Day 3951

I'm back in Dallas again. As always, I miss the Davis Mountains. The stark difference between this isolated wilderness and the urban sprawl I call home doesn't really hit me until I reach the outskirts of Fort Worth. The closer I get to home, the worse the traffic gets. I thought the streets would be fairly empty, since I was arriving on Sunday evening. Wrong. It seemed like rush hour on a normal work day to me. I counted three major accidents between downtown and my house. I had just finished a 1500 mile journey without seeing a single wreck. During my stay in the Davis Mountains, I didn't hear a single police siren or firetruck either.

There were only ten people at the astrophotography workshop. Most were serious amateur astronomers or professional photographers. Almost everyone was envious of the astronomers who lived at the observatory. "You must love living out here," we'd say. "It's so peaceful that you can almost forget that the rest of the world exists." "That's true," one of the astronomers told us, "but you have to remember that there are no good grocery stores anywhere in the area, I haven't been to a good restaurant in years, and I have to travel over one hundred miles to see my doctor."

This is definitely not a lifestyle for everyone. I'd think that you would either love it or hate it. The truth is that most of the residents at the observatory love the place and hate it. It is just so different from almost anywhere you could compare it with. If your interest is astronomy, this place remains the holy grail. It's hard to overlook the fact that Mount Locke has the darkest skies of any professional observatory in America. When you look up at the sky at night, you learn to overlook the observatory's many limitations.

I really enjoyed my trip. One of the best things was that I spent four days without any knowledge of what was happening in the rest of the world. There was no TV or radio at the ranch cabin where I stayed. I didn't even listen to the radio during the long drive to and from the observatory. During the long nights on the mountain, there was plenty of time for conversation with the nine other workshop participants. Not once did anyone mention politics. There was no talk about the election or the supreme court. Nobody argued or bickered about anything. I liked these people. These were interesting, very intelligent folks who realized that there is a lot more to life than the 24-hour news cycle.

I was amazed that I made the trip back to Dallas today on a single tank of gas. I had to stop for gas on my way to the observatory, but not on the way back. Weird. The only thing I can think of is that it takes more energy to go uphill than downhill. There's quite an increase in elevation between Dallas and Fort Davis. Consequently, it's all downhill coming back. I made the entire trip without stopping. That's a long time to remain seated. When I finally got out of the car, it felt strange to stand up again. I also really had to pee. It took me a minute or so before walking felt normal again. I wonder how long haul truckers and pilots do this sort of thing. It can't be very healthy.

McDonald Observatory is having star parties again, but it's not the same. 300 people applied to attend the most recent star party, but only 40 got to come. It's that restrictive now. Visitors don't get to look through telescopes anymore. The telescope part of the evening is all virtual now. Instead of looking through telescopes, people watch telescope images projected on a big screen set up in the outdoor amphitheater. I suspect the experience is kind of like watching a YouTube video. All of us at the workshop were wondering when the observatory would return to normal again. There weren't any answers. We were the first group to get any sort of access to the mountain. It's a start, but there is still a long way to go. As I watched a thin crescent moon set over Mount Livermore last night, I wondered when I'd be back. I just don't know.

Little Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3950

I was a little better organized today. Instead of lugging all my heavy gear all over the mountain, I left most of it in the car and just walked back to the car when I needed to change lenses. I figured out how to program the Prude Ranch into the GPS, so it was easy to find my way home tonight. We learned a lot at the afternoon workshop sessions. I think I understand the principals of stacking now and took long sequences of picctures to assemble later when I get back to Dallas. We went to new locations tonight. The stars were the same, but the surrounding were different. It's still a little hard for me to find my way around in the dark without a flashlight. I almost fell in a hole, but I survived the evening without a mishap. I didn't drop or lose any equipment tonight. Like I said, I was better prepared.

It's weird being up on the mountain at night. It's so quiet that you can hear a human voice from five miles away. At some point during the evening the coyotes began to howl. One coyote would howl and then other would answer from all over the place. There were dozens of them. We were surrounded by coyotes. The astronomers why live ion the mountain seem used to the wildlife. Everyone has had an encounter with rattlesnakes and one of the workshop leaders said he opened his back door one evening and a bunch of Javelinas tried to come inside.

