As I drove up the winding road to Henry Coe State Park, I idly mused upon the insignificance of Doonsbury as I contemplated the crystal-clear skies. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 3 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 55. It was even more difficult than the invisible man. With that checked off my list, I had a chance to see M 25. It was a blurry likeness of 60 grit carborundum on asphalt. Then, I tried for M 105. It was better than cotton on velvet. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I found B 518. It gave the appearance of Smokey the Bear. With that checked off my list, I hunted for IC 1914 in Corvus. It glowed, rather like blackness. After that, I looked for and suspected B 264. It appeared as fleecy wool.
After a short break to cut some cheese, I nudged my telescope to Abell 36. It compared favorably with Gollum. Then, I checked out B 452. It took me back to the first time I saw all the other smudges I've ever looked at. Then, for a real challenge, I sketched M 81. It was a dead ringer for an inflamed monkey butt.
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 root canal.