@syd said:

no one died , they want us to move down there, I did find a house in Galveston just off the beach , that breeze is real nice

I hit the deck LMAO at your subject heading. This is like the opposite of the Beverly HillbIllies where NW Pacific Coast meets all our brothers from other mothers and sisters from different misters down in Texas. What could possibly go wrong? Congrats on your success!!!

@texasag1969 said:

Venus was one of the objects we looked at through one of the scopes out there. Plus the moon like I've never seen it before and a globular cluster of stars many light years away from our own galaxy. But of course the Milky Way from 12,000+ ft altitude was just plain breathtaking. Very little atmosphere to interfere with what you see and no extraneous sources of light to pollute it all. Truly magnificent. And so many stars there was no way to even start counting and certainly humbling. And knowing what I know about what has been revealed by Hubble and then the James Webb Space Telescope, just plain incomprehensible for the human mind to fully comprehend.

...enjoyed reading this. Venus is nothing much to look at through a scope. A yellow circle. It's cool when you see it in a 'phase', like the moon. Where I am I get a night sky that's a little washed out from the city or Providence. I'll bet that you guys saw a ton of satellites drifting by. IMO, the growing number of them will eventually cause huge problems for us. Everything depends upon them, banking, GPS, communications, Internet, you name it. 'WHEN' we get hit hard by a mass coronal ejection and those things start crashing into one another we will be totally screwed. I mean, does anybody even posses a printed road map? There will be such a cascading of satellite pieces that we won't even be able to launch a rocket. - I suggest that we opt for printed bank statements.

@orion said:

dOf course that little yellow circle with rings around it is something that some people will never forget seeing in a scope. Oddly enough, as I'm typing at my reclining love seat I can see Venus glowing outside of my picture window.

Many years back when Earth and Mars were having one of their closest meetings in the next...lots of years...I called Mrs. Wife to come out and see it through my 8" scope. She looked through the eye piece and said, THAT'S IT ?!? THAT LITTLE THING ?!? And went back in the house. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Venus was one of the objects we looked at through one of the scopes out there. Plus the moon like I've never seen it before and a globular cluster of stars many light years away from our own galaxy. But of course the Milky Way from 12,000+ ft altitude was just plain breathtaking. Very little atmosphere to interfere with what you see and no extraneous sources of light to pollute it all. Truly magnificent. And so many stars there was no way to even start counting and certainly humbling. And knowing what I know about what has been revealed by Hubble and then the James Webb Space Telescope, just plain incomprehensible for the human mind to fully comprehend.

@texasag1969 said:

Hey Orion, I did not see your namesake at the stargazing event in Rocky Mountain National Park last night. It doesn't come up until just before sunrise up there this time of year. Saw plenty of other objects through excellent telescopes run by amateur astronomers. We did identify with the naked eye plenty of other constellations visible in the northern hemisphere and the Milky Way was plain as you could ever see it, especially after we drove up above timberline on Trail Ridge Road after we left the event. At above 12,000 ft with a superclear sky, you could almost touch it with your fingertips. Moon was down and no light interference from any towns up there.

Sounds like an excellent time. I'm green with envy. I've never seen the Milky Way. Orion is a winter sky constellation for us northern hemisphere people. The best time to view it is a moonless night, like you had, on a clear, freakin' freezin' winter night. The Orion Nebula (in his sword somewhere) is cool to see. It's a big grey cloud. Just hangin' out in space. It's not colorful like you see in pictures. (as you know the colors are added to depict temperature or molecular differences) But it's still awesome to see a cloud in space. What's cool for people to look at through telescopes are the planets. I mean, everyone has seen pictures of what they look like, but to look in a telescope and see that little circle in the scope, with the bands of different shades on it, and those white dots around it (perhaps 4 of them)...and to know that it's the actual planet Jupiter and it's moons that you're looking at is kinda' special. And then you take your eye out of the scope and see what it looks like in the night sky...perhaps that stays with a person. Of course that little yellow circle with rings around it is something that some people will never forget seeing in a scope. Oddly enough, as I'm typing at my reclining love seat I can see Venus glowing outside of my picture window.

Many years back when Earth and Mars were having one of their closest meetings in the next...lots of years...I called Mrs. Wife to come out and see it through my 8" scope. She looked through the eye piece and said, THAT'S IT ?!? THAT LITTLE THING ?!? And went back in the house. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

@orion said:

We're happy that she made that decision.

