Well the 8" dob arrived this afternoon, unfortunately 30 mins before I had to leave for work. So it had to stay in the box for 8 hours while I earned a living. Anyway I raced home from work & spent 30 mins putting it all together then it only took about 5 mins for me to set it up on my deck and I was getting my first close look at the moon. Wow, unbelievable. I used the 25mm eyepiece first and thought that was amazing, then I swapped to the 9mm and couldn't believe the detail and clarity.
A few light clouds blew over but they didn't interfer too much. Next I had a look at the Orion Nebula, nice but I think the bright moonlight & general light in my area made it less impressive than it could be. I will wait for a darker night. No planets were visible in my limited viewing area tonight but that will come.
All in all a very successful experience for my first effort. Thanks for the advise on purchases everyone, I'm sure the best is yet to come.