One of the hardest things about astrophotography is trying to keep your camera focused in the dark. Autofocus doesn't work on stars and sometimes lenses focus past infinity. It's easy to bump things in the dark and there is no reliable way to check your focus until after your exposure is taken. You hate to take a sequence of twenty pictures and then discover that your focus was off a bit. Stars are supposed to be crisp little points of light. Even a tiny mistake will make them go soft. I had plenty of perfect exposures, but as you might expect, I had my share of failures as well.

I went back to Indian Lodge for breakfast this morning. This time, instead of taking my meal back to the ranch, I walked over to a little picnic table overlooking a small canyon and ate my breakfast outside. It was a beautiful morning and a bit warmer than yesterday. The Davis Mountains State Park is a bird sanctuary and it was peaceful to listen to all the birds sing while I ate. It's amazingly quiet up here I like that.

It's kind of sad that there are no real plans to reopen the observatory to the public. They've started having star parties again, but nobody can look through telescopes anymore. Attendance is really restricted as well. My astronomer friend opened up one of the domes for us tonight so we could photograph a telescope looking out at the sky through an open dome. Everyone wanted to look through the telescope, but that was off limits. I have a feeling that it's going to be a long, long time before I get to look through the eyepiece of one of the large telescopes again.

We all had an opportunity to stay for a third day and do some more photography Sunday night. I've already photographed everything I can think of though, and I'm very tired. I've really enjoyed my stay, but two nights on the mountain is enough. I'm always the oldest person at these type of events. My age is starting to show, but I'm still hanging in there. I'll make the long drive back to Dallas tomorrow. At least the traffic will be a lot better on Sunday. There are still a lot of people on the road though. Now that nobody is flying, they're all taking road trips instead. The Indian Lodge is completely booked through December. 

There may be another workshop out at the observatory later in 2021. I'll probably go to that one as well if it ever happens. I don't even care what the topic is. There's something special about The Davis Mountains. I just like being out here.

Diva is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3801

Another uneventful day. I set up a few more accounts for online payments this morning. Hope I don't regret this later. I've been a fan of paper for a long time, but I guess it's finally time to move into the future. I just need to convince my Luddite sister to use e-mail and then I won't have to use the post office at all.

Restaurants in the neighborhood are opening again, but I think I'll just stay home and make an omelette tomorrow instead. I have a feeling that my tradition of going out for breakfast on Friday morning might be gone for good. It's not a fear of the virus that keeps me at home. People have just become more irritating.

It was a little warmer this morning and I could tell that Dawn didn't have quite as much energy. The temperature wasn't bad, but it was quite humid. I didn't have as much energy myself. We're going to have to make an effort to get out earlier. I still tend to stay up quite late and it's hard to get up early in the morning. I don't know how Janet does it. By the time we take our walk with Dawn, she has already been out and run three miles.

I think we're headed for some dark days ahead. When did mask shaming become a thing? Some of our leaders have become petty tyrants. People aren't happy. A recent poll showed a dramatic increase in the number of people in almost every state who would prefer to secede from the union if given the choice. We are talking about building an army of contact tracers to follow your every move. Isn't this what we have criticized China for doing for years? Where is the ACLU when you really need them? A lot of what is going on right now violates the constitution in so many ways and all people have to say is "Well, it's an emergency." The latest version of Apple IOS already has the contact tracing backbone built into the system. All that is waiting is the official government app that we will be implored to download "for our own good." I can almost guarantee that this won't end well.

I think we could end this whole virus mess in a hurry by just banning partying. No more bar hopping, rock concerts, or football stadiums. No more big weddings, cruise ships, or family reunions. Sound extreme? It wouldn't change my life much. I'd actually prefer a ban on large gatherings to an army of contact tracers snooping on everyone. I don't think I'll be installing that Apple tracking app either. Personally, I think individual liberty is still more important that some vaguely defined concept of "the greater good." Unless we can all agree what this greater good actually is, it means nothing.

Just quit the mask shaming you guys. You can look right on the CDC website and see where it says that most masks are completely worthless against a virus. A virus is almost microscopic. When was the last time you saw a picture of a biolab technician wearing a bandana? This is all getting ridiculous. Masks have become nothing more than a symbolic gesture. They're like wearing a team jersey. That's why they are so important to some people. I wear a mask when I am out in public so I'll blend in and not call attention to myself. If the rule was to wear a plastic purple hat, I'd probably do that too. When people are in the mood for witch trials, you definitely don't want to be the witch.

