Buggying at night under a 1st-quarter Moon and tennis court lights gives me a whole different perspective on Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Normally, astronomy and kiteflying are thought of as mutually exclusive hobbies. Astronomy happens at night; kiteflying happens in the day. But what if you fly kites at night? I had an opportunity to do some night buggying last night after work. I got to the field at about 4:30pm, and stayed till about 8:30, well after dark (the sun goes down at about 6:45 here at this time of year).

Between 6:45 and 8:30, the sun retreated to the West trailing a banner of color spanning the entire visible spectrum from red to violet. (I'm a sucker for colorful, peaceful sunsets.) Once the sun had retired completely, in the clear dark blue sky, the 1st-quarter Moon was chasing the sun toward the West, and so was high overhead. To the Southwest, Orion could be seen hunting, and to the Northeast, just to the right of the Moon, the Big Dipper, Ursa Major's tail, could be seen very clearly. Thin wisps of clouds draped themselves across the sky, hinting at what the Milky Way might look like if there were less light pollution in the area.

Of course all that set the backdrop for a majestic buggy kite carving out swaths through the gentle Southerly breeze, lines softly whistling in the wind, pulling me firmly across the field. Looking up at the kite against the Moon and the Big Dipper, I could only think about the Earth, the Universe, the Hand that created it all, and how I fit into the Story. Cruising across the field at a gentle 10 miles per hour, it almost felt as if i were actually crusing interstellar space. The stars seemed to stand still, but there was a definite sensation of movement. (I was so absorbed in this spectacle that a couple of times I almost ran head-on into my friend who was buggying with me.) I could only think about the vastness of the Universe, its infinite borders, and how small and insignificant I am in comparison. But for about two hours, I felt as if I was the most important person in the Universe, thinking-- nay, believing-- that the Creator would choose me to be at that exact time and place to admire His handiwork. And admire it I did.

I had always tried to make kiteflying an ultimate expression of appreciation and honor for Creation and the Creator, but never before had it felt so real and alive as it did last night. There was something about the combination of astronomy and kiteflying that struck a really harmonious chord deep within my soul. Recently, my heart could do nothing but scream, but for two hours last night my heart could do nothing but sing.

¶ 11:29 PM