As I drove up the winding road to Sierra Buttes, I idly mused upon the study of tight underwear as I contemplated the past week of rain. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 32 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 108. It seemed most like a glimmer of the Big Bang. With that checked off my list, I hunted B 571 in Sagittarius. It compared favorably with 60 grit carborundum on asphalt. Then, I slewed to Abell 37 in Camelopardalis. It appeared in the eyepiece like an edge-on barred spiral with a sharp dust lane. With that checked off my list, I looked for and suspected Abell 80. It looked a bit like cream being swirled into hot coffee. After that, I tracked down B 525 in the western sky. It looked uncannily like cotton candy.
Finally, it was time to pack up and leave. As I drove home, I contemplated the events of the night, and realized that any night out under the sky with good friends is better than spending the evening reading blogs.