Day 4509

I stayed up late last night giving the Polaris star tracker it's first real test. I had a few unforeseen problems, but the thing actually worked. It tracks stars very well for long exposure photography. I'm still having problems with the tracker disconnecting from the camera at random intervals, but hopefully these problems will get resolved with future software updates. It would be nice if the tracker was more reliable because it's hard to fix things when it's pitch black outside. They don't even want you to turn on a flashlight up here because you might disrupt observing at one of the large telescopes. I stayed close to the Astronomer's Lodge when I was out doing photography last night because I was alone and I'd heard too many stories about mountain lions and snakes.

Today was a work day, but I didn't have any assignments until later in the day so I was able to sleep in late. I don't sleep wall while I'm traveling, but if you get tired enough you can sleep anywhere. I had a leisurely late breakfast and then took my daily walk. To get the steps I need takes ten trips around the rim road that circles the two large telescopes on Mount Locke. I'm not walking as far as I do in Dallas, but the altitude is much higher here and four miles a day seems plenty to me.

I got lucky tonight and got a really good telescope to take care of at tonight's star party. The 16" Ritchey Chretien is very nice. Basically all I had to do was make sure the telescope didn't drift off target and rotate the dome every once in a while so the dome slit stayed lined up with the telescope. I also had to answer a lot of questions. There were 300 people at tonight's star party, which was actually a lot smaller than the last star party I volunteered for just before Covid shut everything down. I thought I would know the answer to most people's questions, but of course I didn't. You never know what people are going to ask.

The weather was perfect tonight. It wasn't freezing cold like the last time I helped with star parties. I didn't  need to bring my winter coats. Better safe than sorry though. It probably helped that I was inside a dome this year. Last time I was outside and it was windy. I didn't hear any coyotes howling tonight. I did see the Javelinas though. These small wild pigs are everywhere. My telescope target tonight was Messier 3. This globular cluster is spectacular under the dark Davis Mountain skies. Everyone who looked through the telescope seemed quite impressed.

Tomorrow I'll have more to do during the day. I'll be at a booth with different types of telescopes on display and will be answering questions for future amateur astronomers. I enjoy talking about telescopes but I need to ask someone tomorrow about the pronunciation of certain items. When most of your knowledge comes from reading books rather than talking to other people, it's very easy to mispronounce words.

I don't think I'll take the star tracker out again this evening. It's late. I doubt that I'll get up early to see the Milky Way core rise before dawn tomorrow morning either. I'm tired and I think I've seen enough of the night sky for one day. It was a good day though. I enjoyed it.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4191

We came up with a new plan to beat the heat. It involved getting up early and walking Dawn before sunrise. It was actually quite nice outside at 6 AM. The temperature was only 75 degrees and there was a pleasant breeze. Dawn loved the early walk. She walked briskly without any hesitation at all. I was planning to go to the gym today, but our early walk was so enjoyable that I thought I'd take my own longer walk right after breakfast. I probably should have just skipped breakfast and kept walking. The temperature wasn't bad when I left the house, but by the time I reached my halfway point it was getting pretty hot. It's amazing how quickly the temperature rises on a sunny day. I should have left the house an hour earlier. By the time I returned home I was just as hot and sweaty as I usually am.

Getting up early is a good plan. We've done this during the summer with our other dogs. The older you get, the easier it is to sleep in late though. Dawn is no help. She'd sleep till noon if Janet didn't go out to the kitchen in the morning and start rattling plates. I'm just going to have to start going to bed earlier. I should have started writing the blog in the mornings about what I planned to do instead of writing in the evenings about what I actually did. As it stands now, it's hard for me to get to bed before midnight.

Getting an early start didn't help me get any more done today. It was way too hot outside to do yard work and I'm growing tired of watching YouTube videos about astrophotography. I ended up paying some June bills and then going to the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions. I thought I had a good prescription drug plan, but my prescriptions keep getting more expensive. What else is new. Everything keeps getting more expensive.

