29 May 2007

Correction . . .

I reported earlier today that AOL was shielding moonbat Cindy by not allowing members to post comments about their news story on her. My report was premature, later in the morning AOL opened up a thread for readers to post reactions. Well . . . did that ever bring rain!!! Learned something . . . there are conservatives who subscribe to AOL (now I don't feel so guilty) and those who posted let her have it . . . slam, bam, on just about every count! My post was simple: "Fat ass Rosie has left the building (header) . . . and the moonbat Mom has returned to the belfry, what a great week! (body)" I checked the post before leaving work and it still had 5 out of 5 positive thumbs up from the readership.

The more I thought about it today . . . the DNC and the rest of the wacko libtards used her and then abandoned her . . . geez, like we didn't see that one coming all along . . . and true to morning conference call talking points, AOL left her out to hang too . . .

Day after . . . rib report

Two lessons learned from the Memorial Day rib smokin' cook out . . . a) glowing feedback from all who tried them, b) get some idea ahead of time how many 1/2 racks your guests will eat. I made a total of 8 racks and had one and a half left over at the end of the feed.

Day after lesson learned . . . left over ribs, eaten cold the next day actually taste much better than the day they're smoked . . . I think the smoke flavoring really improves after a day in the fridge. Happy to report, I made a little pig of myself at dinner . . . ZERO waste and a great taste!

Cool . . .

After four exhausting days of competition, a Japanese-born French poodle named Smash on Monday defeated competitors from around the globe to be crowned Best in Show at the annual World Dog Show competition here.

The male miniature poodle, owned by Mamoro Oyama of Japan, beat some 5,000 rivals from some 300 breeds to win the May 24-27 event.

The second place in the competition went to Braco Malfoy, a male bulldog, while the third place went to Tizoc, a male Xoloitzcuintle -- a sleek, hairless Mexican breed also known as Xolo. Both dogs had Mexican owners.

Owners and handlers were tense as they prepared their animals for the floor show ahead of the final showdown.

"I've been grooming this dog for five hours," said Brazilian Ana Paula Rasera, 38, as she tied bows to her poodle's carefully manicured hair. "But it is really worth all this effort," she said.
Carlos Trejo, a Venezuelan engineer who raises dogs as a hobby and a side-business, said that owners invest "thousands of dollars" in their animals.

"In the long run we might not recoup the investment, but if they are well ranked in these competitions, the quality of the dog is certified and the price of its mating and offspring rises," said Trejo.

Event winners are usually awarded cups and ribbons, but not large cash prizes.

AOL and The Peace Mom

I love to hate AOL. I've been an AOL customer since 1995 (downgraded my subscription in 2005 to $9.95 @ month status). For the longest time, I kept my subscription because of my screen name being tied to dozens of Internet boards, accounts, etc. I almost dropped the service completely in 2005 but opted to stay with it for the entertainment value these assholes provide me on a daily basis. One of the best ways to "know the enemy" is to sleep with them, or in this case, continue to subscribe to their services.

Liberal leftard wacko bias is hard wired into AOL News blips on the welcome screen, every hour, every day. By conservative estimate, 95% of the news headlines, when opened to be read as articles, have a hyperlink called "post thoughts", that when toggled will take you to discussion boards. A trip to that snake pit is an adventure all it's own! By conservative estimate, 98% of all the posters who use these boards find a way to blame whatever is being discussed on George Bush. If a kangeroo breaks it's leg in a Chinese zoo, some creative moonbat wacko will assert it was our President's doing. If they can't make a convincing case about George, then they'll spin it to involve Cheney, Haliburton, Condi, or some other GOP or conservative target. The artificial intelligence behind the Internet is no match for natural stupidity of some of its users.

As we all know, there's a huge cadre of libtard baffoons who aren't camera shy nor bashful about controversial comments and actions. Be it fat ass Rosie, Sean Penn, Michael Moore, or any of the other leftists nimrods who bless us with their causes, AOL always gives them "headline press" but never include "post thoughts" at the end of the the articles.

So it is this morning . . . Peace Mom Cindy Calls It Quits . . . and I have so many thoughts on the subject to post . . . come on AOL, grow some balls!

28 May 2007

No caption needed . . .


Memorial Day 2007


27 May 2007

Fire up the smoker DD . . .

