Monday, April 29, 2024
Strolling through the Block (Out the Sun) Party booths on the courthouse square was a very friendly lady named Pam Wright who had travelled along with her husband, Ian, over 7,558 miles to witness the total solar eclipse in Gatesville on April 8th.
Wright and her husband reside in the city of Nelson, which is located on the South Island of New Zealand. She said that she and her husband decided to make plans to attend the eclipse in Gatesville about a year ago.
“My husband is into astronomy, and he said I should experience one [eclipse] in my life…which is getting shorter all the time. So, this is the first eclipse for me,” Wright said.
To reach the United States, the couple travelled from Aukland, New Zealand on a 13 ½ hour flight to Houston where they rented a car and drove to Gatesville.
Prior to the eclipse, with all the forecast about clouds, she said, “Well, Gatesville is on the center line, and we thought it was going to be an issue, and so about a week ago, after seeing the issue and after seeing the forecast, we thought we would just stick with Gatesville. My husband thinks it will be an interesting experience – along with a piece of cloud.”
“We have lunar eclipses quite regularly, but this is going to be interesting,” she said. Wright continued, “The thing I’m looking forward to is the sounds and the silence and the way the animals will react. If we can find a place that we can see it coming and hopefully see some deer or something coming out and reacting, I would be happy.”
When asked about their stay in Gatesville, Wright said, “It’s such a cool town, and everyone’s so friendly. I love it. It’s nice to be in a small town.”
