The Moons of Jupiter

Saturday, September 26, 1998

At last, good weather! I don't usually work on Saturdays, but lots of us were around today since we are heading towards a deadline. I spent the day doing various odds and ends on the area I'm working on for my allied team -- I've been doing some guest-starring work for the last month or so.

They do a lot to make us happy when folks are working extra hours. We had pastry and fruit for breakfast in the lobby when I arrived; and a cookout with burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches and veggie burgers, outside by a central fountain at lunchtime. There was a minor problem because more people were around today than they had predicted, so the food ran out before the people did and they had to send out for pizza. I think everyone eventually got enough to eat, though. I always bring something if I'm working odd hours, since I usually don't know ahead of time if food will be provided.

I had to borrow the cardkey of my manager ( la plume de ma tante? ) because apparently the permissions settings for the new building don't let me have weekend access to other buildings, and the shower and locker room are in another building now, relative to me. Sheesh! The indignities of contractor life.

After I had worked as much as I could stand, I took out the book I'm reading for the Microsoft Book Club, Little Altars Everywhere. I like this book! It's made up of linked short stories, told by different members of a southern family, starting from the early sixties, then jumping to the early nineties. I wouldn't call it "hilarious" as one of the reviews in the linked amazon.com page did. Author Rebecca Wells does do a good job at maintaining the distinct voices of the different narrators, but there is too much horror and sadness for me to find most of the book funny, even in a "black humor" kind of way.

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I went over to Jack's house for dinner, pre-planet-viewing. Things were in a bit of an uproar, I hope not due to my arrival! He was bugging his daughters to get the kitchen cleaned up, while attempting to cook at the same time in that not-so-large room. There was some extra work to do so we could eat at the table, which I'm sure was in my honor. We did succumb to using the casual plates, which are divided like mess-hall trays. Of course, this was fine with me, and the chicken and rice was good!

Jack got out his telescope, which seemed fairly large as these things go. (Yes, I'm aware of all the double-entendre possibilities in this whole topic!) Anyway, he sorted through all the things that go with the 'scope, like different eyepieces and the mount and all. He also made coffee, since a thermos of coffee and a small flask of some fluid that warms you up are a part of Jack's personal astronomical tradition. Finally we were ready to go -- a friend that Jack had invited never did show up. Jack's older daughter decided to come along, which had been in doubt.

The viewing spot isn't far at all from where Jack lives. He's on Education Hill, north of Redmond, and the valley to the west of there is a flood plain that needs to remain open space. It's a great resource for the area! A short drive down the hill on a twisty two-lane road, a turn-off onto gravel, and there we were.

The most trying part of the evening for Jack was getting the telescope set up. His mount isn't as high-quality as the 'scope itself, and a part had come loose that he didn't have a way of tightening, so he was rather frustrated for a while. His back was bothering him, too! But finally he succeeded. It was really cool to see Jupiter as a visible disc, with four moons visible, two on either side. H----, Jack's younger daughter, and I, were truly impressed! And even A----, his older daughter, looked a few times before going back to the truck to stay warm. We all snacked on turkey jerky, which is also a part of Jack's personal viewing customs.

It really was a beautiful setting, rather like the decoration you might find around the edges of a planetarium dome. We were in the center of the valley, with low hills surrounding us. There was a row of Lombardy poplars planted along a road in the middle distance, silhouetted against the lights of some office buildings still farther away. When Jack wanted a break from the 'scope, he and I walked out into the dark, away from the girls and the truck and the little dog (yes, they brought the dog). A slight mist was starting to form (which eventually put an end to the planet viewing for the night). Our second session, I took a turn at adjusting and readjusting the 'scope, which needed to be done almost continually; the earth was turning, so Jupiter would be in view for just a few minutes at a time, then the knobs needed to be turned to move the telescope. Under the highest power eyepiece, the planet was almost racing across the field of view!

Finally the fog got to be too much for us, and if we'd waited till later when it would probably lift, there would have been condensation on the reflector. So we called it a night, packed everything back up, and went back to Jack's place.