Let the ritual begin!!! This is weekend when backyard pools "open for the summer" and every driveway seems to be visited by trucks bearing loads of mulch. In our neighborhood, everyone works hard by day, and among our circle of neighborhood buddies, party hard into the night. Last night and tonight, we are in "visiting team" status, tomorrow night we're "home team", hosting the last get together of the weekend.

Let the ritual begin!!! This is the weekend when backyard BBQ grills "get uncovered for the first time in months" and every patio seems ablaze with grilling activities. In our neighborhood, we have only a few extraordinary "grill masters". After a few beers are consumed, it's easy to identify them as conversations turn to new grills, new recipies, grilling techniques, etc. I've noticed over the years that grill masters tend to be very a very patient and conservative lot, more prone to offering helpful advice, than being critics. Believe me, I've had to stand by, biting my tongue more than once, watching in restrained silence, as someone incinerates a perfectly magnificent cut of meat, on a brand new grill being used for the first time.

While I don't consider myself to be a grill master, I'm a lot further along than some of folks who should never turn a gas valve or light up charcoal. At the expense of my inner lower lip, I've mastered the art of restraint, no longer feeling compelled to rush back to my place for a fire extinguisher . . . trust me, I've witnessed my share of patio conflagrations! Conversely, it is a treat to observe "masters" at work . . . you know, the ones (can't say guys because I seen some gals perform grill magic too) who grill meat and vegetables to simultaneous perfection. In these instances, it's best to be a humble "student", asking non-proprietary questions, and to be lavishly complementary, but not patronizing.

Let the ritual begin!!! Tomorrow afternoon and evening - our turn. Nervous? Not one bit. Actually, I'm looking forward to it. I've done my homework. With the exception of the few weekends this winter when my grills were hidden by snow drifts on the patio, I've been honing my BBQ skills on a regular basis. In a few recent "Wilson-like-peering-over-the-fence" conversations, I've gathered some important intel regarding potential guests' likes and dislikes. Armed with this new found knowledge, fromulating a menu plan was easy. As the guest list takes final form, it has become only a matter of adjusting portions and selecting the right mopping sauces for, you guessed it - RIBS!!!!

Let the ritual begin!!! Learning one of my neighbors would like to learn how to prepare and BBQ baby back ribs, I extended an invitation of drop by, observe, and participate in the process. To me, that's what the art of BBQ grilling is about . . . my ribs aren't world class, but they ain't bad either!!! Matter of fact, there's only one other griller in our circle of neighbor friends who has any experience with grilling and smoking ribs - he's on the guest list and I'm hoping to pick up a tip or 2 from him by the time the ribs are ready to serve.

I'm still toying with the idea of doing both dry rub, Memphis-style as well as wet mopped Carolina-style . . . comfortable with the notion of doing both, I may venture forward with both styles. I picked up several packs of pork sirloin steaks to supplement the rib fare. Preparing them is fairly straight forward and appeal to folks who don't favor ribs. The evening, I believe, will be the first BBQ rib bust in the 11 year history of our neighborhood. Gotta make sure the beer is iced down and the rest of the menu is set. Fire up the smoker and, let the ritual begin!!!

Memorial Day Weekend 2007


26 May 2007

Chromatic abberation removed

You gotta love photo editing programs! I agonized for months about not investing extra money in an APO or ED (ultra-high grade lens glass) optics in a refractor telescope. I wanted the largest diameter scope my budget would allow - so I opted for a 6" refractor without the fancy glass upgrade (an upgrade would have forced me to accept a 3" refractor). The downside of not having the upgraded optics - "chromatic abberation" - fancy words for the distinct blue glow that can appear around bright celestial objects viewed through a non-enhanced refractor (see unedited picture in previous post).

Well fellow novice star shooters, you're stuck looking at the glow if you peer into an eyepiece unless you use special filters (they help, but not 100%) or you can photograph the object and then remove the abberation with Corel Paint Shop Pro X (it is way too easy, even for me). The same photo (above) with "paint shopped" in about 15 seconds of keyboard time! Quite a difference and savings!

25 May 2007

Not quite as cool as the moon shot

This is my first planet shot - Venus (has phases, just like the moon). I didn't use a filter, hence the blue glow . . . gotta work on that. No eyepiece, I want to experiment with greater magnifications.

