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I don't know what it's like in other hobbies but astronomy certainly has long lead times for the hours of pleasure. Last Saturday we wanted to be at the site by dark. That meant leaving home at 4.30, that meant starting to pack at 3 and having dinner at 4. Before there was the browsing of the relevant weather sites and phone calls to other potential observers. So really it takes up much of Sat arvo. Then once on site it was 30minutes to an hour to get unpacked, assembled and have the goto calibrated.
Then it started to rain - no clouds overhead but it still rained a bit. After an hour of on and off drizzle we had a good night until moonrise. Then the next day anything that went away damp had to be got out, dried and cleaned (esp eyepieces). I sometimes think that for every hour under dark skies there is an hour of work. I must love it because I keep doing it. We have agreed that we would sooner sit at the site under cloudy skies than risk sitting at home with clear skies outside, but there are some dark moments (excuse the pun).
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