Quote:
Originally Posted by frogman
Hello strangers ..... i havent posted since 2005 .. found a 4 inch dob for the verandah and thought of you " bunch " ....
Anyone still observing ?
Think i met Rod again here in Canberra but not sure .
Anthony
|
Hey Froggy! Ah that takes me right back....our first gathering was, if I recall at that crazy bloke's place in Woy Woy, who wanted to build a Planetarium at Kariong...then the first ever observing session for IIS at the Water Tower at Somersby....and then...your kind invitation to Paint Ball, and the rest is history!
I remember your 12 inch dob very well, your enthusiasm and generosity in welcoming us to Paint Ball every month. Lots of memories of the early group of observers with their scopes - Mike Salway (10 inch dob), Rocket Boy (130mm Takahashi), HOughy (12 inch SCT), John Bambury (10 inch Dob), Atatalas (110 Takahashi?), Wayne (8 in SCT), Ed Roca (18 inch Dob), George Lavanos (who wore shorts and bare feet in the middle of winter!!), Gary Kopff, Andrew Murrell, Narayan. And then the many others who came to join us at Paint Ball with their children..Joe and Anushka, Scott (now back in the US) with his boys, my three kids, the list goes on and on...
Froggy, to your original question, for some of us, astronomy is something you cannot maintain the rage about indefinitely - it is an interest that (rather appropriately) waxes and wanes over the years. I bought a law firm 5 years ago, and the energy needed to run a business with 50+ staff has made it far more difficult to observe as I am so dang tired at night. However, in a few weeks I will be taking delivery of a brand new 20 inch SDM, and I am expecting this will get me much more motivated in 2018!
Good on you for buying the verandah dob! There is a passionate group of amateur astronomers in the ACT, so you should be able to connect with some IIS people down there if you are keen.
I don't recall seeing you in Canberra - last time I think I saw you was at Zanzibar in West Gosford. Nice to hear from you, and hope to meet you in person, possibly under the Milky Way, some time soon!