First Attempt at Astrophotography

For a novice, with ZERO experience at this . . . for a first photo shot through my C6-R GT telescope, I think it turned out pretty good! I paired up an Orion digital camera with my Celestron scope and had no idea if this would work or not. Much to my surprize, and without any additional eyepiece use for greater magnification, it took only a few minutes to focus, shoot, and save. The Orion digital camera unit is easy to use.

Set up of my patio monster took less than 15 minutes - I'm getting better at the alignment routine. It took another 10 minutes to boot the laptop, set the camera, fine tune on the targets (I shot Venus too), and run the exposures.

I can tell already that this will become both a passion and an unbreakable habit!

My Week and The Week

Between the demands of my job and some family issues the past 2 weeks, I've had very little keyboard time to devote to the blog. Really not a problem becuase of the limited readership, but noe the less I wanted to apologize for my absence.

So . . . what's up? First, the good news. My brother's operation to remove a cancerous kidney was successful this week. Biopsy results show him "in the clear" and that's great news!

The saga is over. Rosie O'Donnell will not be returning to "The View." Only way to improve on that headline would be Rosie will not be returning, to anything, period!

Obama and The Breck Girl both voted against the war funding bill . . . guess they made their final investment in defeat as that goes on record!

We sold our motorhome . . . re-thinking some alternative RV choices, nothing anticipated for this season - we may just take a traditional vacation instead.

A parent of a good friend passed this week . . . I was too busy with my life-challenges to offer anything more than condolences by phone.

We upgraded to Direct TV - finally, awesome HD.

2 of our poodles racked up 500 bucks in vet bills yesterday.

Gas is above $3.30 @ gallon just about everywhere around here . . . that sucks! Who would have thought gas would still be under 3 @ gallon in NJ this week . . . nope, I not going there for gas!

What a lovely week.

20 May 2007

Learn it . . . love it!


No explanation needed . . .


Sucks being you Jimmy . . .





LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Former President Carter says President Bush's administration is "the worst in history" in international relations, taking aim at the White House's policy of pre-emptive war and its Middle East diplomacy.

The criticism from Carter, which a biographer says is unprecedented for the 39th president, also took aim at Bush's environmental policies and the administration's "quite disturbing" faith-based initiative funding.

"I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history," Carter told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in a story that appeared in the newspaper's Saturday editions. "The overt reversal of America's basic values as expressed by previous administrations, including those of George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon and others, has been the most disturbing to me."

DD Note: Jimmy, nothing from nothing is still nothing . . . nothing you'll ever say or do will erase the legacy of your pathetic tenure in the White House . . . nothing!

Drats . . .

By the time the clouds broke last night, it was way past the conjunction of Venus and the moon. My son who was in Maryland got to see it, but no such luck for Dad in Pennsylvania . . . drats!

18 May 2007

Shit . . . I go to work every day in this town!

BALTIMORE - A city council leader, alarmed by Baltimore's rising homicide rate, wants to give the mayor the power to put troubled neighborhoods under virtual lockdown.

"Desperate measures are needed when we're in desperate situations," City Council Vice President Robert W. Curran told The (Baltimore) Sun. He said he would introduce the legislation next week.

Under Curran's plan, the mayor could declare "public safety act zones," which would allow police to close liquor stores and bars, limit the number of people on city sidewalks, and halt traffic during two-week intervals.

Police would be encouraged to aggressively stop and frisk individuals in those zones to search for weapons and drugs.

Baltimore has tallied 108 homicides already this year, compared to 98 over the same period last year. Police and prosecutors also say they are facing a "stop snitching" culture that discourages victims and witnesses from cooperating with investigators trying to get criminals off the streets.

Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr., a mayoral hopeful, said Curran's idea was an interesting concept but it raised questions about civil liberties.

"We have to make sure we're not declaring martial law," he said.
Mayor Sheila Dixon had a lukewarm response after meeting with Curran on Wednesday, but she said she might support the idea with some changes.

"We're already currently in those communities. We're bringing the resources and services to the communities," Dixon said. "I want him to build on what we're attempting to do."

Curran said he modeled his plan after an approach advocated by Philadelphia mayoral candidate Michael Nutter, who won the Democratic nomination Tuesday. Nutter has called for declarations of a "state of emergency" in high-crime neighborhoods, where police would conduct aggressive stop-and-frisk searches and impose curfews.

