Telescope success

So far, in just three nights of viewing, I've been able to get the hang of my new scope. I've been able to spot:

- Jupiter's moons, and cloud bands on the surface of Jupiter.
- Several star clusters
- The Dumbbell Nebula
- The Ring Nebula
- The "Coathanger" Cluster
- Andromeda Galaxy
- Several pairs of binary stars

I've given up trying to use astronomical coordinates to find objects, and taken the advice of many - I "star hop" from a well know, easily found star, to other, more difficult to find locations. It is still very difficult, but getting easier. Finding the faint Ring Nebula tonight is the highlight so far. It was nothing like the thrilling Hubble images everyone is so familiar with. Most objects are just gray smudges in a certain shape. The Ring Nebula was definitely a ring shape though.

Dirt Work

My parents' backyard is undergoing a remodel - it has been going on for awhile, but a major step was completed this weekend. My dad used a rototiller to churn up the soil on Saturday. It is clay and very rocky. I went over on Sunday and helped level and smooth the dirt in prep for a new lawn that will be sown soon. As a kid, I dug many holes in the backyard just for the pure joy of digging. The soil was always very hard. I was surprised at how easy the job of leveling was - I guess the rototiller really helped. As we were clearing an area up by the shed, we found a cement slab. When I was 12, my dad built us a treehouse - this slab was at the foot of the stairs. Dad cleaned it up, and handprints, along with the date, 6/89, were very clear. Dad is going to leave it in the ground and include it as part of a new walkway. Pretty cool!

Looking Up

In 1986 I did a school project on Halley's Comet. I had a start chart that my dad and I used when we were camping to identify the constellations. The tragedy of Space Shuttle Challenger is one of my clearest memories from elementary school because we were watching the launch live. The stars and space have always held a fascination for me. Hubble telescope images are incredible, but nothing is like seeing faint objects with your own eye. This summer my wife and I went to a "Star Party" while visiting some friends in Oregon. It was the first time I've been able to put my eye to a telescope and really see things in space. That was all I needed. I now own an Orion 130 mm Newtonian reflector. It arrived and I spent a fair amount of time assembling it. The same night I took it outside and was able to see Jupiter and its four largest moons. After a lot of fiddling around, I was finally able to find the Andromeda galaxy too! I still have a lot to learn and many late nights ahead, but it is very exciting! I'm looking forward to this winter when Mars will approach very close, maybe I'll be able to see the ice caps! Orion will also begin to climb higher up into the sky, and I'll be able to see the gigantic nebulas.

A great photo

There are many spectacular photos of the lunar eclipse on the web. Here is one that shows about what it was really like. In real life it was much darker - some details on the top were very difficult to see.

Total Lunar Eclipse

I got up at 2:45 - my hands were asleep, and I couldn't manage to get them to turn the alarm off, so Steph got woken up too. Put on some warm clothes and went outside... WOW! The moon was almost totally eclipsed by the Earth. I watched through binoculars as the remaining sliver slid away. 30 minutes more and it was completely in shadow. The north area seemed much darker than the south. As the moon slid away, I tried to take some pictures through the binos - see the results below. When it reached totality, it was way too dim to take any more photos. It seemed that someone had taken the brown from a set of school watercolors and painted the moon. At one point as I was looking, a meteor streaked through right across the moon. Cool! Spectacular, a little disconcerting, and certainly something to remember this morning!

Lunar Eclipise Tonight

Tonight at 3:37 AM, check out the total lunar eclipse. Here on the west coast we will have a terrific view. It will not be visible to much of the rest of the world besides Hawaii and the Pacific. I usually miss these, and am going to try and catch it. Maybe I can even snatch a photo.

Club Level Seating

Lately I've helped my friend Tyler do some remodel work in his kitchen. He got ahold of some AWESOME tickets for last Saturday night's preseason game against the Vikings. The seats were at the club level and had a tremendous view. Along with the seats we were granted access to the club level facilities. Qwest Field is beautiful - maybe one the best places to watch football. The noise was deafening, and the energy electric - all for a preseason game! I can't wait till the real season starts!

Northwest Passage 07

Several weeks ago our team, the "Sole Mates", ran the Northwest Passage Relay from Blaine to Langley. A total of 189 miles. The total length was divided up among the twelve members, and we each had to run three separate legs. My legs totaled just under 18 miles. I ran the hardest I've ever run in a race, and set some personal bests on two of my legs. The entire experience was simply incredible. My final leg began at 4:45 am and was 7.8 miles long. During the run I ran near the shore of Puget Sound. The Sun was just rising, and it was so inspiring. My dad drove one of the Suburbans, and it was a wonderful time with him. He drove like a pro, and helped our team accomplish our goal! Thanks Dad!

Chad and I put together a video of the run, cliché music and all. Enjoy!

In Albany

We drove down to Albany, Oregon to spend a few days with our friends Joy and Jack. We had a wonderful time with them. It is always a chance for the guys to do "guy stuff", and the girls to do, well, "girl stuff". Jack and I went to a driving range on Saturday. I am terrible at golf and thought that maybe they'd ask me to leave because I hit about 1/3 of my bucket out of bounds due to a terrible (or really great?) slice. Later that day we met the ladies, who had been shopping, in Portland for The Bite of Oregon. The next day Jack and I went to "The Bourne Ultimatum", while the girls watched a sappy movie. We really enjoyed our spy flick, and I think it was a fitting conclusion to the movie trilogy. Later that evening we drove up to a "star party". Local amateur astronomers had gathered to watch the Perseid meteor shower. Many had brought their telescopes. I wasn't shy about asking to look through, and saw some amazing sights. It is one thing to see a photo of something like the Ring Nebula, but to see it with my own eye was an experience all its own. I was fortunate to see the Hercules Cluster, Swan Nebula, the Wild Duck Cluster, and several entire galaxies! At one point I was looking at two galaxies in the same field, and a meteor went streaking through! We also saw lots of satellites, and the biggest of all, the International Space Station went zooming overhead before anyone could get a telescope on it. We had a great weekend, and some memorable experiences with some dear friends.