While I was driving to the pharmacy I noticed that there was a road crew re-paving one of the streets in our neighborhood. I wonder how the city decides which streets to fix? This street had been resurfaced only a few years ago, while other streets in the neighborhood have been ignored for decades. We may need to take a different route tomorrow, since we typically use this street to get down to the park.

The new mount for my star tracker arrived today. There were no instructions. Figuring out how to use this thing will give me something to do tomorrow. I don't think I need to worry about breaking it. The mount looks indestructible. I wonder how long it's going to be before I start actively using this stuff? I'm sure I could find dark skies closer to Dallas than McDonald Observatory, but I don't feel like wandering around in the dark in a strange area. Maybe I need to join a local astronomy club. Even after in-person viewing events resume, I'd still have to drive home very late at night though. It's a problem. I feel much more comfortable all alone on the top of Mount Locke than in the middle of a city full of crazy people at night.

I need to get Penny's picture up on the Dalmatian Rescue website. I should have done this today, but I'm slow about everything these days. There was a small plumbing leak I was going to fix today as well. Oh, well. There's always tomorrow. I can already tell that it's going to be a long, hot summer. I just hope the air conditioner doesn't break.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4159

I'm back in Dallas. It's been a long and interesting day. The weather wasn't very cooperative Thursday evening. Around sunset there were thunderstorms on the southern horizon and a thick blanket of clouds overhead. We kept checking the forecast, but it didn't look promising. While it was still light outside, our group got a sneak preview of a new telescope prototype from Planewave Instruments. The company wanted to test this scope under McDonald Observatory's famous dark skies. Unfortunitely, the fancy computerized telescope wasn't having any better luck than we were. The only telescope that could penetrate the clouds was a nearby radio telescope that would have made a perfect backdrop for the photos I was planning.

We began to see lightning and as the thunderstorm got closer we retreated to the Astronomer's Lodge to learn more about PixInsight and the intricacies of processing astrophotography images. It was still cloudy around midnight and most of the group decided to call it quits and headed back to their hotels, Airbnb rentals, or campsites for the night. I was the lucky one, since I was already home. I walked to my room, set an alarm for 3 AM and tried to get a few hours sleep. The predawn skies cleared a bit yesterday. Maybe they would do the same thing today.

I dozed off for a few hours and when the alarm on my phone rang, I got up and went outside. It was completely clear. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. I dressed quickly and set my cameras up in in a few choice locations. Since I had the luxury of time this morning, I was more methodical than I was yesterday and tried to take my shots properly. I didn't try to photograph any galaxies or nebula, because I knew I would have difficulty finding them without help from my astronomer friends. The Milky Way was still there though and it looked even more spectacular than it did yesterday.

The picture you see here is straight out of the camera and hasn't been processed yet. I'm standing in front of the Astronomer's Lodge and looking up at the 107 inch Harlan J. Smith Telescope. This should make a nice shot when I have finished processing it. I stayed outside until dawn, photographing the sky from a variety of different angles. It is so beautiful on top of Mount Locke when the sky is clear and the Milky Way is rising. I love this place.

There was no point in going back to bed when the stars began to fade. I fixed a pot of coffee and made myself some breakfast. It is so quiet in the morning at the Astronomer's Lodge. The staff doesn't arrive until later in the morning and I essentially had the place to myself. After breakfast, I packed my bags and got ready for the long drive home. I stopped at the observatory fire station to pump up my tire again since it had lost five pounds of pressure overnight. By 8 AM I was on the road.

As I made the 50 mile drive North through the Davis Mountain to head East on I-10 I didn't see a single car. I almost hit a deer though. The deer are everywhere up here. Luckily, even though my rental car had a bad tire, it had good brakes. No deer were harmed. 

It probably wasn't a great idea to make a 550 mile drive with no sleep, but I made it back to Dallas in one piece. I arrived in town during rush hour but the traffic wasn't as bad as I expected. I don't think anyone works on Friday anymore. It was still a shock to see so many cars though. I really prefer the solitude of the Davis Mountains. I'm sure I'll be back again, even though I hate the drive. The Davis Mountains have become my happy place.

