My photos of last night's aurora borealis

[jamesatemple]

135. Well, now, Blue_In_AK, those wonderful pictures bring back some great memories.

I've got to give you an emphatic and heartfelt "thanks". I've known of the Northern Lights since I was a kid. But, being a native Texan, I had no real concept of them nor any hope of ever viewing them. Then, in the 1970's, an surveyor here in East Texas talked me into a trip with him up to Fairbanks to get a "feel" for the job market during those days when Alaskan bumper stickers stated "Happiness is seeing 10,000 Okies going home ~ carrying a Texan under each arm".

Then, one night in August, I believe it was, I was walking down a Fairbanks street and even the street lights didn't keep me from seeing that amazing natural light show. The sight froze me in mid stride then and remains firmly embedded in my memory these forty-plus years later.

A couple of nights later, I stayed at a motel some five miles out of Fairbanks and came down for a cup of coffee in the early morning. Now, two things I had noticed about those good Alaska folks: One, many of the barkeeps were women; and, two, all of them liked to poke fun at Texans. And this good barkeep/waitress was no exception. When she asked, "What'll you have?", I answered without thought to my Texas twang, "I reckon I'll just have a cup of coffee, ma'am". Well, of course, that elicited the next question from her, "Where you from?". "The South", says I. But that answer wouldn't do. Her next question was, "What part?". I mumbled, "Texas", so quietly as I could since the place already had a goodly crowd of working men who had turned an attentive ear to the interrogatory. I knew what was coming next: "We're gonna divide Alaska up into five states so Texas will be the sixth largest". That declaration elicited several snickers and a few laughs from the listeners.

Then, she seemingly wanted to make amends for the jibe by asking me if I had seen the light show during the night. I told her that I hadn't. She didn't accept that reply and stated, "You know, the Borealis". I reiterated that I had stayed in my room and hadn't seen the lights. Certain that a Texan wouldn't have the foggiest notion of what she was taking about, she coached me one last time with, "The Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights!"

Well, my friend, we Texans aren't particularly known for timidity and are known, rightfully, I suspect, for running our mouths loudly when remaining quiet would be the better course of action. In a voice calculated to be heard along a major portion of the bar, I informed the instructor in my finest drawl, "Ma'am, there ain't a kid in Texas over the age of five that doesn't know about the Northern Lights. In fact, it was a Texas electrician that wired the damn thing!"

I guess that the roar of laughter around the bar covered up my request for more coffee, 'cause I didn't get another solitary drop. I'm very much obliged to you for "knockin' the dust" off a valued memory.