Curran, who also sponsored Baltimore's recently passed smoking ban, said he expects opposition.

"Some of the critics of the smoking ban were telling me, 'If you want to save lives in Baltimore, do something about the murder rate, do something about the gun violence,'" he said. "I'm trying to stop the murders, to reduce the mortality rate from gun violence in this town."

Don't miss this one . . .

No telescope needed . . . Saturday dusk . . . Venus and moon conjunction!

Oh . . . so true!


16 May 2007

WTF?!?

After losing a string of embarrassing votes on the House floor because of procedural maneuvering, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has decided to change the current House Rules to completely shut down the floor to the minority.

The Democratic Leadership is threatening to change the current House Rules regarding the Republican right to the Motion to Recommit or the test of germaneness on the motion to recommit. This would be the first change to the germaneness rule since 1822.

In protest, the House Republicans are going to call procedural motions every half hour.

DD Note - she's got to go . . .

11 May 2007

Too Cool For Words . . .

I waited nearly 6 decades for this evening! I've always been intrigued by comets, conjunctions, eclipses, etc., I'd never seen any of the planets through a telescope. Last week, using a telescope for the first time, I saw Venus several times. It's been a huge learning curve, trying to figure out how to align my scope and use all the electronic whistles and bells.

Tonight . . . I managed a decent polar alignment, still not a perfect, but close enough to get the electic drive motors to slew the scope over to the planet Saturn. I had no idea what expect and was absolutely thrilled when I brought the ringed-planet into focus! Amazing! I immediately called my family members out to look at it. Like me, it was a first experience for them as well.

My only lament was not having my laptop and camera system available to photograph it . . . but I expect to have a photo before the end of next week. Celestron 6" refractor, cost me some bucks, but money well spent, this is too cool for words!

07 May 2007

Bird Feeder

I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed.

Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.

Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table ... everywhere.

Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket.

And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quite, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.

Now lets see ... our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen.

Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor. Your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half
the class doesn't speak English. Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box. I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and liberties.

Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder!

06 May 2007

Lou versus The Libtard Lefties . . . .

CNN'S DOBBS ON '60 MINUTES': U.S. COULD DEPORT ALL ILLEGALS

Thu May 3 2007 14:17:35 ET

He has never called for the deportation of all illegal immigrants, but Lou Dobbs believes the U.S. could pull off such a feat if it really wanted to.

The CNN anchor, whose stance against illegal immigration has helped raise his ratings but also fueled criticism, speaks to Lesley Stahl for a profile to be broadcast on 60 MINUTES Sunday, May 6 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Dobbs is against amnesty programs for illegal immigrants and the president's guest worker proposal, so Stahl wonders whether Dobbs thinks the government could deport all illegal immigrants.

"I've never called for their deportation,"says Dobbs. "But at the same time, when this president and open-borders, illegal-alien-amnesty advocates say, 'You can't deport them,' my answer is, 'You want to bet?' because this is the United States. I think this country can do anything it sets its mind to," he tells Stahl.

The former host of "Moneyline" for over 20 years, a business program on CNN, Dobbs has transformed himself into a purveyor of "News, debate and opinion" in the words used to introduce his current CNN program, "Lou Dobbs Tonight."

The debate is often about illegal immigration. He is a believer in curtailing illegal immigrants' access to some social services. "I happen to think that it is necessary, given the fact that the federal government won't control immigration and won't control our borders," Dobbs tells Stahl.

Dobbs says he's not for shutting off medical services, but illegal immigrants' use of other entitlements and the public schools is problematic. "Going to food stamps, should taxpayers be paying for food stamps? Should taxpayers be burdened with schools that are overcrowded?"

Dobbs asks. "[Taxpayers'] children, therefore, are being denied education. Those are very serious issues," he says. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus accused Dobbs of being anti-Hispanic for these types of views.

"I was asked if I'd ever eaten a taco before, for God's sake," says Dobbs, who has been married to a Mexican-American for 25 years. Hispanics have called for his job and Dobbs finds such criticism ironic because he grew up on a small farm and picked crops alongside migrants. "I am probably one of the few people in the debate who actually has [worked with migrants]. I've got the greatest respect for those folks," he tells Stahl.