Lady is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4086

I'm done. Janet and I got our second Covid vaccinations today. We got the Pfizer vaccine, which is the one I wanted anyway. In fourteen days we should have immunity to the disease and can resume normal life if such a thing still exists. I continue to be amazed at how organized and efficient the hospital was. Getting the injection couldn't have been easier. Why would you want to go wait in line for hours at a mass vaccination center run by the government when you could go to a well run hospital and be in and out in a matter of minutes?

Getting vaccinated seems to be more popular than I anticipated. I haven't run into anybody who doesn't want to take the vaccine because they're afraid of growing a tail or third eye. Most of the people I know here in Texas have already received at least one shot. This doesn't really say much though, since I only know other old people. I'd like to think that getting vaccinated signals the beginning of the end to this mess, but it probably doesn't. I have a feeling that people will be arguing about masks for years to come.

I got my media access application from the Air Force today. You have to fill this out once a year to keep your press credentials. I'll fill out the forms tomorrow and send them in. I was pleased that I didn't have to ask for the forms this year. They already know me and I'm on the list. The Air Force people are super nice and they have made it possible for me to see some important launches when I couldn't get clearance from NASA. I'm looking forward to returning to Kennedy Space Center again. There aren't a whole lot of things I look forward to, but this is one of them.

The weather has been so warm this week that I'm beginning to think that last month's big freeze was just a bad dream. When we took our walks today, I didn't need a jacket at all. A t-shirt and shorts were fine. Dawn enjoyed the nice weather, but only wanted to walk a mile today. She's full of surprises and we are always wondering what she'll do next. 

My feet held up pretty well today. I still have no idea why some days are worse than others. While I was taking my long walk, I noticed that our three resident Muscovy Ducks were sitting under a picnic table. When I returned, a family was having a picnic at this table, but the ducks hadn't moved. They were still sitting directly under the same table. Were the ducks waiting to be fed or were they just being stubborn? I've seen these ducks be very aggressive, but the family seemed to be treating them like a pet dog. There must be a story here. 

The sky was very clear today. I should go out and look at the stars this evening, but I probably won't. Usually when I finish writing the blog, all I want to do is go straight to bed. I'm spoiled by West Texas dark skies too. When I look up in the back yard at night all I see is a light grey sky dotted with a few of the brightest stars. There's really nothing to see unless you like looking at the moon. Getting back to the dark skies of West Texas is almost as high on my wish list as returning to Kennedy Space Center. Hey, it's only March. There's a lot of 2021 left. Getting vaccinated does make you a bit more optimistic. Maybe normal life is just around the corner.

I doubt that much is going to change tomorrow. I just hope I don't wake up with some of the severe reactions that others have reported after getting their second shot. So far, so good. I don't feel a thing yet. 

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3917

Yay. I finally heard from my editor at Sky and Telescope today. It looks like my article about McDonald Observatory is going to be published in the February 2021 issue. This seems like a long time to wait considering that this whole process started well over a year ago, but that's how publishing works. It took a long time for my article about Michoud Assembly Facility and the Artemis program to get published as well. Now that I know the magazine hasn't forgotten about me, I'd guess I'd better learn to just be patient and wait.

We went up to the kennel to visit Charlie today. He's the only Dalmatian left at the place. Charlie is always glad to see us. I know the kennel staff loves him, but sometimes it feels like we're the only friends he has. He always seems to get overlooked when potential adopters come looking for a pet. Admittedly, Charlie has a few problems, but he's a great dog. He's going to find his forever home one of these days. Sometimes it just takes a little longer.

The weather was still nice today. We got off to a late start on our morning walk, but it didn't seem to matter. There was a chill in the air and it felt like Fall had arrived. I even noticed that a few trees are starting to turn this morning. The upper level winds must have changed because the sky looked blue again. I didn't see any smoke in the air. Dallas is a good place to be right now. There are no hurricanes, no wildfires, and temperatures couldn't be better. I think our two weeks of Fall have finally arrived.

