As I drove up the winding road to the middle of nowhere, I idly mused upon the current state of the human spirit 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 51 in an unknown constellation that looked like a toaster. It reminded me of whispy tendrils of nebulosity. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I hunted for NGC 1256. It took me back to the first time I saw diamonds on black velvet. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I hunted for Abell 47 in a group of stars that looked like an armadillo. It looked exactly like a faint puff of nothingness, with a suspected, but not confirmed, central star.
After a short break to listen to the coyote symphony in the distance, I hunted for B 537. It sparkled like Demi Moore. Then, for a real challenge, I nudged my telescope to B 624. It looked a bit like two scoops of spumoni ice cream. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I slewed to IC 893. It was easy, just like diamonds on black velvet.
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 spending the evening reading blogs.