Dobbs' opinions are a main feature of his nightly program, behavior that would exclude him from the classic definition of journalist as an objective reporter. Nevertheless, he still considers himself a journalist. Here's his opinion on that: "The idea that a reporter should be disqualified because he or she actually cares, actually isn't neutral about the well-being of the country and its people, that's absurd," he tells Stahl.

DD Note: Go get 'em Lou!

Redneck Citizenship Camera


05 May 2007

Night 2 . . . clouds win!

Saturdays are normally fast-paced days ending in the question: "Where the hell did the day go?" I thought civil twilight would never get here! I checked myself out on the digital camera that adapts to the telescope optics, tinkered around with it most of the afternoon. The mission . . . get a shot of Venus to proudly post here! It was not to be.

It was overcast most of the afternoon and I was surprized as hell when I went outside around 2030 hrs to see that Venus was the only object occassionally penetrating the cloud cover. Well, I wasn't going to lug the scope outdoors, so I opted to lower several windows in out three season room and swing the tube on the planet like a "hip shoot" in my field artillery days.

That worked great . . . I was able to get it centered in the main eyepiece using a lower power 32mm lens. My wife got her first look through the scope and I was hopeful to increase the magnification enough with other lenses to really show it off. Not to be . . . since I hadn't taken the time to align the mount and set the RA motors to slew with the planet, it quickly drifted from view. Making fine adjustments with the keypad is an art I haven't mastered yet. So, it was back to low power - yielding a much larger filed of view.

Next, I began setting up the computer and camera for a photo session . . . not to be . . . the cloud cover increased and the planet was totally obscured from sight. Just my stinking luck!

I do like the possibilities the three season room affords . . . a bright prospect in an otherwise 2nd night with the telescope.

Experimental photo


East Berlin Water Tower, photographed using a Orion Digital Camera configured with a Celestron C6-R GT Telescope, daylight hours, first attempt. Distance to target approximately 1 3/4 miles.


Not all "libtards" live here . . .

VIENNA, Austria (May 5) - In some ways, Hiasl is like any other Viennese: He indulges a weakness for pastry, likes to paint and enjoys chilling out watching TV.

But he doesn't care for coffee, and he isn't actually a person - at least not yet.

In a case that could set a global legal precedent for granting basic rights to apes, animal rights advocates are seeking to get the 26-year-old male chimpanzee legally declared a "person."

Hiasl 's supporters argue he needs that status to become a legal entity that can receive donations and get a guardian to look out for his interests.

"Our main argument is that Hiasl is a person and has basic legal rights," said Eberhart Theuer, a lawyer leading the challenge on behalf of the Association Against Animal Factories, a Vienna animal rights group.

"We mean the right to life, the right to not be tortured, the right to freedom under certain conditions," Theuer said. "We're not talking about the right to vote here."

Signs . . .


Wishing star . . .


One of the best "explanations" I've read in a while

President Bush did make a bad mistake in the war on terrorism. But the mistake was not his decision to go to war in Iraq . Bush's mistake came in his belief that this country is the same one his father fought for in WWII. It is not.

Back then, they had just come out of a vicious depression. The country was steeled by the hardship of that depression. But they still believed fervently in this country. They knew that the people had elected their leaders, so it was the people's duty to back those leaders.

Therefore, when the war broke out the people came together, rallied behind, and stuck with their leaders, whether they had voted for them or not or whether the war was going badly or not. And war was just as distasteful and the anguish just as great then as it is today.

Often there were more casualties in one day in WWII than we have had in the entire Iraq war. But that did not matter. The people stuck with the President because it was their patriotic duty.

Americans put aside their differences in WWII and worked together to win that war. Everyone from every strata of society, from young to old pitched in. Small children pulled little wagons around to gather scrap metal for the war effort. Grade school students saved their pennies to buy stamps for war bonds to help the effort. Men who were too old or medically 4F lied about their age or condition trying their best to join the military. Women doubled their work to keep things going at home. Harsh rationing of everything from gasoline to soap, to butter was imposed, yet there was very little complaining.

You never heard prominent people on the radio belittling the President. Interestingly enough in those days there were no fat cat actors and entertainers who ran off to visit and fawn over dictators of hostile countries and complain to them about our President. Instead, they made upbeat films and entertained our troops to help the troops' morale.

And imagine this. Teachers in schools actually started the day off with a pledge of allegiance, and with prayers for our country and our troops!