I still think a lot about the David Mountains. Maybe if I lived somewhere very remote and far away from all this nonsense, the world would start to feel normal again.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3589

I got up early this morning to watch the Orionid meteor shower. I sat in a lawn chair in the back yard for about thirty minutes looking in the direction of the constellation Orion. I didn't see any meteors. The sky was clear, but the moon was bright and there was the usually Dallas light pollution. The meteors were probably there, but the sky just wasn't dark enough to see them.

I almost didn't go outside at all because I knew this would happen. Then I thought if I'm too lazy to even attempt to see one of the best meteor showers of the year, why am I even thinking of going back to the Davis Mountains? At some point, I went back into the house to get my binoculars so I could see a few more stars. Even though the night sky was nothing like the vivid tapestry I saw in Fort Davis, I still enjoyed sitting in my lawn chair looking up at the Orion Nebula and the waning moon. I kept imagining how much better the experience would be without a washed out city sky and the ever present Dallas traffic noise. The majestic solitude of the Davis Mountain skies was calling to me.

Janet returned from her trip today. She was pleased that the yard looked better but said the house still smelled musty. As she described her visit to Mount Hood and the Oregon Coast it brought back distant memories of a time when I lived out there. I wouldn't want to live in Seattle or Portland anymore, but it's hard to beat the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Temperatures were in the fifties when I woke up this morning. They weren't a lot warmer when I finished breakfast and went on my walk. This is the kind of weather I like. I put on a light jacket and a hat and started walking a bit more briskly than usual. I guess Fall is my favorite season. It just doesn't last long enough here in Texas.

By early afternoon it has warmed up enough that I decided that it was now or never with the roof. I knew I had at least 48 hours before the next cold front arrived and that was enough time for the silicon coating to dry. A few of the damaged areas were still a little damp, but if I keep waiting for everything to dry completely, it's just going to rain again and the roof will continue to get worse.

Applying the coating was just as messy as I anticipated. I transferred a gallon of the silicon material from the large container to a paint can and lifted it to the roof using a rope. I apply the coating using a cheap paint roller that I just throw away after use. I wear old clothes I can throw away too. I try my best to be careful and not make a mess, but I always manage to spill some of the sticky liquid. I didn't get any silicon on my clothes today, but I did manage to step in a patch I'd just finished coating. Oops. It was a good thing I was wearing some old rubber boots that I've saved just for going up on the roof.

Hopefully, I've sealed any potential areas where water might leak into the house. You never know though. Water is relentless. I'll find out how successful I was the next time it rains.

The cancer center where we used to take Dot and Dash got damaged by the tornado. The clinic is closed for repairs now. I kept thinking how horrible it would be if your dog is right in the middle of chemo treatment now. Where are you going to go? I hope I don't have car problems any time soon. I think the Land Rover dealership was damaged as well. Weather is humbling. I like to think I can plan for everything, but you can't plan for weather.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3547

The big tree that fell in our yard is gone. The falling tree also knocked over a large Photinia that we had let grow into a small tree. That tree is gone as well. The yard is starting to look bare now that we have lost our Elm tree and a large portion of one of our Oak trees. I'm afraid more trees will go when the tree guy returns later this month to remove what is left of the Elm tree and evaluate the rest of the trees. These are all very old trees that are near the end of their natural life. I guess I'd rather lose them than have one fall on my house.

I was glad the tree guy was able to come out today but apparently my neighbor wasn't. Less than fifteen minutes after the chain saws started, he was complaining about the truck blocking the alley. Jeez. It's all going to be over in an hour. Couldn't you just chill out and wait to park your car for a few minutes? Neighbors are one more reason the emptiness of the Davis Mountains seems so appealing.

I'm glad I called to confirm my appointment before I left for the doctor this afternoon. The lady who answered the phone told me I didn't have an appointment. "What do you mean," I asked. "Just two days ago you told me that my appointment was for 1:20 this afternoon." "I'm sorry," she told me. "That was last year's appointment we were looking at. We never made an appointment for you this year." Once I confirmed that I actually needed an appointment, we rescheduled everything for next week.