It looks like the Delta IV Heavy mission I've been waiting to see is back on schedule again.. I think it's going to launch within the next couple of weeks. I've got to decide whether it's worth going down to Florida for this. Even though I've got Air Force credentials now, the Space Center is still fairly restricted. You have to stay in your own car and follow an Air Force vehicle to the designated photography location. There are no group activities or interview opportunities and you definitely can't wander around the base on your own. I'm still thinking about this one. If all I can do is stand next to my car and take a picture, I'm not sure there's much of a story. Unless I can convince the magazine that an article about Covid restrictions at Cape Canaveral might be interesting, I have a feeling that I'll pass on this launch.

Janet found some puppy pictures of Dawn on the Internet. I don't know how she managed to find these, but it's definitely Dawn. All the spots match perfectly. From the date on the picture, we think Dawn might be one year older than we previously thought. That would make her seven years old instead of six. I've always thought that Dawn was even older than this. She just acts like an older dog.

Janet wants to get an early start tomorrow, so it looks like we'll be walking in the dark again. Every time I look up at the sky on these early walks, I'm reminded about how much better things look out at McDonald Observatory. I miss the dark skies and am ready to go back. I wonder if things will be back to normal by next March? I hope so. What a long strange year it's been

Nicholas is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3892

Every once in a while I get so frustrated with telemarketers that I'm tempted to discontinue my landline service entirely. Very few legitimate callers use the landline anymore, but telemarketers and scammers seem to love it. I must get twenty telemarketing calls a day. I never answer these calls, but they are still very irritating. I signed up for Nomorobo a long time ago and thought it would take care of the problem. You can always tell when a telemarketer has been detected by Nomorobo because the phone only rings once.

Telemarketers seem to be getting smarter though because more and more of them have discovered ways to bypass this blocking service. They spoof your local exchange, so calls appear to be coming from a neighbor. Some telemarketers just use their real names because they know you won't pick up the phone when it says "Invalid Number" on the Caller ID. The older you get, the more you feel like you are under siege by these people. There must still be people who answer their phone or there wouldn't be so many telemarketers. My Dad was a sitting duck for these people. He knew nothing about technology and always picked up his phone.

I have the option of designating up to twenty numbers as "safe" on my landline and blocking everything else. What numbers do you choose though. About the only people who still use the landline are doctors and suppliers who never bothered to update their old office database. Doctors and vets never call you using their main office number though. Sometimes they use their cell phone. Other times they use an extension in a lab or exam room. I still might give this a try though. Anyone who really needs to reach me just sends me a text anyway.

We got another early start this morning. When we walk in the dark, I realize how bad light pollution is in Dallas. You can see bright stars like Sirius and Procyon, but the only constellation that is clearly visible in the morning sky is Orion. Orion is easily the brightest constellation in the sky, which is why it is the only one most people can identify. The sky looks so different in Fort Davis. There's nothing like a velvet black sky dotted with thousands of stars that have been bisected by the Milky Way. Dark skies are peaceful and incredibly beautiful. I can't say the same about city lights.

It was another slow day. I looked up the number of a company that can repair my large printer, but I didn't bother to call. Is the printer even worth fixing? I've already fixed a lot of electronic gear that I've never used when it came back from the repair shop. Maybe I'll get the urge to make large Giclée prints again, but I doubt it.

I'm discovering that it's easy to pay bills online, but much harder to keep track of things in Quickbooks Pro now. I have to manually recreate all the transactions I have already done online. That's what I did this afternoon. My accountant says Quickbooks is obsolete and that I should switch to a modern cloud-based accounting program. Maybe he's right.

The week's trash has been taken to the curb and I'm ready to start a new week. Maybe your week doesn't start on Friday, but it works for me.

