August 2024 Backyard Bulletin

View the full edition at this link. Cover Photo by Jack McLeod.

It's dark by 9pm these days. This is an important seasonal marker because I know that approximately 70 percent of people in the Methow Valley are in bed by then. I'm a wild child and usually stay up until (gasp) about 11:30. So while the rest of you can once again enjoy going to sleep in the dark, I get to once again enjoy being awake in the dark. The other night I stepped out behind my house a little after 9 with some headphones on and found a temporary seat on a half-full bag of potting soil. The air was clear and there were no clouds to speak of, so I sat a while and worked my way through a BADBADNOTGOOD album. I promise it was quite good in spite of the ironic hipster band name. I looked up at the sky and took in more stars than some folks see in a year (despite a rather bright moon). I was in a t-shirt, not too warm, not too cold. It was a summer night with just a hint of fall in the air - the finest of August moments!

I was reminded of a quote from a movie. In the scene, Mark Ruffalo is sitting on a stoop after dark watching the world go by with his own late night soundtrack playing. He's talking with a friend about music: "One of the most banal scenes is suddenly invested with so much meaning! All these banalities - they're suddenly turned into these...these beautiful, effervescent pearls." I think the takeaway is that every porch in the Methow Valley is offering a free planetarium show every night and a sky full of effervescent pearls - all you need is someplace to sit and crane your neck toward the majesty. And, if you're into it, a soundtrack of your own.

- Bridger Layton, Education Programs Coordinator