I finally finished my article about McDonald Observatory and sent it off to Sky and Telescope. I think it was a pretty good article, but I'm not sure if people are going to be interested in reading about a rainy day at an observatory. The finished article was certainly a bit different than what I had proposed to the editors. Oh, well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I gave it my best shot. I hope the editors find the article interesting and decide to publish it. At any rate, I plan to return to the observatory. Maybe someday I can actually write about seeing distant galaxies through these telescopes.

We found out that Hank has Inflammatory Bowel Disease. I'm glad that he doesn't have cancer, but this disease has no real cure and can be difficult to treat. Not all dogs respond the same way to the disease either. Treatment often involves experimenting with special diets, antibiotics that can reduce inflammation like metronidazole, and probiotic supplements until the right combination is found. Hopefully Hank will respond quickly to treatment. He is too young to be having these problems.

Even though it was a very busy day, I still managed to take my five mile walk. With a long walk under my belt, I always feel like I have accomplished something even when the rest of the day is a disaster. I'm certainly not planning on tomorrow being a disaster, but you never know. There have been a lot of surprises lately.

Cleo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3538

I walked ten miles today. I walked on the treadmill at the gym for a while. I walked along the lake. And I walked up on the roof clearing away rain water. Needless to say, accumulating my 22,000 steps didn't leave a lot of time for anything else. Sundays have become a time for physical activity. I give my brain a rest.

Of course I give my brain a rest on other days as well. I don't know why I still like to think of myself as a thoughtful person, because I can go for hours without thinking of anything at all. Occasionally at the gym I wonder if the other members know something I don't. Almost everyone else follows a completely different exercise routine. Maybe I should copy them. I'm a creature of habit though and still follow a simple routine a physical therapist recommended years ago when I was being treated for a dislocated shoulder.

I was discouraged to find some new areas than need repair while I was up on the roof today. The roofer still hasn't brought over the silicon material he promised. I could always go buy some of the stuff myself, but I am reluctant to do so. The material is very expensive, only comes in large containers that are too heavy for me to lift to the roof, and it quite messy. I hate to carry this stuff in my car. If the drum tipped over and spilled, my car is ruined.

I took one long walk today instead of the two shorter ones I usually take. There are plusses and minuses to a five mile walk. On the plus side, when I am finished I don't have to go outside again. On the minus side, my feet start to swell after a while and my feet hurt. My shoes fit properly, but I have a really high arch and it's always been hard to find a shoe that will go the distance. I don't remember having these problems when I was younger, but then a lot of things were easier when I was younger.

I'm enjoying reading about West Texas history. The only thing I knew about Marfa was that Donald Judd lived there. There was an episode of Trackdown about Alpine once. I sometimes watch that show on Saturday mornings. I never knew much about Fort Davis. I wasn't even aware that the confederacy extended that far West. The observatory itself has quite a colorful history. Mount Locke, where the telescopes sits, was initially won in a poker game on a transcontinental train. The Davis Mountain have become one of my new favorite places. I'm definitely going back someday.

Tomorrow is a holiday which means it is exactly like any other day for me. We usually visit the Dalmatians on Monday's, but I think the kennel is closed for the holiday. I won't be going to the post office or the bank either. Even my gym is closed tomorrow. I guess I'll need to continue reading.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3533

Tonight was an adventure. We saw lots of Javelina pigs. Some of them were very close but we didn't get attacked. We saw enough deer crossing the road to make us drive very carefully. Before it got dark were saw an enormous number of hummingbirds. When we got to the top of Mount Locke around 9 PM, we were treated to a spectacular lightning show. We saw no stars tonight. An unexpected thunderstorm rolled through the area and we were right in the middle of it.

All was not lost though. Since the astronomers were not able to see anything tonight either, we got a behind the scenes look at some areas at the 107" Harlan J. Smith telescope that are normally off limits on tours. During an earlier daytime tour of this same telescope I was even able to operate the controls that made the telescope move. Getting to experience these huge telescopes up close was pretty amazing, but it would have been nice to see stars. I asked one of the astronomers what was the best time of year to visit and he said you could get bad weather at any time of year. He told me that some visitors were lucky to experience a spectacular night on their first visit, while others had bad weather three or four times in a row. "You just have to get lucky," he said.

