I was incredibly preoccupied this past year finishing production for my modeling views exhibition, which went up without too much fuss in January. And then I crashed.
I’m back in Ontario for the spring and summer and have spent the last two weekends at the CAO. The first, I tested some star trail exposures in preparation for the Beginner’s Astro Imaging Workshop of the RASC-Toronto Centre, taking place at the CAO in June. I got wrangled into being the lead mentor, and will be the point-person for star trails for any of the 19 participants who might be interested.
Blake helped me to ascertain that the lead-acid battery in my power tank is dead (see Bad Bat), and helped me along in creating two DC>CLA cables for the two cheapo lithium-ion batteries that should be able to power my sky tracker and dew controller. I verified they likely will not power my CGEM for very long at all. Supergenius also had a Bad Bat, and picked one up at Sayal; I will too, tomorrow, so that I can re-assemble my Power Tank. Hopefully without causing a minor explosion or zapping myself.
This past weekend was the Spring Work Party. I totally commandeered the pressure washer and cleaned up the front deck and the double switch-back wheelchair access ramp. 7 hours of non-stop pressure washing. It was awesome. And my body still hurts (for obvious reasons, but also because the black flies got me on my arm, my shin, my left ear, my solar plexus, and twice under my bra. Seriously.).
I was going to cancel my already-scheduled visit to the CAO this coming weekend, because my body still hurts (I also helped my sister move houses yesterday). But lo – Saturn is at opposition early Friday morning. I might even need to head there early, on Thursday, so that I can set up to try to image during the night of actual opposition, and give myself two more chances on Friday and Saturday. We’ll see.