Houzzers Watch the Eclipse From Coast to Coast
Protective eye gear in place, eclipse viewers photographed the historic event. Check out their pictures!
Skywatchers across the country were more than ready for the solar eclipse that happened Aug. 21. Here’s how they celebrated the big event at home and around their neighborhoods and communities. (Click through to the second page to see all the photos.)
Medford, Oregon
Jan Schmitz, left, was having some plumbing work done when the eclipse began to be visible from her home in Medford, Oregon. The plumber, Lynda from Curtis-Huntley Plumbing, had arrived with her own pair of eclipse glasses, so the two popped outside to watch the event together from a bench next to a Douglas fir in Schmitz’s front yard. They were close enough to the path of totality for the moon’s shadow to cover everything but a sliver of sun, lowering the temperature outside to 65 degrees. “It was majestic,” Schmitz says. “It was a life moment.”
Jan Schmitz, left, was having some plumbing work done when the eclipse began to be visible from her home in Medford, Oregon. The plumber, Lynda from Curtis-Huntley Plumbing, had arrived with her own pair of eclipse glasses, so the two popped outside to watch the event together from a bench next to a Douglas fir in Schmitz’s front yard. They were close enough to the path of totality for the moon’s shadow to cover everything but a sliver of sun, lowering the temperature outside to 65 degrees. “It was majestic,” Schmitz says. “It was a life moment.”
Salem, Oregon
Houzz contributor Robert Burns captured a crowd that gathered at the Oregon State Capitol for an eclipse-viewing event narrated by an astronomer. Salem was in the path of totality.
Houzz contributor Robert Burns captured a crowd that gathered at the Oregon State Capitol for an eclipse-viewing event narrated by an astronomer. Salem was in the path of totality.
Darkness descended on the Oregon State Capitol during the eclipse.
Albany, Oregon
“I loaded up on food and propane like I was preparing for the apocalypse,” Houzz user Amy Wooduff says. Her backyard camping party for friends and family from around the country started on Thursday, and on Monday was going strong. They brewed a special home-brewed oatmeal stout — aptly named The Dark Side of Totality — to celebrate the occasion.
“I loaded up on food and propane like I was preparing for the apocalypse,” Houzz user Amy Wooduff says. Her backyard camping party for friends and family from around the country started on Thursday, and on Monday was going strong. They brewed a special home-brewed oatmeal stout — aptly named The Dark Side of Totality — to celebrate the occasion.
Woodruff’s backyard camping party kicked off eclipse day with a big pancake breakfast.
The eclipse crew included a friends’ family member who is an astrophysicist. He brought his specially outfitted telescope.
Children’s eyes were protected by clever homemade viewing paper plates.
Did anyone manage to keep a pair of glasses on a dog for more than five seconds today?
This shot was taken using the telescope and a filtered camera.
Eugene, Oregon
S.F. Yee, fourth from right, was visiting his daughter at the University of Oregon and decided to join a UO bike ride and hike to Mount Pisgah to view the eclipse. The group paused for a photo with their eclipse glasses.
S.F. Yee, fourth from right, was visiting his daughter at the University of Oregon and decided to join a UO bike ride and hike to Mount Pisgah to view the eclipse. The group paused for a photo with their eclipse glasses.
Yee, in a humorous helmet, and another cyclist ride to the viewing.
Lake Oswego, Oregon
SarahRose Henkin kept an eye on her baby, who was safe inside in his playpen, via FaceTime while enjoying the view from her yard.
SarahRose Henkin kept an eye on her baby, who was safe inside in his playpen, via FaceTime while enjoying the view from her yard.
Henkin captured the interesting crescent shadows caused by the eclipse.
Portland, Oregon
Debbie Lusk and her husband picked out a spot in their garden for eclipse watching. Instead of making the trek to Madras (in the path of totality), they had a great piece of Madras with them.
Debbie Lusk and her husband picked out a spot in their garden for eclipse watching. Instead of making the trek to Madras (in the path of totality), they had a great piece of Madras with them.
