Stargazing

“Did you bring the heloscope over?”

I smile at Cbug’s wide, curiosity filled eyes and the way he says “telescope”.

“Of course buddy, but we need to wait for the sun to go down.”

“Why?”

Spending time with my niece and nephew always leads me to time well spent. Adventures included learning about the sky, the stars, and the International space station. While waiting for the sun to go down, we gave it a trial run.

While we were getting the hang of this, a train started passing by us. The backyard is only a stones throw away from the train tracks. I was with Cbug and so I didn’t notice crazylegs at first. But then I heard her counting…117…118…119…
Counting the train cars as they went by. I used to do the exact same thing when I was her age. I hadn’t though about that forever. I told her about how similar we are. She told me that Grandma told her the same story. I think to myself that these are the bonds that holds us together.

The sun setting felt like molasses being poured from a jar on a cold winter morning. Crazylegs entertained herself with a computer game, something about shopping for clothes. Cbug and I decided on Kenyan chess.

The sun was finally over the mountains, and we were ready to see the night sky. As the stars started appearing, we all looked at the great universe with a closer eye.

It’s like watching popcorn pop.

The night ended with home made warm bread, covered with melted butter, and topped with sprinkles. Apparently it is Australian tradition, and a favourite of Mum’s from when she was a child.

Crazylegs was a fan of Grandma’s treat.

As I rolled over in bed, I glance at the clock on the nightstand, flashing 2:29 in the morning. It’s going to be a long day. Moaning, I bury my head in the pillow, knowing that I still have an hour and a half until I get up for real.

It is the day we know all would make our break the season. With all the national attention on the game, our crew thought it be best to arrive at five thirty in the morning to guarantee true fanedom as well as our tailgating spot. We succeeded on both accounts.