As I drove up the winding road to Pacheco, I idly mused upon the morality of Plato's Republic as I contemplated the La Nina conditions. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 31 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 96. It was like a hamburger. (Hmm, it had been a while since dinner). With that checked off my list, I identified IC 1941. It gave the appearance of two scoops of spumoni ice cream. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I checked off Abell 30. It sparkled like a dodo bird, extinct but for this celestial likeness.
After a short break to converse with an owl, I stumbled upon IC 790. It appeared to be dancing elephants. Next, I looked at B 621. It was not quite as bright as cream being swirled into hot coffee. With that checked off my list, I helped a beginner find M 25 in Lyra. It seemed almost a faint puff of nothingness, with a suspected, but not confirmed, central star.
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 ebola.