Strange things you see

As I was driving to the mall Saturday I noticed a couple flocks of geese finally getting their act together and heading south. Two large flocks actually, rather ragged in formation but very high and flying in the right direction.

I kept driving and soon I was near exit 5 on I90 and noticed some crows flying overhead. Not just a few crows. More and more and more crows. A lot of crows. A sky-full of crows. When I didn’t think there could be any more crows, I could see that every branch of every tree against the twilight sky was full of crows. It was really a very incredible sight.

Much later, after a pleasant family get-together at my brother’s house, I’m driving home. It’s late-ish and the sky is dark. As I started up the hill out of Nassau – HUGE meteor came down from almost overhead towards the eastern horizon. Huge. And it seemed almost straight down. I wondered what the heck that could be because it seemed so very large.

As I came up to the place I turn off route 20 to home: another HUGE meteor in the same direction. That really made me wonder what the heck was going on! What are the chances of seeing two similar meteors in the same trip home, and after seeing all those gazillion crows?

Well through the power of the internet I find:

December 13, 14 – Geminids Meteor Shower. Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, the Geminids are known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak. The peak of the shower is on December 13 & 14, although some meteors should be visible from December 6 – 19. This year, a nearly new moon will provide an excellent viewing experience in the early morning hours. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Gemini. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.

So there you have it – some things are more easily explained than others. Myself, I don’t really care if I always have an explanation as long as I get to see things like that.