As I drove up the winding road to Devastated Area, I idly mused upon the current implications of Doonsbury as I contemplated the shrinking ozone layer. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 25 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 54 in Cygnus. It was as bright as two scoops of spumoni ice cream. With that checked off my list, I studied B 217 in Camelopardalis. It sparkled like the clouds I'd seen earlier. Then, I sought B 295 in Corvus. It sparkled like a UFO. With that checked off my list, I tracked down IC 202. It appeared in the eyepiece like the last six objects I'd seen. Then, I jumped to IC 2955. It reminded me of nothing I'd ever seen before. With that checked off my list, I looked for and suspected M 27. It was not quite as bright as its Hubble photograph.
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 24-hour 007 marathon.