They picked up this whiskey from the New Basin Distillery in Madras back in May. “We were lucky to snatch number 93 from barrel one limited edition of course!” Lusk says.
Menlo Park, California
Don and Sharron Micheletti hosted their neighbors for a viewing party on their driveway on the morning of the eclipse. Don is an engineer who enjoys fabrication as a hobby, and put on his welding helmet to view the eclipse. Other neighbors, including Leigh Ann Williams, came with her two young daughters to watch using a homemade pinhole camera made from an American Girl toy box.
Don and Sharron Micheletti hosted their neighbors for a viewing party on their driveway on the morning of the eclipse. Don is an engineer who enjoys fabrication as a hobby, and put on his welding helmet to view the eclipse. Other neighbors, including Leigh Ann Williams, came with her two young daughters to watch using a homemade pinhole camera made from an American Girl toy box.
Menlo Park, California
Ernie Rideout and Marsha Genesky live in the Willows neighborhood of Menlo Park, California, and made their own pinhole cameras on Aug. 20 using two boxes of Rideout’s favorite cereal. They’re pictured here around 10:05 a.m. Pacific Standard Time watching the eclipse through their viewfinders.
Ernie Rideout and Marsha Genesky live in the Willows neighborhood of Menlo Park, California, and made their own pinhole cameras on Aug. 20 using two boxes of Rideout’s favorite cereal. They’re pictured here around 10:05 a.m. Pacific Standard Time watching the eclipse through their viewfinders.
“It took us about five minutes last night to make our cameras — we watched a tutorial we saw on ABC News online,” Rideout says. “It’s a low-tech way to watch.” They are pictured here looking into their homemade eclipse viewing boxes made with aluminum foil taped to the empty boxes.
Menlo Park, California
Jeff Hamlin was prepared to watch at 9:51 a.m. with a mirrored disco ball that would reflect the crescent shape against his house. The disco ball had served as decor during his daughter’s fifth birthday party during the partial eclipse in 2012, when he noticed the projected shapes. Hamlin was waiting for the clouds to disappear as the eclipse reached partial totality.
Jeff Hamlin was prepared to watch at 9:51 a.m. with a mirrored disco ball that would reflect the crescent shape against his house. The disco ball had served as decor during his daughter’s fifth birthday party during the partial eclipse in 2012, when he noticed the projected shapes. Hamlin was waiting for the clouds to disappear as the eclipse reached partial totality.
Sunnyvale, California
Amy Tamura and her two children, Max, 2, and Mia, 5 months, got to experience their first solar eclipse, although they won’t remember it. “Watching the eclipse was really thrilling for the adults. It was so cool first of all to be able to look directly at the sun. And we would look for a few minutes, stop and chat, and then look again and see the progress of the moon moving,” says Tamura, pictured here in front of her house in the Ponderosa neighborhood of Sunnyvale. “Since we weren’t in the path of totality, it didn’t feel like it was getting significantly darker. It felt the same as it would on a cloudy overcast day. In fact, it was still cloudy here at 8:30 a.m., and I was worried we wouldn’t get to see anything. But the clouds melted away as the eclipse was starting.”
Standing behind her is general contractor Tom Todd, who took a break from renovating Tamura’s bathroom to watch the eclipse.
Amy Tamura and her two children, Max, 2, and Mia, 5 months, got to experience their first solar eclipse, although they won’t remember it. “Watching the eclipse was really thrilling for the adults. It was so cool first of all to be able to look directly at the sun. And we would look for a few minutes, stop and chat, and then look again and see the progress of the moon moving,” says Tamura, pictured here in front of her house in the Ponderosa neighborhood of Sunnyvale. “Since we weren’t in the path of totality, it didn’t feel like it was getting significantly darker. It felt the same as it would on a cloudy overcast day. In fact, it was still cloudy here at 8:30 a.m., and I was worried we wouldn’t get to see anything. But the clouds melted away as the eclipse was starting.”
