Empire of Groovy

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Central PA: Blue Moon on the Susquehanna

This past Friday night, July 31, we were lucky enough to have a confluence of many things fabulous on the mighty Susquehanna River. It was a gorgeous night--not too hot, gentle breeze, low(ish) humidity. It was a blue moon. And Lumpy Gravy, a friend's band, was playing on the Hiawatha, a modified paddle boat that runs pleasure cruises along the Susquehanna. What a great way to spend a Friday, no?Hawaiian shirt means extra fun.The sun was setting, we could hear the band warming up down below (they play in the climate-controlled main room, in case of weather or issues).The bright light is from the parking lot, but you can see the pink glow behind that of sunset in the west.But then we noticed something else happening in the east. George said, "Hey, what's that glow over the top of that ridge? Is there...some kind of light source?"It's some kind of something, all right.Yeah, we realized, a moment later, as the light source was climbing. Oh, yeah. Ohhhhh HELLS TO THE yeahhhhhhh. It's the moon.Hey, li'l fella. Don't be shy!And you know, as these things tend to do, the moon just kept right on coming up.I am always surprised by how quickly sunrise and moonrise happen.Here she is again, with her reflection snaking away in the wake of a passing boat.Behold.Once more, can we please? From the back of the boat?'Merica.Great, you're beautiful, baby. Now how about a wider shot?You mean like this?There's a state park on the boat-landing side of the Hiawatha, and beyond that lies an industrial strip, home to factories that always have an abundance of lights burning. Thus, there is interesting light and shadow on the landing side that doesn't necessarily mirror what the actual ambient light for the time of night should be.The factories are beyond the trees, and I've got to admit, they make this interesting to look at on a night cruise.And there we go, cruising right past some kind of utility tower.Maybe it's beaming messages to aliens.Meanwhile, belowdecks, revelers twirled to the jammy sounds of Lumpy Gravy, celebrating 17 years of tie-dyed togetherness.Rock it, Lumpy Gravy! 17 years and still going!But you know, when you're down below, you don't get to see...This.Le sigh.Bonus: they have good beer available for sale. Open water. Beer. Boat. Music. Friends.Nope, not a bad way to spend a Friday night. Rollin' on the river? Not a bad way at all.[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzQnPz6TpGc]