Silver Sands, April 8, 2022

Our First Public Viewing Event in 2 Years!!!!

By Donna Pursley

With COVID numbers at a temporary low, we dared to start scheduling our public events at Silver Sands and Young’s Park. There were half a dozen scopes and Laurie’s heavy-duty binoculars set up. Despite the lack of advertising, we had at least a dozen interested people show up to look through the scopes. The Moon was a perfect quarter and was the star of the show until darkness came. Then the Orion Nebula stole the show. Of course, there were other doubles and star clusters to be found. The sky was clear with a bit of moisture in the air. It was near 50 degrees but felt a lot colder with the wind off the sound. Many of us had forgotten how cold it can get at night. All in all, it was a very successful first night of viewing in a very long time.

ASNH Solstice Picnic, June 19, 2022

By Donna Pursley

After two years without a Solstice Picnic, we had the picnic on Sunday June 19. Even though it was Father’s Day we still had a good sized group. I would guess about 25 – 30 members attended. We had a good showing of long-time members and some new members.

This was our first time being back at Sleeping Giant since the tornado hit it a few years ago. The scenery was different with many trees being gone. It was a beautiful warm sunny day with a light hurricane force breeze.

There was plenty of good food and everyone filled their plates more than once. It was nice to meet the newer members and some family that we only see at the solstice dinners. Bob Carruthers performed an impromptu concert after lunch. Everyone’s bellies were full as we all started leaving after enjoying each other’s company for the afternoon. My only regret is that I didn’t have enough time to spend with everyone.