Kitchen Continues

After wrangling the sink into place last week, our kitchen is functional once again. I still need to do some electrical work, and then the wall cabinets can be installed. We really love the new layout and have already found that it is easier to use. Today we bought some flooring material to be installed last. Hopefully, it will all be finished by August.

Work Continues

Today will be the final day of work before Rick heads back to Billings. In the past few days the carport roof has been essentially completed, the kitchen completely torn out, new base cabinets installed, and MDF subsurface cut. Today the solid surface countertop will be all glued together and installed. It is a long and time consuming job, but the counters are beautiful, and will be wonderful in our new kitchen.

Carport Rehab Continued

After tearing the old roof back all the way to the old eves, there was a lot of work still to be done. Part of the original house roof was replaced. Then a new header was installed. This all took most of a whole day to day. Yesterday, we figured out how to notch the beams with a bird's mouth at the end to increase the pitch of the roof. Once the beams were up, the perlins were cut and put up one by one. This took quite a\awhile because they had to be nailed on from the end. Today, we will put the metal roof on, instal flashing, and replace shingles that had to be removed.

Carport Rehab

Stephanie's dad got into town from Billings last night. This morning we got right to work dismantling the carport roof. It was leaking and poorly built. We took it apart all the way back to the original eves. Lots of muscle and mess, but it was done at the end of the day. Tomorrow we shop for materials and begin the rebuild.



Great...the hired help

Kitchen Remodel, Day 2

On Sunday, I had some help when my friend John and my dad came over to help a bit. I've never built a wall before, and just didn't know where to start. We ended up tearing more of the existing wall out. The new wall was mostly framed and put into place. I needed to run electricity in the wall for a switch and outlet, and that took a fair amount of time Monday. Today, I will run the wire for the dishwasher and put up the drywall.

Kitchen Remodel Begins

After an 11 mile run with some members of our relay team, the kitchen renovation process finally began. We are moving a wall, installing new cabinets, countertop, and floor. A wall was removed today, and a new wall will be built tomorrow. Stephanie's dad is coming out from Billings to help out with the base cabinet installation and countertop. We have a pile of cabinets in our dining room right now, but the cat is taking good care of them.

89 Toyota

It keeps on running! During a routine oil change this weekend, I noticed oil on the top of the engine. Not a good sign. After consulting with the helpful guy at Shucks, I bought a valve gasket kit, and got to work. I'm not too handy with automotive repairs, and started with a fair amount of trepidation. Would my car ever run again? After several hours, everything was back together and I turned the key. The trusty old Toyota rumbled (well, maybe that is too strong) to life. It still runs, and now I know how to remove the valve cover and replace seals. An overall easy job!

Bloomsday 07

Bloomsday in Spokane has been a goal since I ran in high school. This year, with the support of my wonderful wife, I was able to compete in a field of over 40,000 others! It was truly a remarkable experience. At the starting line, crowds stretch back for over 6 blocks! When I finally started, the rush and camaraderie of the moment was almost overwhelming. The first few miles were easy, and my pace picked up speed as the crowd thinned out. During the race "Doomsday Hill" kept creeping into my mind. I'd seen photos of the 0.7 mile hill and knew it would be tough. As I crossed the Spokane river and began my ascent, my goal was to run the entire length. I just put my head down, pumped my arms, and did it. I passed the "vulture" and many other runners (read, walkers) going up. When I reached the top there was a cheering crowd and an unbelievable feeling of accomplishment. The final two miles were cake, and the final turn and run to the finish was exhilarating. I finished in 1:04:59. My goal was to be under 1:15, and I did that easily with energy left over. I walked with my crowd to get the coveted finisher's T-Shirt. I'll be back next year, and be under 60 minutes. Next on the running agenda - Sound to Narrows - another 12K, but more hilly.

Cushman Trail 5k

Today I ran a 5K race in Gig Harbor. It followed the Cushman Trail, along Highway 16. This was the first race I've ran since high school, twelve years ago. I forgot how different it was running with a big group! Overall, I am very pleased with the experience and the times I achieved. I finished in just over 24 minutes, with my fastest mile being 7:47. Several others from our "Sole Mates" group also participated. This summer, 12 of us are going to run the first "Northwest Passage" relay, from Blaine to Langley.

About a month...

It has been about a month since I've posted anything. Since the end of March, we've had spring break, been really busy at school with the WASL and meetings, and have made plans for some household renovations this spring/summer. I've been regularly running in preparation for some upcoming races. This morning, I ran in my first race since high school - 12 year ago. Read about that in a separate, upcoming post.

12.7 Miles

This morning I ran 12.7 miles with my friend Chad. It is the farthest distance I have ever run. We took it pretty easy, averaging a little under 10 minutes per mile. This was a major accomplishment for me - not only physically, but mentally. I've been able to set a goal to run consistently, and I've pretty much done that. I've had a few off days, but more on than off. When I began several months ago, even 1 mile seemed daunting. I've begun to think of miles as something I can just eat up now. A few months ago 12 miles would've seemed truly impossible. Now, I know I can do it.