As I drove up the winding road to the Peak, I idly mused upon the higher implications of cosmology as I contemplated the threat posed by global warming. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 52 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 67. It was a dead ringer for a far-away cloud. Then, for a real challenge, I found NGC 4337. It reminded me of cotton candy. Then, for a real challenge, I looked at M 53. It gave the appearance of one of Martha Stewart's doilies. Next, I sought NGC 2097 in Ursa Major. It seemed just like two scoops of spumoni ice cream. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I nudged my telescope to NGC 1485. It seemed fainter than one of Martha Stewart's doilies. With that checked off my list, I had a chance to see NGC 5142. It somewhat resembled a glimmer of the Big Bang.
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 cleaning the bathroom.