Standing behind her is general contractor Tom Todd, who took a break from renovating Tamura’s bathroom to watch the eclipse.
Los Angeles
Michelle Gurdal, left, and Gabrielle Gurdal marvel at the disappearing sun from their patio in Los Angeles.
Michelle Gurdal, left, and Gabrielle Gurdal marvel at the disappearing sun from their patio in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles
Caroline Paras also made her way on foot to Griffith Observatory to watch the eclipse. She and the Mountain Chicks SoCal hiking group walked up to the observatory on Griffith Park’s Ferndell Trail.
Caroline Paras also made her way on foot to Griffith Observatory to watch the eclipse. She and the Mountain Chicks SoCal hiking group walked up to the observatory on Griffith Park’s Ferndell Trail.
“Our group secured a viewing spot in the back of the observatory, where a telescope was set up for an up-close view of the eclipse,” Paras writes.
Paras, second from right, poses for a picture at the observatory with her fellow hikers.
Pasadena, California
Houzz contributor Julie Sheer headed over to a viewing party at Pasadena’s Caltech university to see the eclipse. Caltech had solar telescopes, free eclipse glasses and astrophysicists on hand to answer questions.
Houzz contributor Julie Sheer headed over to a viewing party at Pasadena’s Caltech university to see the eclipse. Caltech had solar telescopes, free eclipse glasses and astrophysicists on hand to answer questions.
Sheer’s dog Blue was ready with protective eyewear.
Tiny eclipse images are seen on a plate.
Pinecrest Lake, California
Don Vandervort was vacationing at Pinecrest Lake, north of Yosemite, during the eclipse. He photographed his neighbors using a colander and a paper plate to view the eclipse on the trail.
Don Vandervort was vacationing at Pinecrest Lake, north of Yosemite, during the eclipse. He photographed his neighbors using a colander and a paper plate to view the eclipse on the trail.
Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
One of Lindsey Forstbauer’s favorite parts of the eclipse was a surprise. “An unexpected delight is all the mini eclipses projected onto the side of our house, filtered through the tree,” she says. Little Lady, her dog, kept her company for the entire event.
One of Lindsey Forstbauer’s favorite parts of the eclipse was a surprise. “An unexpected delight is all the mini eclipses projected onto the side of our house, filtered through the tree,” she says. Little Lady, her dog, kept her company for the entire event.
Rexburg, Idaho
The Rammell family gathered to watch the eclipse in the countryside near their home along the path of totality.
The Rammell family gathered to watch the eclipse in the countryside near their home along the path of totality.
These hybrid viewing glasses show the sun before the full eclipse. “These are eclipse glasses my mom ordered from Amazon and then made more protective, especially for children, with a Styrofoam plate,” Houzz contributor Alexandra Crafton explains. “My mom used an X-Acto knife to cut out space for the glasses to fit in the plate and then cut a triangle for a person’s nose to fit. She then used duct tape to attach the glasses and plate together following an online tutorial.”
Crafton made hand shadows showing little crescent shapes during the eclipse.
Sheridan, Wyoming
Houzz user grangers enjoyed an all-ages backyard party, reporting that there was a noticeable drop in temperature as the moon blocked the sun.
Houzz user grangers enjoyed an all-ages backyard party, reporting that there was a noticeable drop in temperature as the moon blocked the sun.
Central City, Nebraska
Alex and Bryan McKenzie set up their camera equipment and a shady spot in an open field in Nebraska. The father and son drove from Hays, Kansas, to Central City, Nebraska, so they could watch the eclipse in the path of totality. “We left at 6 a.m. and got home at 9 p.m., all for about two minutes of cool stuff,” Alex says. “We have the perfect spot with very little cloud cover, [and] feel fortunate to have seen it so well.”
