Covering a Lot of Ground

In my last two president's letters I have talked about the status of the Anza Observatory. This month I want to bring you up to date on the rest of the Anza Observing Site.

On behalf of the entire club I want to offer or heartfelt thanks to Lawrence Leavell and family who spent considerable amount of time this summer working on Anza House. Lawrence has been nicknamed "The Plumber to the Stars" for the many hours he has spent repairing plumbing at our facility. The amount of work Lawrence and his wife and family have done would take pages to list. The broad strokes include significant time spent in plumbing, cleaning, painting, electrical work, and general repairs. It is club members like Lawrence that make this club as great as it is.. As long as we are recognizing good work going on at our Anza site I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that Don Lynn, our Anza Site Maintenance director puts in countless hours every year keeping the site safe and operational. Next time you see him at the site, be sure and say "thanks."

However the work is far from done. Roy Weinberger, Anza House coordinator will be in charge of coordinating the continuing work to improve the "quality of life" in Anza House.

Speaking of continuing work. Over the past couple of years a lot of "junk" has begun to pile up on the site. We are going to have a clean-up party on Saturday October 28th. (the day of the October star party). Please bring your muscles and your gloves.

Work proceeds on the MOCAT project. At least two work parties have been held on getting the observatory building operational. Another work session is planned. There is an update on the club web site.

Changing to a new topic, the board has voted to hold AstroImage 2001 next March. As my letter goes to press the venue has not been determined. It will likely be either Chapman University or Cal State University Fullerton. It is not too soon to begin preparing presentations. If you want to be a presenter contact Wayne Johnson (520-663-9686).

Finally, don't forget the upcoming Starry Nights Festival in Yucca Valley, October 22-23. David Levy and Carolyn Shoemaker will be the main guest speakers. For additional information, those interested in attending should contact Frank Sheckler or Rae Packard in Yucca Valley at (760) 369-7212.

"The goodness of the night upon you"
Othello Act 1 Scene 2

Russell Sipe