Stargazing

Had a good afternoon and evening at the farm.

C and R got a 4 camera with night vision security system for the chickens.  They've had issues loving birds to predators in the past.  I get to help put it together, so this could be a fun project:)

R also made dinner.  We had burgers, corn, and "breakfast" potatoes.  It was pretty good.  The burgers were a beef and turkey mix with onions and bread crumbs also mixed into the meat.  I was afraid I overcooked them on the grill, but they turned out tasty.

We then watched an episode of R's favorite show: NCIS.

After that, we somehow wound up stargazing.  The conditions were perfect for the time of year: high 60's, no bugs, clear skies, and Mars, Venus, and Jupiter, and even Orion in excellent viewing range.  R pulled out his high-powered binoculars and we were able to make out 3 of Jupiter's four brightest moons!  That is something I've never seen before!  We also saw some of the star clusters in Orion.  When it came to focusing the binoculars, I've learned that R has a far steadier hand than I.

Below are my attempts at taking pictures of the planets.  This is Venus (visible) and Jupiter (not visible).

This was supposed to be Mars.

This was Jupiter through the binoculars.  We were also able to see three moons trailing 11 o'clock from it..

We pulled this from the web.  Based upon the positions, we saw Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa.  Io was way too close to Jupiter for us to discern.

There are rumors of a telescope lying around at the farm.  I may see if I can dig it up and maybe get better pictures.  I'll also use the iPod for pictures next time, as its resolution is higher than my cell phone.


Etsy is starting to settle into the ranks of the other dogs.  She's currently in the middle, above Henry and Buster, but below Carl and Hank.  Tonight, she was doing light tug of war with Hank, so they might be on better terms at the moment.  The cats are also doing well.  I played with and held them some more today.  They are doing fine.

On the Georgia Front, she is handing in her gear and her rifle tomorrow.  She's actually sad to turn in her rifle.  She's told me they had some good times on the range.  Her left foot is a tad sore from the marching they did today...I think it was two miles.  Her roommate is sleeping in a hotel off-base, which I forgot was allowed, it's just that you have to pay out of pocket for it.  It being their last week, a lot of people are getting squirrelly, which is normal for the last week of a 6 month training.  As a result, they are being put into morning formation earlier and having to stay out later.  She's almost done!  I'm looking forward to seeing her again!

She also now has an itinerary for when she arrives in Germany.  So I'm sure she's feeling better about that.  She also has flights figured out for getting to Indiana after training.  Things are gradually coming together.

I'm sorry to hear about your ankle and the continuing drama with your roommate.  You're almost done!