Back then, no newspaper would have dared point out certain weak spots in our cities where bombs could be set off to cause the maximum damage. No newspaper would have dared complain about what we were doing to catch spies. A newspaper would have been laughed out of existence if it had complained that German or Japanese soldiers were being "tortured" by being forced to wear women's underwear, or subjected to interrogation by a woman, or being scared by a dog or did not have air conditioning.

There were a lot of things different back then. We were not subjected to a constant bombardment of pornography, perversion and promiscuity in movies or on radio. We did not have legions of crackheads, dope pushers and armed gangs roaming our streets. (We also did not have television then. Maybe that was a blessing.

No, President Bush did not make a mistake in his handling of terrorism. He made the mistake of believing that we still had the courage and fortitude of our fathers. He believed that this was still the country that our fathers fought so dearly to preserve.

It is not the same country. It is now a cross between Sodom and Gomorra and the land of Oz. We even have the wicked witch of the west as the new Speaker of the House of Representatives.

We did unite for a short while after 911, but our attitude changed when we found out that defending our country would require some sacrifices.

NOW HEAR THIS!

We are in great danger. The terrorists are fanatical Muslims. They believe that it is okay, even their duty, to kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. It has been estimated that about one third or over three hundred million Muslims are sympathetic to the terrorists' cause. Hitler and Tojo combined did not have nearly that many potential recruits.

If you won't fight, at least, shut up and get out of the way and let the rest of us fight this menace!

We cannot avoid war with hate filled fanatics dedicated to our destruction . . .we can only choose where we fight!

A silver spoon behind silver bars!

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A judge sentenced Paris Hilton to 45 days in county jail Friday for violating her probation, putting the brakes on the hotel heiress' famous high life.

Hilton, who parlayed her name and relentless partying into worldwide notoriety, must go to jail by June 5 and she will not be allowed any work release, furloughs, use of an alternative jail or electronic monitoring in lieu of jail, Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer ruled after a hearing.

The judge, saying "there's no doubt she knew her license had been suspended," ruled that she was in violation of the terms of her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

DD Note: Why should a celebrity be treated any differently than the slobbering masses. Imagine that, a left coast judge with balls!

04 May 2007

Backyard Howitzer - The C-6R GT Arrived!


The scope and set-up is huge . . . the last time I stood between the trails of something metal, pointing over the horizon, was years ago in my field artillery days!!! This scope (my first) is much larger than anticipated. It took several hours to assemble it and check out all the knobs, dials, and electronics . . . I can tell already there's gonna be a learning curve of perhaps weeks until I fully understand everything this instrument is capable of doing.

Last night was "first light" . . . that's amatuer-enthusiast-speak for seeing something in the heavens for the first time . . . ironically, I lost my virginity to "Venus", the first bright object I could stick my tube toward. I've spent months researching "how to do this" and collected every article available. I had no idea what to expect, fumbled around for the right combination of lenses and filters, but gradually brought the planet into near-perfect focus. Awesome!

One review I read called the CR-6 a "yard cannon" and I thought the writer was kidding. The only thing he got wrong was the using the word cannon (a barrel of a cannon has limited elevation) instead of howitzer to describe it. With tripod legs fully extended and the main optical tube pointing toward the North Star, instrument looks like a 105mm howitzer in my backyard.

Hurry sundown!!!! I'm about to be hooked for life on this new hobby!

02 May 2007

Green and Brown

April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Visitors to the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa won't find the Gideon Bible in the nightstand drawer. Instead, on the bureau will be a copy of ``An Inconvenient Truth,'' former Vice President Al Gore's book about global warming.

They'll also find the Gaia equipped with waterless urinals, solar lighting and recycled paper as it marches toward becoming California's first hotel certified as ``green,'' or benevolent to the environment. Similar features are found 35 miles south at San Francisco's Orchard Garden Hotel, which competes for customers with neighboring luxury hotels like the Ritz-Carlton and Fairmont.

DD Note . . . if nothing else, Sheryl Crowe will be happy! Think about it, there's no limit to the number of pages from this book you could use in the absense of toilet paper!!!

From The Poodles
From Grillin' & Sm...
From PSU

| View Show | Create Your Own
Sign my Guestbook from Bravenet.com Get your Free Guestbook from Bravenet.com