My first astro instrument at age 24, was a pair of 7X50 Tasco binoculars mounted on a homemade tripod. Six month later (on the advice of a friend) I put $125 (1965) into purchasing a 60mm Unitron refractor with altazmuth mount and slow motion controls. That was good advice; my little Unitron has been a most useful instrument ever since. In the early 90's I added a 5 inch Celestron(Smt-Cas) and a 254mm (10 inch) Dob which all the kids call Big Red or Mr Wms. Big Red Cannon (I'm a retired teacher). My current binoculars are 10X50 Adlerblicks. Many satisfying hours spent with all four instruments, looking at the sky alone and sharing sky views with others.
1995, 10x50 Bushnell binos, 44th B/day gift. Then I traded a sewing machine and an overlocker for Ziess binos.
My partner and I are avid AFL fans and attended the Bris Lions home matches. We had to negotiate who got to use the Ziess or the lesser Bushnell.
In '97 I offered to buy my 15 yr old son a $600-$800 astro scope. He declined?????
Feb '09 I gifted myself with a Celestron 8 SE. Schmidt Cass. I now suffer with Aperture fever.
I worked at K Mart on Thursday nights and Saturday mornings when I was still at school and was payed the princely sum of $8 per week and saved up for a 3" reflector which cost $59 in 1974 which was a huge amount of money at the time. I was 15.
The scope fell apart about 2 years later and I have only just started astronomy again after all these years.
last year i got my first good telescope (6 sct) before that i had loved binoculars since i was to 2 and had a fasination for science now im 13 and i own a 12 dob 3 pairs of binoculars (10-50,10-25,10/30-50 zoom,8-50,8-21)
and studey stars till i fall a sleep i cant get enough of the night sky
no history behind my story
when im 74 i should have 378" up 6" each year or to get a job at sighting springs observatory
Iwas 12 yrs old 1n 1967 and talked my parents into bying me a tasco reflector , cant remember what ever happened to it,all i know is tasco must have done a good trade in telescopes back then everyone seems to have had one.
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just over a year ago 
for my 35th birthday 
