La Luna!

When I was little, my parents traveled to Holland to visit their parents...my grandparents.  Part of their trip included sidetrips through Europe while I stayed with my grandparents.  Apparently I was homesick for them and my grandfather took me outside at one point.  I happen to see the moon, and cried out "La Luna, La Luna!"  My grandparents didn't know Spanish and wondered what I was saying at first...of course they figured it out, and seeing Luna apparently gave me comfort.  It was a familiar sight for me back home in Maracaibo and I suppose I've always had a soft spot for Luna.

Today was a "Super Full Moon", when the moon's orbit brings it to the closest point to the Earth.  What we see then is a full moon that is 30% brighter and 14% bigger than a normal full moon. 

These images were taken from Rocky Butte, one of the many hills scattered throughout Portland...and I wasn't alone!  There were hundreds of others, many with tripods and cameras like me, and then those simply enjoying the view (and yes there were a few who also howled to the moon). 

It was cloudy all day and the chances of clearing skies seemed more remote as the sun went down, but then the skies suddenly began to clear and Luna rose in all her majesty from a sea of retreating clouds, to shine her brightest for the year.