Alex and Bryan McKenzie set up their camera equipment and a shady spot in an open field in Nebraska. The father and son drove from Hays, Kansas, to Central City, Nebraska, so they could watch the eclipse in the path of totality. “We left at 6 a.m. and got home at 9 p.m., all for about two minutes of cool stuff,” Alex says. “We have the perfect spot with very little cloud cover, [and] feel fortunate to have seen it so well.”
Kansas City, Missouri
The view of the solar eclipse from the Northland neighborhood was surreal, says Houzz contributor Sarah Terranova, who watched from her balcony. “To see that afternoon sky turn twilight — eerie and unforgettable. We didn’t expect it to get so dark!” she says.
The view of the solar eclipse from the Northland neighborhood was surreal, says Houzz contributor Sarah Terranova, who watched from her balcony. “To see that afternoon sky turn twilight — eerie and unforgettable. We didn’t expect it to get so dark!” she says.
Kansas City, Missouri
Pictured here is Avery Baughan, who says watching the eclipse was “way cooler than expected. Now I understand why there are eclipse chasers.”
Pictured here is Avery Baughan, who says watching the eclipse was “way cooler than expected. Now I understand why there are eclipse chasers.”
Cape Girardeu, Missouri
“It was quite a show yesterday,” Houzz user drbevdc writes. “We watched from our new house site near Cape Girardeau, Missouri. We are fortunate enough to be in the zone of totality for the next one too!”
“It was quite a show yesterday,” Houzz user drbevdc writes. “We watched from our new house site near Cape Girardeau, Missouri. We are fortunate enough to be in the zone of totality for the next one too!”
Nashville, Tennessee
Parker Alison photographed downtown Nashville from the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge throughout the eclipse. Here it is early on …
Parker Alison photographed downtown Nashville from the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge throughout the eclipse. Here it is early on …
… and during totality. It’s amazing to see the difference in the light.
Alison also shot the sun through the girders of the bridge; you can see its crescent shape through the girders.
Brentwood, Tennessee
Pictured lying down from left to right are Courtney Hunter, Brittney Whidden, Colton Wright, Elyssa Leavell and Lindsey Gatlin, who took a break from their workday to watch the eclipse. Houzz contributor Caroline Sharpnack says, “I heard people saying that they didn’t expect the eclipse to be this fascinating, and everyone was just in awe when the sun was completely covered and you could take off your glasses. There was a 360-degree sunset, and the sky itself was completely black. I heard people talking about the way the sun was creating a golden effect that looked like an Instagram filter before it reached totality. And the crescent-moon-shaped shadows were so fascinating!”
Click Next Page button below to see more pictures
Pictured lying down from left to right are Courtney Hunter, Brittney Whidden, Colton Wright, Elyssa Leavell and Lindsey Gatlin, who took a break from their workday to watch the eclipse. Houzz contributor Caroline Sharpnack says, “I heard people saying that they didn’t expect the eclipse to be this fascinating, and everyone was just in awe when the sun was completely covered and you could take off your glasses. There was a 360-degree sunset, and the sky itself was completely black. I heard people talking about the way the sun was creating a golden effect that looked like an Instagram filter before it reached totality. And the crescent-moon-shaped shadows were so fascinating!”
Click Next Page button below to see more pictures
Lake Cumberland, Kentucky
Houzz user typeandrun headed out to the lake to a spot that just air-kissed the path of totality (around 98 percent), stocked with Sun Chips, Moon Cheese, SunnyD and Moon Pies.
Houzz user typeandrun headed out to the lake to a spot that just air-kissed the path of totality (around 98 percent), stocked with Sun Chips, Moon Cheese, SunnyD and Moon Pies.
Birmingham, Alabama
Houzz contributor Susan Alison photographed her daughter, dietician Anne Fairly, viewing the eclipse in her family’s backyard.
Houzz contributor Susan Alison photographed her daughter, dietician Anne Fairly, viewing the eclipse in her family’s backyard.
Here the shadows on a pathway to the house reflect the 93 percent of total eclipse viewed in Birmingham. “It was just nice to look up and be reminded of the awesomeness of the planet [and] universe and our responsibility to protect it,” Alison says.