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3729

I'm starting to feel like I live here. Life has settled into a routine. You don't miss meals at the Astronomer's Lodge. The food is excellent and it's the one time during the day where you can relax and chat with people. Today was Taco Tuesday. Need I say more? This afternoon was my first work day at the 107" telescope. I did three tours today. Usually there are about twenty to thirty people per tour. The tours are interesting and everyone seems to enjoy them. An observatory staff member gives a presentation describing the telescope and demonstrating how it moves. My duties as his assistant are mostly insuring that people don't get into trouble or hurt themselves. I escort visitors to the restrooms and make sure the children don't try to climb dangerous ladders or venture into restricted areas. The observatory can be a very dangerous place with lots of places to fall and buttons that could do a lot of damage if pressed at the wrong time. I make sure that nobody has a heart attack going up the long flight of stairs leading to the telescope on the fifth floor of the building. Since the observatory is at a fairly high altitude, people have passed out climbing these stairs.

Between tours I stay at the observatory until the next tour arrives. It's kind of a weird feeling to be alone in this huge building at the top of a remote mounting. Inside the building you hear the rumble of air conditioning and filtration equipment. Outside all you hear is the wind. It is absolutely silent. You are on your feet a lot during tour duty and at the end of the day all you want to do is soak your feet in some warm water. If I do this again I definitely need to find some more comfortable shoes.

The skies were clear for tonight's star party. It was absolutely beautiful. As the sky grew dark you could see the faint triangular glow of the zodiacal light. This light is caused by sunlight hitting interplanetary dust and is hard to see unless the sky is clear and dark. The Winter Milky Way was clearly visible as well, along with thousands of stars that are never visible in a city like Dallas. I was assigned M-41, the same telescope target I was looking at last night.  This time, thanks to a quick Google search in my room before breakfast,  I knew more about it. I told people that they were looking at something 2300 light years away that was probably discovered by Aristotle. Open star clusters can be quite beautiful. All my telescope visitors seemed to enjoy what they saw tonight.

After the star party was over the staff and volunteers had a meeting about the coronavirus. It may rain tomorrow and when  this happens the star party usually moves indoors and staff members give presentations in the visitor center theater instead. Since Spring Break star parties are large and the theater is small, the observatory decided that it was too risky to pack the theater with people during a coronavirus pandemic. If it rains everything will be canceled. This was probably a wise precaution, but I think the cat is already out of the bag. We've already had close proximity to hundreds of strangers ever since the Spring Break festivities began.

I'm glad my tour guide duties don't start until afternoon. Writing the blog after star parties have concluded and I've had time to drive up the mountain without my lights on keeps me up very late. I set the blog to post just before midnight on Tuesday, but I'm really writing this in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Luckily I can sleep late tomorrow. I'm not going to set an alarm and will just try to sleep as long as I can. The room is certainly dark enough to get a good night's sleep.

Ely is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

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

Watch of the Day

Day 3532

We made it to Fort Davis. Texas is a very big state. The drive was a little over seven hours and covered a lot of flat open land. Around Amarillo we started seeing thousands of huge wind generator towers. They stretched from horizon to horizon on both sides of the road. A little later around Midland and Odessa we entered oil country. This must have been the Permian Basin, because there was a lot of fracking going on. The freeway was filled with huge oilfield trucks, but the traffic still wasn't nearly as bad as Dallas. For the first time in a long time I saw speed limit signs that said it was OK to go 80 miles an hour. Most people were going faster.

Eventually we saw the Davis Mountains on the horizon but it took a long time to reach them. As we got off the freeway and made our way toward Fort Davis, the roads became pretty lonely. I realized that this wouldn't be a great place to break down or have a flat tire. The closer we got to the mountains, the prettier the scenery became. At one point we traveled through a canyon that reminded me of Utah. This was where the cell phone service disappeared.

Janet and I have lived in cities for a long time. We both wondered what we'd do in a place like this. Fort Davis is a very small picturesque western town. Less than 2,000 people live here. The place got its name from a fort that used to be a Confederate outpost during the civil war. Apparently we just missed the annual Hummingbird festival which ended yesterday. We still saw lots of Hummingbirds though. They were everywhere.

