I miss being able to see stars. Yet one more point against New Jersey.

I have an Edmund Scientific Astroscan, which is simple and sturdy and easy to use. It's good for exploring the Moon and showing people the rings of Saturn and the major moons of Jupiter.

What kind of telescope, Liese?

Oh, just a cheapo. Lemme go see...it's a Tasco 305028. A quick google indicates it's mostly junk, but can be fixed up, upgrading eyepiece, etc. The SO bought it for me on a whim for ten bucks. He just bought a studio desk off a guy on Craigslist, and the guy had the telescope lying around. The SO knows I've always wanted one, so he picked it up for me. I don't really know how to work it yet, and it's missing a screw off the tripod.

Liese, my dad has a nice spare that he might be willing to part with someday. If you ever end up in that area and know a good home for it, let me know.

Really? We're that direction every once in a great while, but that's an offer I'd love to take you up on, if he can be persuaded to let it go. I'm a rank amateur, I don't know the first thing about it, but I'm fascinated. I can pretty much find the Dippers and Orion and Cassiopeia and that's it. But I want to learn.

We have pretty dark skies, even here in town, but right now the neighbor is all decked out with Halloween lights strung all over the place, so it's pretty bright out.

I didn't see the comet, 'cause of all the Ponderosa pines, but I did see a meteor! When we get to the new house, it'll be much better; much much darker and the trees are all juniper and pinon so they're much lower.

That reminds me, though, I need to make sure our exterior lighting is all dark sky friendly.

I think we'll have pretty dark skies once we move, or be a short drive from dark skies, anyway. I'm more of a binocular stargazer, on account that I don't know much of anything, but DH has made telescope getting noises.

That said... who else loves tequilla?

::raises hand::

Liese, if you've got a compelling interest (of the non-monetary kind, meaning no cost to you, cause that's the best kind) seriously, let me know. I think he wants it to have a beloved home. He's mentioned offloading it several times when I (or the folks I was mentioning) weren't able to take him up on it.

Let me know next time you are down south and I'll put in a word. (Honestly, I think you and my mom'd have some great discussions!)

I miss your skies. One of my things when I go back home is to go out late and see the Milky Way. Can't see it from here. Even with El Paso's light pollution, I can see it at near-full moon at my parents'. It's precious to me. I mean, c'mon...I spent summers in the mountains where I could see freaking star and galaxy colors! (Proof my eyesight wasn't fucked yet.) And you can barely make out Orion here. I've seen the Southern Cross in Zambia. I often wonder at the view before electrification, before the light of civilization. And I've wondered what someone dropped into it without pre-knowlege would think. If I saw that sky, without knowing, would it terrify or awe me? I think of all the city kids here, even with media images out there and...still, they've never seen their shadow by starshine. I grew up with that and it still awes me.

Haven't babypicspammed in at least a few days, so here's some toes, and some high-octane flirting. He fills out the I heart NY outfit that he was swimming in two months ago.

sara's mom is a wonderful wonderful woman and her dad rocks. I'm just putting in a good word for them.

I'll second the good words for sara's parents. And add that one of the things I love about being able to go out to Joshua Tree to camp and climb is the great night sky. Two weekends ago I slept out so I could look at the Milky Way and shooting stars and Orion's bow.

18 more days to noodles and company! And thanks for the parent-promotion. I love 'em dearly and it's nice to see they're liked too.