Olivia Alison made these clever cookies and photographed them at her workplace, the downtown Birmingham Public Library.
Atlanta
Houzz contributor Kemachat Sirichanvimol is a graduate student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and gathered with classmates to watch the eclipse using various methods, from makeshift pinhole cameras to professional SLR cameras with ultraviolet and neutral-density filters to cut the intensity of the sun. Students gathered on their campus promenade, which overlooks midtown Atlanta.
“It was surprisingly unsettling and exciting at the same time. When everyone first got there, we were all excited to get set up. As the eclipse began to unfold and it began to get dark, the streetlights came on; you could see cars on the streets and highways with their headlights on,” Sirichanvimol says. “You can see crowds of people on top of parking garages and rooftops … you can hear emergency sirens in the distance. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a coincidence or related to the eclipse somehow. “
Houzz contributor Kemachat Sirichanvimol is a graduate student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and gathered with classmates to watch the eclipse using various methods, from makeshift pinhole cameras to professional SLR cameras with ultraviolet and neutral-density filters to cut the intensity of the sun. Students gathered on their campus promenade, which overlooks midtown Atlanta.
“It was surprisingly unsettling and exciting at the same time. When everyone first got there, we were all excited to get set up. As the eclipse began to unfold and it began to get dark, the streetlights came on; you could see cars on the streets and highways with their headlights on,” Sirichanvimol says. “You can see crowds of people on top of parking garages and rooftops … you can hear emergency sirens in the distance. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a coincidence or related to the eclipse somehow. “
Webster, North Carolina
“We had a great eclipse deck party in the totality zone in Webster,” Houzz user mcameronva reports.
“We had a great eclipse deck party in the totality zone in Webster,” Houzz user mcameronva reports.
What a beautiful setting they were in!
Weaverville, North Carolina
Houzz user Maraly and friends enjoy the view from a deck.
Houzz user Maraly and friends enjoy the view from a deck.
Lake Hartwell, South Carolina
“We live on Lake Hartwell and viewed the eclipse entirely from the water, as did many here,” Houzz user Carolina Girl says. “There was a special perk, as we have some pinholes in the canopy of our pontoon, and it created small crescents of the eclipse on the deck and seats of the boat.”
“We live on Lake Hartwell and viewed the eclipse entirely from the water, as did many here,” Houzz user Carolina Girl says. “There was a special perk, as we have some pinholes in the canopy of our pontoon, and it created small crescents of the eclipse on the deck and seats of the boat.”
“We had friends visiting from North Carolina, and we all were totally mesmerized during the totality of the eclipse,” Carolina Girl says.
Lexington, South Carolina
Photographer Melanie Tinkler-Stuck, right, documented the eclipse with photo partner Jeanne Buffington, left, at friend Paula Carter’s home on Lake Murray, just west of Columbia, South Carolina. Carter took this shot.
Photographer Melanie Tinkler-Stuck, right, documented the eclipse with photo partner Jeanne Buffington, left, at friend Paula Carter’s home on Lake Murray, just west of Columbia, South Carolina. Carter took this shot.
Tinkler-Stuck captured this diamond ring image and the next eclipse photo.
“I shot with Mylar paper over my lens and set my white balance at 2500K,” writes Tinkler-Stuck. “This is why it looks blue instead of white.”
Tinkler-Stuck took this picture of Chaz Carter, who was also photographing the eclipse.
Kiawah Island, South Carolina
Houzz reader Leah McCarthy and friends were blown away by the much-anticipated totality.
Houzz reader Leah McCarthy and friends were blown away by the much-anticipated totality.
Charleston, South Carolina
Pictured from left to right are Megan Seavers, Anna-Laura Garrow and Cody Garrow viewing the eclipse on a boat from the Charleston Harbor near the Wando River bridge. “It occurred at 2:45 p.m., and we saw totality for a brief moment before the clouds covered the sun again,” says Houzz contributor Margaret Wright, who captured this image.
