As I drove up the winding road to Twin Peaks, I idly mused upon the subtle meaning of Plato's Republic as I contemplated the fleecy clouds, hoping they would clear. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 24 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 84. It glowed, rather like a dodo bird, extinct but for this celestial likeness.
After a short break to converse with an owl, I found by accident IC 807. It seemed fainter than a little triangle. Then, for a real challenge, I looked for and suspected Abell 15. It appeared at low power like diamonds on black velvet. Next, I logged NGC 694. It appeared as Miss Piggy. After that, I looked at Abell 8 in Fornax. It sparkled like an inflamed monkey butt. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I checked off B 232. It was better than the clouds I'd seen earlier. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I found by accident IC 3386. It was a blurry likeness of Smokey the Bear.
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 taking an elevator during a Stage 3 alert.