An Accidental Blue Moon

With this photo, I join the throngs posting Blue Moon photos, except I didn't mean to. Really.

When I went out early that morning, it was with the hope of catching a sunrise. Well then it was just as well that I serendipitously espied the blue moon between the trees, next to this barn off the Beckwith Trail because the sunrise, or what I saw of it from my vantage point, was not zackly to die for. This ↓ was about my best shot, and well, it's okay ... barely ... (These kinds of photos always seem to show up darker here on blogger. I should maybe see if I could adjust for that.)

Anyway, here are some things that I have learned about blue moons.

1. The expression was first used the way we usually use it now: to note that an event is extremely rare. It wasn't an astrological thang.
2. It then got some sort of complicated designation which nobody understood.
3. To some, it is probably still technically when a fourth full moon occurs in a three month period.
4. However, to the great unwashed masses such as mine own self, it had come to refer to a second full month within one calendar month.

I muse that I shall never again see a blue moon where I saw this one, for there are only 7 in 19 years, and the chances that I would walk by this location, camera in hand, when the moon happens to be in that exact location, are extremely remote.

I did take a few other shots that morning, which I like better than the one above.

I squeezed the aperture to get the burst effect ↑. I don't love it, but it's fun to get that effect every now and then.

I caught some backlight on grasses ↓. Backlight is great for portraits and flowers etc.

Meanwhile, here is a short video about blue moons from people who know what they are talking about — as opposed to this lowly and humble blogger. Sorry that I can't embed it, but the smart people who made the video are being not-so-smart about letting others embed it.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/hope-you-didnt-miss-it-blue-moon-shines-in-these-photos/55130/