After the Star Party...Back in Tucson

The star party was a huge success this year! WOW! Eight nights of clear, dark skies! It was a tad windy some of those nights, which made the seeing a bit shakey at times; however, the last night was straight from the book of "perfect nights". We had 325 or so people at our telescope on our last night!

We returned to Tucson on Sunday, June 29th - much to the delight of our kitties here! They seemed happy to see us, and we were happy to have long hot showers, and a comfortable bed to sleep in.

Currently, the plan is to leave here on Wednesday morning - en route to Riverton, Kansas. I'll update more later - as it's time for pizza with the gang!

Tucson bound...and to the GCSP '08

Well, when we got married we thought we would be done with the flying back and forth - and we almost are! Dean returned to Tucson on Sunday, June 15th, to prepare for our trip to the 18th Annual Grand Canyon Star Party - '08. This will be a very special one for him, as he and his late wife - Vicki - started the GCSP on the first anniversary of their honeymoon - and he says that this will be his last one to organize. If you're unfamiliar with the GCSP, then baby you're missin' the boat! It's THE BEST event of the summer! Of course, even if Dean doesn't organize it next year - I'll be pressing him to go! I'm hooked on that one week of perfectly clear and dark night skies, breathtaking scenery, and the peace and quiet of listening to the gentle breezes through the pines. If you want more info on the GCSP, check out the website www.tucsonastronomy.org/gcsp.html
So - the preparations are underway! Dean has been organizing all we need to take with us to the canyon, as well as getting the house ready for the summer without him. I stayed in St. Charles and worked all week (babies falling from the sky in this area, or so it seems!), and am currently doing a 'marathon' of staying awake (I work night shift) and getting my things ready to go! The laundry is nearly done, the lawn is mown, the weeds are killed, the suitcase is out and ready to be loaded, and all of the sundry little chores and shopping are completed. I still could take a trip out to clean out the car, and empty the garbage. I'm flying to Tucson (via my favorite DFW layover) tomorrow afternoon. I'll arrive in time for us to go straight to a dinner party for our dear friend, Roger, who is moving to Vancouver on Saturday. While I feel it's warm enough here, at 79 F degrees, to have the a/c on in the house - it's currently 101 F degrees in Tucson! "But it's a dry heat"! My sister, Maj, will be doing the limo honors tomorrow - and coming by early enough for us to have coffee and visit before hitting the road to "O'Hara" (a Mom-ism). Dean and I will drive to the canyon on Saturday, and we will be there until the following Sunday (a truly full week). We will then return to Tucson to pack up whatever he wants to bring to St. Charles, including two of the kitties (Marley and Sugarpants?), and we'll hit the road! We both really enjoy the "road trip" thing, so we're both looking forward to that part of the trip! I should have a picture to post when we return from the star party!

Introducing....The Ketelsen's

Well folks, here we are! Dean and Melinda Ketelsen! We got married 06/07/08; after two years and five months of being "a couple". Given this new chapter in our lives - it's time to learn how to blog too! This is my first attempt, and I'll get Dean to contribute as we go along. I'm hoping this will be a good way to keep family and friends in touch with what we are doing, where we are going, and what we've seen along the way. I'll try to update frequently, and we'll see how this works!