Pictured from left to right are Megan Seavers, Anna-Laura Garrow and Cody Garrow viewing the eclipse on a boat from the Charleston Harbor near the Wando River bridge. “It occurred at 2:45 p.m., and we saw totality for a brief moment before the clouds covered the sun again,” says Houzz contributor Margaret Wright, who captured this image.
Pictured here is the full eclipse seen from a boat near the Wando River bridge.
Isle of Palms, South Carolina
Houzz user Carolann Willingham celebrated with friends, family, barbecue, Corona beer and Blue Moon beer. We especially like the Miley Cyrus-solar eclipse mashup of graphics on the party’s invite!
Houzz user Carolann Willingham celebrated with friends, family, barbecue, Corona beer and Blue Moon beer. We especially like the Miley Cyrus-solar eclipse mashup of graphics on the party’s invite!
And she even came up with a special signature cocktail to mark the day, Eclipse on the Beach.
Her spread was strictly solar- and lunar-themed.
“I had an awesome time celebrating with about 30 friends and family members,” Willingham writes. The viewing party started at her home about a half mile from the beach, and after lunch, they donned their eclipse glasses for a look at the sky. One friend, pictured here, viewed the first part of the eclipse from Willingham’s pool.
Part of Willingham’s group, including her son and his girlfriend, seen here, walked to the beach during the eclipse, and the rest walked to a creek bridge with views of the sky.
Willingham says there was pretty heavy cloud cover off and on during the day but occasional clear views of the eclipse during the partial phases. “And then, miraculously, the clouds parted to allow clear viewing of Bailey’s beads, the diamond ring and then totality!” She adds, “We were all just awed. Truly a highlight of my life to have experienced this.”
Awendaw, South Carolina
Some of you may remember favorite kitties Tonks and Lupin from a past feature. Their mom, Dee Crock, locked them in a curtain-drawn room during the event because, she says, she’s “an overprotective mom.” But up until then they were having a pre-eclipse scratching contest.
Some of you may remember favorite kitties Tonks and Lupin from a past feature. Their mom, Dee Crock, locked them in a curtain-drawn room during the event because, she says, she’s “an overprotective mom.” But up until then they were having a pre-eclipse scratching contest.
Crock watched from this comfy spot with her mom, who brought sandwiches, boiled peanuts and pecan pie. While the clouds threatened to mess the viewing up, she was able to see the corona. “Totality was incredible!” she writes.
New York City
Local Initiatives Support Corp. staff members in Manhattan took time out from their jobs helping low-income communities thrive to view the eclipse through cereal boxes, an internet DIY project. From left are Meghan Kyle-Miller, Beth Marcus, Mia Brezen, Rechael Ikwuagwu and Deborah Morant.
Your turn: Did you photograph or watch the eclipse? Share your pictures and stories in the Comments below!
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Local Initiatives Support Corp. staff members in Manhattan took time out from their jobs helping low-income communities thrive to view the eclipse through cereal boxes, an internet DIY project. From left are Meghan Kyle-Miller, Beth Marcus, Mia Brezen, Rechael Ikwuagwu and Deborah Morant.
Your turn: Did you photograph or watch the eclipse? Share your pictures and stories in the Comments below!
More
Houzz Call: Share Your Eclipse Party Photos!
Browse stories about creating community
Find outdoor products
Lynn Mayer Wiles snapped this photo of her husband, right, daughter Zia Marie Wiles, center, and Cody Westphal, left, in her Corvallis, Oregon, backyard. Westphal is a master’s student, an amateur mixed-martial-arts fighter and a part-time nanny. Mayer Wiles’ daughter teaches preschool and studies at Oregon State Unversity. She picked wild blackberries the day before for a breakfast tart to have during the eclipse.
“It was truly spectacular. I have no other superlative for it,” Mayer Wiles says. “I only wish it had lasted longer. We all took our glasses off at totality (which was recommended), saw the corona and saw Jupiter and Venus in the sky.”