Hey Orion, I did not see your namesake at the stargazing event in Rocky Mountain National Park last night. It doesn't come up until just before sunrise up there this time of year. Saw plenty of other objects through excellent telescopes run by amateur astronomers. We did identify with the naked eye plenty of other constellations visible in the northern hemisphere and the Milky Way was plain as you could ever see it, especially after we drove up above timberline on Trail Ridge Road after we left the event. At above 12,000 ft with a superclear sky, you could almost touch it with your fingertips. Moon was down and no light interference from any towns up there.

@texasag1969 said:

in the 1915 hurricane, after the seawall was built, my grandfather to be was a Capt at FT Crockett and waded through waste deep water to be sure she was ok. That made her realize this was the guy she wanted to marry.

We're happy that she made that decision.

@syd said:

no one died , they want us to move down there, I did find a house in Galveston just off the beach , that breeze is real nice

My grandmother was born and raised in Galveston and survived the 1900 hurricane with the wall of broken up houses stopping only a couple of blocks from where they lived. And in the 1915 hurricane, after the seawall was built, my grandfather to be was a Capt at FT Crockett and waded through waste deep water to be sure she was ok. That made her realize this was the guy she wanted to marry.

@tiamat63 said:

Giving the Caddy a much needed bath and stopped to take a moment to appreciate all that was around me. Then I began taking inventory of 250 years of American History - the moments of greatness & triumph; but also those the dark stains on our history that can haunt us.

I won't hesitate to admit that myself, My Country and My Countrymen aren't perfect, never have been and never will be. (and there is no shame in that) I'd like to think that as long as we keep looking to the horizon of the future, we keep the belief that we do not have to be our past.

That our collective heart seeks to create more great moments in which all Americans can share in and be proud of.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the game of Football can be used as a vehicle to show that when people focus not on their differences; skin color, faith, creed, petty politics, religious friction, etc etc... We can collectively achieve wonders.

To quote my Dad's favorite 80s movie, Big Trouble In Little China - "May the Wings of Liberty never lose a feather".

God bless you all & God bless football

Well said!

@texasag1969 said:

Well said! It's still better than 2nd place and it has not fallen like that other democracy I lived in now coming apart even worse because of an earthquake and central government unable to respond due to absolute corruption top to bottom.

That's very sad Aggies!

@tiamat63 said:

Giving the Caddy a much needed bath and stopped to take a moment to appreciate all that was around me. Then I began taking inventory of 250 years of American History - the moments of greatness & triumph; but also those the dark stains on our history that can haunt us.

I won't hesitate to admit that myself, My Country and My Countrymen aren't perfect, never have been and never will be. (and there is no shame in that) I'd like to think that as long as we keep looking to the horizon of the future, we keep the belief that we do not have to be our past.

That our collective heart seeks to create more great moments in which all Americans can share in and be proud of.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the game of Football can be used as a vehicle to show that when people focus not on their differences; skin color, faith, creed, petty politics, religious friction, etc etc... We can collectively achieve wonders.

To quote my Dad's favorite 80s movie, Big Trouble In Little China - "May the Wings of Liberty never lose a feather".

God bless you all & God bless football

Well said! It's still better than 2nd place and it has not fallen like that other democracy I lived in now coming apart even worse because of an earthquake and central government unable to respond due to absolute corruption top to bottom.

I won't hesitate to admit that myself, My Country and My Countrymen aren't perfect, never have been and never will be. (and there is no shame in that) I'd like to think that as long as we keep looking to the horizon of the future, we keep the belief that we do not have to be our past.

That our collective heart seeks to create more great moments in which all Americans can share in and be proud of.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the game of Football can be used as a vehicle to show that when people focus not on their differences; skin color, faith, creed, petty politics, religious friction, etc etc... We can collectively achieve wonders.

To quote my Dad's favorite 80s movie, Big Trouble In Little China - "May the Wings of Liberty never lose a feather".

God bless you all & God bless football

@bob806 said:

Happy July 4th everybody.

We're not treasonous traitors, but flying over to Europe tonight. I scored tickets to the British Open finally.

Norway then the UK.

Go Browns

Backatchya! Have fun Bob!

We're not treasonous traitors, but flying over to Europe tonight. I scored tickets to the British Open finally.

Norway then the UK.

Go Browns

@flugel said:

Although we do encourage it for college football fans residing in Ann Arbor. Any and all psychedelics are also welcome.

I can think of a group of people who I'd gladly love to see blow themselves to smithereens waaaaaaay before TTUN fans.

I'm sure you will need all of a fraction of a second to figure out who they are.

@dutch-oven said:

Come back with all your digits Syd.

Remember, shooting off fireworks and alcohol is a bad mix.

Although we do encourage it for college football fans residing in Ann Arbor. Any and all psychedelics are also welcome.

Remember, shooting off fireworks and alcohol is a bad mix.