As I drove up the winding road to Henry Coe State Park, I idly mused upon the current implications of TAC 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 28 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 45 in Corvus. It looked a bit like whipped cream. Then, I had a chance to see Abell 80. It compared favorably with the invisible man. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I slewed to NGC 6885. It gave the appearance of one of Martha Stewart's doilies. Then, I jumped to B 382. It gave the appearance of smoke signals from a rampaging Iroquois band. After that, I hunted B 562. It was like Miss Piggy. With that checked off my list, I helped a beginner find M 41 in Orion. It reminded me of R2-D2. Then, I hunted NGC 69. It appeared in the eyepiece like the face of God. With that checked off my list, I glimpsed IC 262. It looked uncannily like George W. Bush.
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 a poke in the eye with a frozen dishrag.