At least the skies were clear last night. Before we went to sleep yesterday Janet and I went outside and looked at the sky for a while. The night sky was amazing. I saw more stars than I'd even seen in my life. It's too bad that the Special Observing Night wasn't yesterday. Evidently Sunday night was even better, but we were still in Dallas then. All this just goes to show that nature is full of surprises. The fancy long-term weather forecasting service I subscribed to predicted an 87% chance of clear skies tonight. Unfortunately, tonight was part of that remaining 13%.

As you might imagine, I was disappointed not to see stars. It was a long drive to get caught in a storm. We could have stayed home and had a rainy day. I think it rained in Dallas today too. At least we made it back to the hotel before the severe weather arrived. I wouldn't want to be driving on those mountain roads at night an a bad thunderstorm.

Even though we got rained out tonight, this has still been a very enjoyable trip. The Davis Mountains are beautiful. McDonald Observatory is fascinating even on a cloudy day. The three large telescopes are amazing. The largest, the 433 inch Hobby-Eberly Telescope is still one of the largest in the world. It is currently one of the telescopes being used to find exoplanets around distant stars and is also involved in a study about dark matter.

It's too bad this place is so remote. I'd like to return when the weather is better. Fort Davis is a charming little town. Most of the residents are retired. Evidently local businesses have a hard time finding help because all the young people can't wait to leave the area and go to a city where there is more action. When we returned from the observatory tonight there was not a single car on the city streets. The place looked like a ghost town. Actually the observatory looked pretty ghostly tonight too with the observatory towers bathed in flashes of light from nearby lightning strikes. Janet said it felt like we were watching an old Frankenstein movie.

The rain is pounding outside our hotel window and I hear a lot of thunder at the moment. The weather might clear up tomorrow, or it might continue raining. Weather is unpredictable, Either way we will be leaving town after breakfast in the morning. Maybe I'll come back someday.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3517

It's time to retire the dehumidifier. It has been running almost continuously since we got it after we had the water leak under our foundation quite a few years ago. This has been one of our most reliable appliances, but nothing lasts forever. The trusty little machine just doesn't remove much moisture anymore. Since this unit is still available, we ordered an identical dehumidifier to replace it. If the new one will run continuously for five years as well, it's hard to complain. Janet wants me to haul the old dehumidifier out to the curb on the next big trash day. I'm more inclined to try to fix it. I will probably fail since I've already tried to fix the machine several times. It's probably just worn out.

I feel pretty worn out today as well. There was no air conditioning at the gym this morning. I'm glad this doesn't happen very often. The place felt like a sauna. I found a brand new basketball when I went on the court today. I was curious whether I'd shoot any better with a new ball. Nope. I was also curious whether I'd burn more calories when the gym was hotter. Nope again. I'm not even sure my Fitbit is working correctly. Maybe it wasn't measuring calories right. It tracked five minutes of "aerobic activity" while I was sleeping last night. I remember sleeping peacefully, but maybe I had a weird dream.

I did manage to get my 20,000 steps today, but if there was anything interesting to watch on Netflix I might have just stayed inside. We are in the middle of a major heat wave. I think it was 105 degrees when I took my long walk this afternoon. I guess the only reason I continuing doing this is to see if I can. I like to have a routine as well. If you have a fixed routine you don't need to think of what to do next.

I'm beginning to wonder whether I should have waited until late Fall or Winter to visit the observatory. Unless it starts to cool down quickly, it's going to be a very hot trip. The weather in the Davis Mountains will be a lot cooler than it is here, but it is a long drive to get there. A rental car is looking better and better. If the rental car breaks down, they'll just get us a replacement. Maybe my next car won't be a Land Rover after all. If reliability issues make me nervous about leaving the city, what's the point of having one?

Janet and I will be going up to visit the Dalmatians tomorrow. That's what we do on Monday's now. Hank is back at the kennel again and they say that the bleeding has stopped and his stools are normal. Hopefully, all he needed was a change in diet. Hank is going to have to be monitored carefully for the next several weeks, but it is encouraging that he appears to be getting better. At least all his vital signs are good. He's been tested for just about everything.

I guess I'm ready to start another week. The laundry is all done and I've got a new supply of fresh fruit for my smoothie. Maybe something exciting will happen this week, but I hope not. All I want at this point is cooler weather.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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