The long drive wasn't as bad as I expected. We had a very nice car. The rental car place couldn't find the car I reserved and the guy checking me in didn't want to waste a lot of time looking for something similar. He upgraded me to a Cadillac for the same price as a basic Ford Fusion. This was fine by me. I was surprised that I enjoyed driving this car. It handled well, was very quiet, and we averaged 30 miles a gallon. This is a lot better than I normally get in the Land Rover. I was glad I rented a car. We were under an excessive heat advisory for most of our trip. The temperature was over 114 degrees in some places. I would have spent the whole trip worrying that my car would overheat if I drove the Land Rover.

Fort Davis is very small but it happens to have a wonderful restaurant. We were lucky that it happened to be open this evening. Very few Dallas restaurants could top the meal we had tonight. It was a nice way to end a very long day. I even had wine with my meal which is very rare for me. After dinner we watched the hummingbirds for a while and called it a day. The skies are clear tonight. I hope they stay this way tomorrow. The forecast has deteriorated a little bit but I still think that there a good chance everything will work out fine at the observatory. Before I go to bed, I'm going to go outside and take a look at these fabled dark skies I've been hearing so much about.

Cammy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3526

Today was busy. I changed our destination in West Texas from Alpine to Fort Davis. Fort Davis is much closer to the observatory and I wasn't looking forward to a long drive back to the hotel in the middle of the night on very dark mountain roads. Since the Davis Mountains are a designated Dark Sky area, there are no lights along the roads. The entire area is extremely dark at night. Evidently you need to drive slowly and take care not to hit the Javelinas that are often seen on the roads at night. I don't think hitting a wild pig in the dark on a lonely mountain road is something I'd want to experience.

Janet wants to go to Fredericksburg, so we added this Hill Country town to our itinerary on the way home. Even before we extended our trip a bit, I had already lost faith in the Land Rover, so I have reserved a rent car for the journey. It's kind of ironic to have a car that can go anywhere that you hate to take very far from the dealership. If the rent car breaks down, it's not my problem. If my own car breaks down, I could be faced with a 400 mile towing bill. Truthfully, it's a lot easier to hop on a plane and take an Uber from the airport to your final destination. Road trips can take you places that aren't very accessible otherwise though. We'd like to see some of these places. Hopefully our little adventure will be a lot of fun. If this trip is a success we can basically go anywhere. There's a lot to see out West.

I resumed my long walks today. I don't think it matters what time of day I walk anymore. It's even too hot in the middle of the night these days. I hope the articles I read about the benefits of walking while sweating a lot are true. I should be in great shape after a long hot Summer of this punishment. I could always walk around the track at the gym, but that's so boring. For now I still prefer being outdoors where I can count Egrets and Herons.

I started cleaning the old dehumidifier this afternoon. This will take a while. Some components are readily accessible and others aren't. I still haven't figured out how to take the unit completely apart. Maybe this is why the instruction manual says "No user serviceable parts." I wish I didn't feel compelled to fix things. Just buying a brand new dehumidifier every five years is so much easier.

I made an appointment to get a haircut tomorrow. Didn't I just do this a little while ago? My hair is getting thinner, but it seems to be growing faster. I'm probably just getting a haircut because we're taking a trip. I always used to get a haircut before I took a business trip and old habits die hard.

Rolly starts his heartworm treatment tomorrow. I hope he does well and there are no complications. Heartworm treatment can be rough for some dogs.

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3423

I've been trying to think of an interesting way to occupy my time. Maybe astronomy vacations are a thing. Well yes, actually they are. I was surprised at how many options are available. In December of 2020 you can take a three week cruise around the tip of South America to view a total eclipse of the sun off the coast of Patagonia. This one's a little pricy, but you do get to go to Antartica. More reasonable are a wide variety of dark sky photo workshops. These workshops seem to take place in spectacular remote locations like Joshua Tree National Park or Badlands National park. It doesn't seem to be easy to fly into places like these, but I guess that's what cars are for. Prices vary considerably but the workshops are quite small and all seem to led by well known astrophotographers.

