Vancouver's solar eclipse: much ado about not much?

Maybe my problem was that I didn't have the proper eclipse glasses.

When I went out to experience today's all-too-rare moon-passing-directly-across-the-sun event in Vancouver, it was distinctly underwhelming.

I had heard media reports about birds going to the ground during eclipses. 

CBC's science broadcaster, Bob McDonald, was regaling radio listeners on the weekend about people jumping up and down, almost in ecstasy, during full solar eclipses.

But all I saw on West Broadway was a bunch of people milling about outside the Doctors of B.C. building, some peeking through their proper eyescreens.

The sun continued shining—but hey, maybe that's all you get when it's 85 or 86 percent obscured at its peak.

Stupid me. I thought it was going to get darker.

However, I did notice that the shadows seemed quite long.

Perhaps that's the norm for that time of the morning in the middle of August.

Of course, it's probably far more exciting in Oregon where the sun is almost completely obscured.