A man and his toys
I think I am entering my second childhood, and I must say it promises to be a whole lot more fun than my first one. For one thing, I can now afford to purchase more toys, at least when I can do it without disrupting marital harmony. For another, I suddenly realize how dumb I really am about the world in which I live. And I have children who love to egg me on.
For instance, our oldest daughter, who shall remain anonymous, lent me some audio lectures from The Learning Company. The lectures were on the life and times of Saint Augustine, a fore-runner of my hero John Calvin. I like listening to them. Then I found their website and discovered they had video series on scientific subjects. So I bought a series on Understanding the Universe (I always like to start simply). Loved watching them after supper. Learning to observe the heavens sounds like fun, so I bought a pair (pair?) of astronomical binoculars. They are just like bird-watching binoculars except you can’t lift them.
Why am I telling you all this? I’m afraid the Orlop is taking on a scientific bent, as you already can tell by the series of posts on “the big bang.” The fascinating part of it all is that I am discovering that the rift between science and religion is rapidly disappearing, or at least it ought to. And it has all happened during my lifetime, and I have a heap of catching up to do.
Dave, a boy once again.
Any lurkers out there? I think DOD (dear ‘ol dad) is lonely on this blog. Do you like the new format? I talked him into adding a touch of blue to what started out to be black and gray. Nice, huh!
He can’t lift his binoculars? Hmm… I can just see him out in the backyard hefting those binoculars to do his star gazing! He informed me that microbiology is astronomy turned inside out. Or turned on its head. Or something like tha. Does he mean infinity turned inwards instead of outwards?
The Teaching Company has some great series. BTW DOD I have one about the history of medicine.
I does like the blue, I must say! It’s more sterile, imho…. kinda miss the old (where’s Gandolf?), but then I’ve never been a big fan of change! I LOVE the Orlop ship – it’s a keeper! Wait, someone did ask my opinion? But ’twasn’t DOD… hmmm…. unsolicited then, sorry!
I enjoyed your post! It made me chuckle–especially, about lifting the binoculars that you can now afford.
Leslie – Good ol’ Gandalf is still at his post under ‘About Me.’ And your opinion is always very welcome, since I will get it anyway.
Thanks for your comment, CEWebster. I couldn’t quite tell from your Avatar, but you look like you may be a bird watcher resting from holding up your own binoculars. Actually, mine are quite manageable when mounted on a monopod and aren’t really that heavy, as you might have guessed.
Still waiting for those warm, clear, spring nights.
There’s Gandolf, the old gent! I see him… I like the new organization of the website too…
Greetings
I’ve been reading your blog with interest (don’t like “lurking”, it sounds rather sinister!). We moved to Sussex eight years ago, and now live about two miles from the old observatory. There are very few houses, no industry apart from farming, and what street lights exist are heavily shielded for wasted light. Consequently we have the most fabulous night skies, equal, and sometimes even exceeding the clarity found on the open sea. We also have two pairs of (rather lighter) binoculars, although we tend to enjoy the sky as a whole, rather than focusing on a particular planet or star, and regularly see the international space station, looking cold, distant and extremely vulnerable.
Good wishes from the UK.
Good morning, Jim, and thanks for your welcome comment. Although I haven’t yet started any back yard sky gazing (too cold, and I’m a wimp), my incident light problem may not be too bad, but it sounds like you have the ideal location.
The view is no doubt even better from the space station, but I’ll just keep my feet firmly planted on terra firma, thank you.