That definitely nails it!

- I like the idea of an alarm, at least before 3rd contact.
- I got my variety of shots by setting up 7-exposure bracketing in manual mode, and firing bursts in high-speed mode. Then I would ramp the shutter speed up and down in addition to that, to expand the range even more.
- Taking time to watch and enjoy is crucial. I missed photographing the diamond rings completely, but I don't regret that because I got to watch them live, rather than through a lens.
- For my wide-angle camera, I just had it set on manual focus close to the hyperfocal point at f/5.0 and it did fine.
- For the telephoto camera, I used my 100-400 lens on a full-frame body, and cropped the result. I didn't lose much in terms of detail, and it gave me some latitude for movement of the sun (not having to continually adjust position as it drifted through the viewfinder). I was also able to get shots wide enough to include the bright star Regulus near the sun.
-Yes a lower-angle eclipse has some advantages, but you increase the risk of interference from haze and clouds when the sun is lower. When it does work out, it can be fantastic. I saw an annular eclipse at sunset from San Diego (in 1993, I think) and it was brilliant.
- One thing I forgot was to bring a bottle of champagne, so we could pop the cork and celebrate afterwards! Gotta put that on the list for next time