After the last post, I received the email below from my dad about the Aurora. His words made me smile, so I wanted to share it:

Al - Love the photos and the story. As you know, I saw it with Muz and the Captain. We were at Muz's camp in northern Minnesota in September a few years ago. September in Minnesota is like early December in Pittsburgh. No leaves, cold and a constant threat of snow. There was no running water at the cabin, so we took a sauna to sweat out the day of hunting grouse. When we exited the sauna, with only towels around our waists, we relit the cigars that had been waiting by the entrance of the sauna. (Guys in the woods always seem to have cigars, but it would have been wrong somehow to sauna with them). Heading toward the cabin, Muz pointed out what seemed to be yellow white search lights getting brighter over the horizon and said that when the Aurora started like a search light, it would generally be a good show. We stooped and noticed that the search lights had begun to appear over every edge of the Earth. They rose directly overhead and met in a Yin Yang vortex that swirled and danced, radiating blues, ambers and greens. Without saying a word to one another, we simultaneously laid our towels on the ground so we could take in the full effect.The show went on for what seemed to be an hour. In spite of being wet, nude and lying on the ground in 30 degree weather, none of us felt the cold and spent the night in front of the fire describing and re-describing what we had been lucky enough to see. I am glad you had the chance to see it. Although I agree that seeing the Aurora with someone, with a friend or a lover, is special, I believe that it is both a personal and a communal experience. Even though you saw it alone, you share the experience with the relative few who have had the pleasure. In a way, we share something just as much as if we had seen it at the same time. Welcome to the club.

Love,

Dad

Kids, that email is exactly what I meant when I said "cares about the universe," whether you are a girl with a camera in a car in Iceland or a dude with a cigar out in the woods of Minnesota with his buddies. Just making the best of wherever you happen to be. Even if it is cold and windy.

Life is good and the universe is cool, right Jharv?