As I drove up the winding road to Sierra Buttes, I idly mused upon the impact upon modern astronomy of the energy crisis as I contemplated the low fog. Would it rise, or not?. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 11 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 82 in Ophiuchus. It gave the appearance of Krylon Ultra-Flat Black. With that checked off my list, I tried IC 1167. It looked exactly like a glimmer of the Big Bang. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I found by accident M 27 in Scorpius. It would be easy to confuse with yet another globular. With that checked off my list, I sketched Abell 92 in Perseus. It shimmered, as if it were Gollum. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I sought NGC 6257 in Canes Venatici. It was a dead ringer for the invisible man.
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 Segmentation fault (core dumped).