ECLIPSE DAY

After a reasonable 12 hours of sleep, Kirk unfurls stretches and begins to set up his tripod. This process wouldnt take too long, but he had to attach a solar filter and set his focus on the sun. This wasn't an every day occurance!

Stella checked the time and noted it was just about 15 minutes to the eclipse beginning. She set out a blanket and organized the solar filters for everyone to grab. When the time came she'd switch into her own filters to enjoy the process.

Comet pulled out his trusty IPod and plugged it into a small speaker. He had created a perfectly timed last night, ending in Eclipse by Pink Floyd at totality. 

Hazel, was still sound asleep. She couldnt be bothered to wake up so early for the eclipse and had to get another 10 minutes of beauty sleep.

* time skip ~45 minutes *

Stella is looking to the sky in awe. The sun is glowing through her filters slowly being eaten away. Kirk set his camera to take photos every few minutes, capturing the moon moving closer and closer to covering the sun. Comet is rocking out to his playlist, glancing to the sky every few minutes.

Hazel, and her snack, are starting to notice some changes in the world around them. Their shadows are getting sharper, the wind is picking up and the temperature is dropping. A reflection of the sun in a crescent shape is bouncing off the side of the fishbowl and onto the grass. It's slowly getting darker and the bright orange of Hazel's fish is becoming more and more muted. Looking to her southwest she can see darkness in the distance, a big shadow creeping towards them. What is in that shadow??

*time skip ~15 minutes*

"All that you touch
And all that you see"

Kirk hears the song begin and rushes to pull off his cameras solar filter and begins clicking away to capture the diamond ring! Comet, Stella and Hazel are in awe pulling their solar filters off. The daylight didnt just dim but it cut out as suddenly as someone hitting a light switch. Small reflections are blinking across the ground called shadow bands just before the sun is completely covered. They are the dark spot now. They can see the glow of the sun's corona, and an aurora of sunlight peeking in at the horizons. They can see the darkness of the moon taking center stage and a strange glow of planets in the daytime night sky. Is that neptune??? Stella swears she saw the moon wink at her with his one giant eye.

"And everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon"

Three minutes feels like mere seconds, as the diamond ring begins to reappear and the kitties must look away from the suns blinding rays. Around them shadowbands form again as the world lights back up. The wind has died down and it is noticeabley warmer. No one can speak, they're all reeling from a once in a life time experience. Even Comet's music has stopped in awe.

"So, when's the next one?" Asks Stella.



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For scientific accuracy, it was not neptune but rather Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and Mars in the sky surrounding the eclipse. The moon did not actually wink at Stella, in fact i could barely even make out any distinguishing features of the moon nor could my camera. All of the images you've seen with the very detailed moon on top of the corona are photoshopped. Being in the path of a total solar eclipse was one of the most amazing things I have had the opportunity to expeirence. Well worth the drive. If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend you take the journey to totality in your lifetime. Jason and I are already planning our next trip to Iceland, then Spain! 

In housekeeping news, 3 hours remain on the campaign and I'm so immensely grateful that you all are here and supporting this project of mine. I am honored to be able to bring to life these little eclipse replicas and nerdy science cats based on my little clan of felines! I'll see you on the other side, with survey news and more.

I still haven't finished, but I am working on my blog with high quality images and I will link it in an update soon!

Tomorrow's the BIG day, but today is a tiny sweet one. The kitties stop in Ashfield, MA for a taste of the most magnificent tree sap in the world. Maple Syrup! Not just any maple syrup, but Maple Syrup that flew on the space shuttle Discovery. These are two rather unassuming bottles at the cash register of Gray's sugar house - not for sale or taste. But some delicious syrup has been made this season and the kitties have bought their fill. 

Did you know that Stella's also an astronaut? She's Commander of STS-1A. If the Syrup lasts long enough with someone as ravenous as Hazelnut, maybe she'll be able to bring some back on her next trip to the stars. 

In just over six hours, Stella will pull into Niagara Falls parking, and just a hop skip and a jump later the eclipse will be in full view. Hopefully you have your glasses handy for this magnificent event, and hopefully the weather clears! 

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In housekeeping news, all of our magnet toppers will be available in tiny pins! The unlock at $3000 will be none other than Comet's first generation vintage IPod! It holds 1000 songs all the size of a cats paw. 

This will magnet to the location of the fishbowl or the location of the camera on Stella, Hazel and Kirk. As well as be a stand alone mini pin option. BUT if you want it in all it's handheld glory, jump on over to George's campaign and grab Comet!



And, unlocking at 80 backers - these adorable sunglasses!

It's Meow or never, the perfectly curated eclipse playlist begins to beat through the car speakers. Even hazels goldfish snack can't help but bob along. The road trip to Niagara Falls would take about 8 hours. So far the weather was looking bright and their view would be flawless. There is a special viewing area just for cats located up the falls on a small island surrounded by fish. This view keeps them safe from humans and well fed for the duration of their adventure. Who knows, they may even choose to camp out for the night!

Kirk is 200 photos in and they've barely made it out of Boston. Stella has a few spots of interest along the way, where do they stretch their paws? 

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Snack cat is unlocked and all magnetic accessories will be available as tiny pins as well if you'd like to collect an enamel pin variation of any of the 3 currently unlocked items.

Unlocking at 80 backers is out of this world star-y specs.  

Finally - a special magnet topper unlock if we hit 3k, specifically design for Comet. Can you guess what it is?

To Start - I know Pintopia has likely been INSANE on your inbox and your wallet. ALL of these items will also be available as add-ons in your pledge manager including the option to change your pledge level to a higher one for more pins at a discount. This means for anything you add on during your survey and shipping you will not be charged until later this summer. *BUT please please please don't go cancelling all your pledges though as I do need to be able to fund these before the survey or I can't make em!* 

As teased a week or so ago - Snack Cat has officially joined the family! Now available is a 6 pin tier, this tier would include all 3 space cats and all 3 magnet topper cats PLUS a free additional magnet topper that would be interchangeable with the camera/fishbowl location on the cats. 

To go with this addition, I've added an add on for 3 magnet toppers at $25 a piece saving you $5 from the original price of $10 each.  With this change I need your help! 

Would you like to be able to purchase the fishbowl, glasses or camera as stand alone mini pins with a regular old fashioned pin post? The prices would remain the same as the magnetic counterparts but the would be able to pin into your pin board as a stand alone piece without the kitties - or just next to the kitties.

For example: this may come in handy if you're hoping to snag the moon cat from Cosmic Macchiato as the glasses will not  be interchangeable with that design.

The image below gives an idea of what is and is not magnetic. All 6 of my pins will have two zones for magnets, one for glasses and one for a fishbowl, camera or to be revealed third accessory. For George, only Comet is fully interchangeable with the others featuring one accessory location.


But Kristen...why can't I stick them ANYWHERE? Due to the complexity of things like kitten tails, these enamel pins have to be made out of Zinc. Zinc is not magnetic. To attach these magnetic toppers we will fasten magnets to the backs of your pin that match the polarity of the toppers and can then attach magically. These magnets won't impact the wearability of your pin. 

Our plans changed drastically and we're now in Maine on the border of Canada for totality! 2 minutes 22 seconds from our Balcony!

If you'll be driving today, stay safe and hydrated. Make sure you're wearing your solar filtes when looking at the sun directly. If you'll be capturing pictures you'll also want a filter over your camera so you don't damage the sensor.

I look forward to sharing photos with you all later this week and continuing our cat adventure RP to chase totality.