Moving ............. will miss this !!

[Kunama]

She who must be obeyed has had enough of commuting to Canberra from the mountains and we are selling to move to the ACT where she works. :sadeyes::sadeyes:

As a consolation I have been given permission to buy either a ski chalet or motorhome :question::question:

Time will tell but one thing for sure I will miss the dark sky around here, I took this pic last night from the back terrace, 30second exposure at f4.5 in the Nikon D7000 with the camera on its back on a table. Crux, coalsack, Omega Cent etc .............

[Merlin66]

I know only too well the feeling....
We had 100acres up at Heathcote, Vic - black as the Ace of Spades...
After five years in Europe, we're back and "downsizing" - smaller place in the inner Melbourne suburbs - handy to work in the City.......but......
Just as well light pollution isn't that critical for spectroscopy....

[Kunama]

That must have hurt, Ken!

I'm weighing up 2 options:
A: small cabin on the Alpine Way, Thredbo or
B: Avan Ovation Motorhome with ample storage to transporting telescopes ....

[TrevorW]

Go with the one that'll appreciate in value :)

[Kunama]

Trevor, the ski lodge is my son's favoured idea I will negotiate with the management about building an observatory there ......

[FlashDrive]

I have been given permission to buy either a ski chalet or motorhome :question::question:

Heck yeah ....your ' wifey ' needs to have a talk to my ' wife ' ...:D
I'll drop 50 bucks in your letter box Matt.....:P

Flash......;)

[leon]

Yep, you probably will miss what you had, but as the saying goes, nothing lasts forever.

Good luck on your new adventure.

Leon

[MattT]

First the Istar now the house...what next? I'd do the motor home thing, go any where any time.
Nice avatar Flash.

[Kunama]

Having spent nearly $1M on my hobbies and pastimes over the last 30 years, I find my bargaining position is weak at best. The motorhome idea is one we have been considering for years, now seems like a good time as it will allow comfortable access to really dark-sky sites.

[PCH]

A Million buckeroonies - jeepers Matt what hobbies do you have ??

[Kunama]

Hi Paul, its amazing how lots of little amounts add up ...... I hope my wife doesn't see this list ...... 42 cars & 4WDs including 9 Classic BMWs, 7 catamarans, 28 pairs of skis, 2 jet skis, 30 years of ski lifts& accom, 2 sea kayaks, 2 surf skis, 4 motorbikes, 8 road racing bicycles, 7 mountain bikes, $80K in camera gear .................. so far ASTRONOMY is the cheapest hobby at around $12,000 spent in the past 9 months.

Too many people spend their lives amassing a fortune for a retirement that may not come, to me its about the journey not the destination!

To be honest though, I did recoup some of those costs down the track ................ but my wife doesn't count that!!!

[LewisM]

Being in the same situation Matt, I can commiserate. The ONLY avenue I have for astronomical pursuits now is trading (which I pretty much did before), and the hidden bank account (which get's cleared this weekend for another purchase) :).

Can't complain - after working for 20 years, I decided to have a mid-life "bugger that", stopped flying, and went back to Uni (almost done! But then there is the post-grad at Swinbourne to come too). Wifey been making the money, hoarding it into buying property (that's where all my flying money went too :) ) and putting a lot "off shore" (helps having 2 passports).

I have access to the most simply incredible, dark as pitch site, and we OWN it.... it just takes a 12 hour flight to get there. But at least I get to use Polaris :) :) I think the VC200L (which I ended up withdrawing from sale) will end up there on an HEQ5 and live there. Father in law will build me an observatory out of birch and cedar, with a bania alongside for those frigid Siberian nights! Currently the land grows potatoes, cabbages and carrots :) All that will have to wait indefinitely since Baby No2 is on the way, and bringing SWMBO's mother out to help.

Go with the chalet mate, best option.

[LewisM]

Same Matt. I want to use money, live life. Wife wants to hoard it all, invest it (wise). Being diametrically opposed makes for a perfect marriage - I would DESPISE living with someone the same as myself :)

[Kunama]

Hey Lewis, the problem with the chalet is I can't drive it to Star-parties in my retirement!

I too have access to my father's block of land with a good view of Polaris, but the summers there are too light as the sun does not set and winters are -25C, bugger! and mine is not in central Siberia like yours!

[LewisM]

Well, buy an FSQ106 on a TRex, and either a Fezza or Beemer to get you there. Simple. And still have room for ski's :)

[AdrianF]

$1M on hobbies!
Wish I was in that position.
Just managed to scrape together the $$$ to get a house built on my dream dark sky property at Yarraman. Should move in around September with a bit of luck.
Nearest low wattage light 90 meters away.

Adrian

[Ric]

I love my dark skies and my property.

Nearest streetlight is approx 15km away.

[Kunama]

Got any room for my motorhome and tripod Ric ?????

[Suzy]

:lol: Matt, you live just like my brother with the same attitude and he has a blast. :thumbsup: You're enjoying life, that's a fantastic thing.:D.

ahemmmmm re your wife getting you to move.
You know what they say....
The woman is the neck that turns the head.... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIm1dYTv-mQ)
Secret girls business! ;):D

All the best with the move, Matt.
Have motor home, will travel- I say as I sing in melody. :D

[bloodhound31]

Mate, there's nothing like a dark sky, but if Canberra is your destination, there are far worse capital cities in Australia for light pollution. I've found that even a fair way into the suburbs, the sky isn't too bad, especially 30 degrees and up. If you move to the edge suburbs, there's a big difference already. Half an hour away, it's dark as!

Come visit the observatory here and have a look!

Baz.

[Kunama]

Thanks Suzy.

Hi Baz, I'll have to come and check out your stairs!
I'll bring the Takahashi next time.
Cheers

[Ric]

If it's one of those big ones it might be a squeeze through the gate. :D It's a tight turn.

[Kunama]

Exchanged unconditional contracts today .................. soon I'll be homeless!