In all honesty, I can’t really say whether it was the moon that drew us...or the lure of ice cream. But when Leah and I heard that the moonrise Saturday night would be something fairly unique -- a “Perigee Moon," meaning the astronomical conditions would make the full moon appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter than usual -- I suggested we go to nearby Bainbridge Island. There is a picturesque cove that I’ve seen when I’ve ridden my bike on the island, and I had it in my head that the cove might be a cool place for me to photograph the moonrise.
Plus there’s a shop on the island that sells the most wonderful ice cream.
So we hopped into the car and we went. A 20-minute drive down the peninsula where we live took us to the bridge at Agate Passage, where we crossed onto the island.
The photograph I’m posting today will give you a vague idea of how the moon looked...though trying to describe how the moonrise felt leaves me grasping, lamely, for words. “Otherworldly” and “spooky” come to mind...but mostly I remember having a big, empty feeling deep in the pit of my stomach, a sense that I am very small and insignificant.
That feeling of emptiness stayed with me, and, later, not even brownie cheesecake ice cream filled it.
