GOOD NEWS FROM VANCOUVER:))

 

KELLY TALKING TO HER DAUGHTER SARAH ON SKYPE THIS AFTERNOON

This was the first morning we were not below the freezing mark in the last 4 days.  On the cold nights we turn off all the outside water here.  There are a lot of irrigation & water pipes on the ranch so water has to be shut off at a main valve about a foot underground.  It's easily accessible so no problem.  Trick is to keep an eye on the days weather to see how low the night time desert temperatures will drop.

TOP:  PROUD DADDY BRADLEY WITH HIS LITTLE PRINCES……BEAMING MOM SARAH WITH HER LITTLE PRINCE…….BOTTOM :  BABY GIRL AT LEFT & BABY BOY AT RIGHT

Mother & twins are doing fine up there in Vancouver BC Canada.  Kelly talked to her daughter Sarah & son-in-law Bradley to-day on Skype.  The baby girl (twins aren't named yet) is now out of neo natal intensive care & will be in the same room to-night as her new twin brother.  Sarah had developed a serious condition known as Hellp syndrome & that had complicated things for a few crucial days.  Everything is on the up & up now & they should all be one big happy family back home soon. 

TELESCOPE AT LEFT IS SET UP FOR ASTRONOMY & AT RIGHT IS CONFIGURED FOR THE CAMERA (the tall mossmagator thingy on the top is a red laser beam pointer for aligning the scope with an object in the night sky)

Kelly was off to Yoga this morning so I was able to put away my book of 1001 excuses for another few days.  Corky's Mom & Dad dropped him off about 11 so there was lots of neat-o play time doggy stuff going on for the rest of the day.  In between all that we managed to clear a bunch of old dead tomato stocks out of the garden too.

MY PAL CORKY

Sure wished I had something more exciting to write about but these are quiet days at the ranch right now.  I had uploaded a photo album to Picasa Web Albums on Thursday but to-day I deleted it & started all over.  Had made too many mistakes in putting the album to-gether & after looking at it to-day knew it was not acceptable.  I will do the new upload next time I'm at the Elfrida Library.

 

SAND HILL CRANES HEADING TO THEIR ROOSTING SITE AT THE WHITE WATER DRAW  (700mm lens)

Started reading my new National Geographic book, 'Backyard Guide To The Night Sky' a couple days ago.  Great book so far & to-night I was able to clearly see 4 of Jupiter's moons with my telescope.  It's a Stellarvue Nighthawk 80mm refractor scope & I have 3 varying power eyepieces for it.  A 5mm, 17mm, & a 35mm. With the moon being in it's quarter stage the craters & ridges are easily seen because of the shadowy contrast effect.  Contrary to popular belief a full moon is not the best time to look at it with a telescope.  Too bright & the lighting is too flat.  The cold & dry desert air is perfect of stargazing.  No humidity in the air to make images unstable.  Later to-night I will take myself for a tour around the sky checking out the Andromeda Galaxy, the double cluster in Perseus & the Orion Nebulae with various stops in between.  Like the song says, "fly me to the moon & let me play amongst the stars:))"

MAX IS RESTING HIS LEG ON THE MOTORMOUSE

DOG, DOGS, EVERYWHERE TO-DAY

GROANER'S CORNER:((  At a hastily called press conference this morning, the Taliban Minister of Emigration . . . . . Mohammed Omar, warned the United States that if any further military action was taken against Afghanistan, Taliban authorities would not hesitate to cut off America's supply of convenience store managers.

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.