colors faded and brightened before my eyes. I remember lying there and feeling so small and yet excited.
I’ve never forgotten that moment. From where I live now I can look low into the eastern night sky and just above the horizon you can see with the naked eye the red planet of Mars. It is a strange marvel to look up into the darkness and see a red and gold star twinkling back at you. I’ve shown my children the red star and I’ve told them this story. They look at me like I’m crazy. It’s one of those moments I guess, where you just have to be there.
If you ever have a chance to see the northern lights, please don’t pass it up.