One of the most interesting options are the Special Viewing Nights at McDonald Observatory. Several times a year a select group of people get a chance to look at the heavens through one of the three large research telescopes at the observatory. How cool would it be to spend an evening looking through the 82" Otto Struve Telescope. Professional astronomers often wait months for an opportunity to use this famous telescope because skies at the observatory are still among the darkest in the world. You can take Amtrack to Alpine, Texas too. I'm sure there are other interesting things out there. I've just started looking.

The bad thing about astronomy vacations is that you really have to plan ahead to take advantage of these very limited opportunities. Only a few people at a time are able to get observatory access or attend a dark sky workshop. So what happens if you arrive for an event you planned months earlier and it's cloudy or raining? You lose. There is just no way to guarantee a clear day months in advance.

Weather is really unpredictable. I can't even guarantee a clear day tomorrow. It rained a little bit today, but I was able to take my walk. You see some strange things in the park. For the past week I've noticed a guy with a huge pair of calipers measuring tree trunks. He seems to be measuring every tree in the park. He writes down the diameter of the tree in a little book and then moves on the the next tree. Why? I guess I could ask him some day. I've started noticing the same runners and cyclists day after day. Often our paths cross at almost exactly the same spot. I guess I'm not the only one who keeps a rigid schedule.

I saw a film crew setting up to shoot a commercial in the park as I started my walk this morning. They were still setting up when I returned. I wouldn't be surprised if the crew spent all day to film something that lasted fifteen seconds. I used to do this. For once I felt glad that I was retired.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1665

I had another doctor's appointment today. I've been doing all these tests for so long now that I think I'm learning how to cheat. Blood sugar levels rise and fall throughout the day. You can schedule lab work to make blood sugar levels appear lower if you want to go to the trouble. Heart rate and blood pressure levels can be regulated to some degree with controlled breathing. I used to drink lots of water as soon as I got to the doctor's office when I knew they needed a urine specimen, but then they would do this ultrasound test and tell me that my bladder wasn't emptying properly. Of course it wasn't. I had just consumed boatloads of water. Now, I time this test too, drinking about ten ounces of water three hours before my appointment and no liquids again until the appointment is over. Whatever works is my motto. Apparently my plan was a success because the doc was pleased with the test results and told me that I didn't need to see him for another year.

It looked like it was going to rain all day, but it never did. Everywhere I went there were ominous dark clouds on the horizon. I kept hurrying home to make sure the dogs were OK, but there was never a drop of rain or a single thunderclap. It was just another hot July day with strangely dark skies. As much as I hate rain, I'm beginning to hope we do get a few showers this week. The grass in the back yard is drying up at an alarming rate. I water every evening, but it doesn't seem to be enough.

I feed the dogs lunch every day, even though I never eat any lunch myself. Eating seems to be the high point of their day, so I make a big ritual out of feeding them each a rice cake at lunch time. There are virtually no calories in a rice cake, but apparently there is a lot of chewing pleasure. Dot and Dash both love rice cakes. After lunch, Dot likes to sun herself in the back yard. I have to watch her though to make sure she doesn't get sunburned. Dalmatians sunburn very easily. When it's hot like this and there are so many mosquitoes around, ten minutes of sun is usually plenty. While Dot suns herself, I usually knock down wasp nests under the eaves of the house with a broom. It's such an exciting life.

I finished some website updates this morning, but even that slows down during the Summer. I don't hear from my clients much during July, but I do see pictures of them on Facebook riding jet skis, visiting national parks, and doing whatever you do on family vacations. When the kids return to school, I'll get busy again.

My vet called today and wanted to reschedule Dot's acupuncture appointment again. I thought she wanted to change the day, but she just wanted to move the appointment up an hour. Sure. No problem. Hey, what's an hour to me?  I'm sure the dogs and I will never notice the difference.

Delaney is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day