We were fortunate enough to be invited to a high school and college friend's home near Austin to view the April 2024 total eclipse. Situated in the hills above Lake Travis and west of town, it was near the center path of the moon's shadow of the sun and total darkness would last almost 4 minutes. However, about a week before the eclipse and up to the day of the eclipse, the weather forecast was calling for several layers of clouds and even the chance of thundershowers at the time of totality. Just 2 days before the eclipse we decided to risk it and proceeded with our flight to Austin. We thought if nothing else, it would be an experience and maybe we'd get lucky. Having gone to school in Austin back in the 1970s, I recalled that early April was wildflower season and so we might get lucky there too. The weather was mostly clear as we landed and I could see fields south of the airport had a bluish cast which I recognized as masses of bluebonnets, Lupinus texensis, the o