Foley
It hasn’t rained it what seems like ages. The sky is clear and the air is dry, which should entice me outside in the evenings with the telescope, but I haven’t been out there recently, mostly because of the cold. Our next-door neighbors cut down the large tree in their front yard, and now practically the whole western sky is clear from our front yard. Light pollution being what it is this close to the city, the trick is to turn off the porch light, move out onto the driveway and wait for the motion-activated light next door to switch off before beginning any observations. It’ll never be as clear as at the airport in Mocksville, but it’s serviceable. The litmus test of clarity is M42, or the Orion Nebula. If I can make that out through the telescope, I’m not doing too badly. Orion is a winter constellation so I should have the opportunity to train the scope on it soon.
Diane’s parents gave us their video camera last night. They hadn’t used it in ages and generously donated it to us. It’s only a few years old and in fantastic shape. It’s compatible with the computer and has an extra battery and a few extra tapes, among other things. So we get to videotape Christmas morning this year! I’m excited about that, along with taping trips, birthdays, kids’ events, etc. One thing I proposed to Diane last night was a “yearly 15-minute tour,” where we record the state of the house and each other, just to have an idea of the yearly status quo in the seasons to come. Some of my favorite family photographs are the candid, everyday shots, without a special occasion to justify them, and the “yearly 15-minute tour” project is an manifestation of that desired emphasis. Also, we’ve both resolved that every single tape will be labeled and organized. We’ve both had situations where footage was either taped over or impossible to find because of sloppy or nonexistent labeling, and we’ve determined to right that in our own experience. In any case, we’re excited. Maybe we’ll even have video clips up on the blog soon or send out DVDs with the Christmas cards. We’ll see if I can figure it all out.