Driving when it's dark

This may seem weird to most people who live closer to the equator, but my kids have not seen it get dark outside until recently. And they rarely get to drive in cars at night.  Earlier in the week Nora noticed it had gotten dark before bedtime and asked if we could driving 'with the headlights on'.  So we did.  And, for the last couple nights anyway, it has become a routine.

We put the music on and drive the dark streets.  The kids like roads lined with spruce trees best - the headlights make the road seem like a tunnel.  We talk some on the drive out but on the way home everybody just listens to the music and keeps to themselves.

We have noticed that the moon has gone from just a sliver in the sky to almost a 1/4 moon.  And I explained to the kids that that meant the moon is waxing.  I explained that it would keep on waxing until it is a full moon and then it would start to get smaller every night.  And that a moon that is getting smaller is waning.

Tonight we drove up to the top of Pillar mountain.  Stuey thought it was a little scary and I must admit the spinning windmills and the whoooshing noise they made was a little disconcerting.

Patrick