Scared of the dark!

I'm not scared of the dark. To the contrary it's pretty peaceful sitting
out for hours in the quiet, dark. I've only been freaked out a couple
times by animals appearing next to me. They were just as surprised
as I was.

Our house is 700+ feet from anyone else in the direction I observe.
The other day I was sitting out observing, and the trees were blowing
and cracking in the wind. The wind chimes were chiming. Out of the
blue I start hearing a childs toy playing in the wind, nursery rhyme type
music like "the farmer and the dell" played on bells, coming from the
woods adjacent to me, and close! Keep in mind it's 1 AM, totally dark,
windy, and there is nobody nearby for an eighth of a mile minimum.

After a few minutes of this I couldn't relax any more. I am looking around
in the dark shining my flashlight in non sensical directions looking for
intruders I would easily hear approaching.

I walked up into the woods about 40 feet to the top of the hill and looked
down the other side into a slight depression and saw some color lights
flickering in the bushes, the sound is coming from it.

OK, by this time, I'm full on in Kubricks THE SHINING mindset. If I go
investigate this glowing, out of place, suddenly playing childs toy,
when I turn around those little twin girls are going to be standing
at the hilltop between my telescope and I. Play On! Says I, and I
turn on all the floodlights around the house and pack all my stuff up
for the night!!!

I guess my pysche is a bit of a slippery slope in the dark.

SW

I guess my pysche is a bit of a slippery slope in the dark.

SW

How about "scared in the dark."

I have been there.. Observing alone in the mountains near the
California-Mexico border. The forest ranger once told me that when I am there,
it forces the guys who smuggle drugs/people to move their drop off point
somewhere else.

Totally engrossed in the eyepiece, a loud noise startles me, the adrenaline
pumps and I have the shakes. It was probably just a branch falling or a animal
in the bushes, but the effect is the same as if it had been smuggler laying in
wait....

That was the end of my observing session for that night but I didn't have any
trouble being sleepy for that 1 hour late night drive home.

Jon

Guess it was unfortunate you did not bring binoculars. May have helped.

Consdering this is soo close to your home, did you investgate in daylight
hours?

Did you stay alert looking out at the illuminated area the flood lights lite
up?

The next question is will this put you off to ever going out of your house to
observe again?

Keep us posted, such an odd occurance should have an explanation other than
leaving it up to imagination as allude to in the last paragraph.

John D. Sabia

That was the end of my observing session for that night but I didn't have
any
trouble being sleepy for that 1 hour late night drive home.

This is what I worry about most - sleepiness on the drive home. I try and
keep a little coffee in reserve, but it doesn't always seem to do the trick.
Anyone have any tips?

In article , Sarah Whitney
wrote:

I guess my pysche is a bit of a slippery slope in the dark.

Cool story. Please alert us to any sequels.

--
Joe Bergeron

http://www.joebergeron.com

"Dennis Woos" ha scritto nel messaggio
...
That was the end of my observing session for that night but I didn't
have
any
trouble being sleepy for that 1 hour late night drive home.

This is what I worry about most - sleepiness on the drive home. I try and
keep a little coffee in reserve, but it doesn't always seem to do the
trick.
Anyone have any tips?


Don't have a wee until home. It works if the home is not too far away....

--
--
Beta Persei
45° 35' N
08° 51' E

Remove "_nospam" to reply

"Dennis Woos" wrote in message
...
That was the end of my observing session for that night but I didn't
have
any
trouble being sleepy for that 1 hour late night drive home.

This is what I worry about most - sleepiness on the drive home. I try and
keep a little coffee in reserve, but it doesn't always seem to do the
trick.
Anyone have any tips?

Hold a $100 bill between you thumb and finger tip. Then roll down the window
and hold it outside like that as you drive. Depending on your income, you
can adjust up or down for what will keep you awake.

;-)

Chuck Taylor
Do you observe the moon?
Try http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lunar-observing/
And the Lunar Picture of the Day http://www.lpod.org/
************************************

Jon Isaacs wrote:
I guess my pysche is a bit of a slippery slope in the dark.

SW


How about "scared in the dark."

I have been there.. Observing alone in the mountains near the
California-Mexico border. The forest ranger once told me that when I am there,
it forces the guys who smuggle drugs/people to move their drop off point
somewhere else.

Totally engrossed in the eyepiece, a loud noise startles me, the adrenaline
pumps and I have the shakes. It was probably just a branch falling or a animal
in the bushes, but the effect is the same as if it had been smuggler laying in
wait...

I usually take a dog or two with me (good sized - 60-70 lbs) when I go
to my dark site, which is totally isolated and lonely - the dogs like
the outing and freedom to run around loose. In the dusk they roam far
and wide, but once true darkness hits and the coyotes start coming
around the dogs are curled up under the telescope tripod and are
underfoot the rest of the night. Scardie cat dogs.

"CLT" wrote

Hold a $100 bill between you thumb and finger tip. Then roll down the
window
and hold it outside like that as you drive. Depending on your income, you
can adjust up or down for what will keep you awake.

Adjust what - the window or the dollar amount?

HL

On Wed, 14 Apr 2004 11:10:36 -0400, "Dennis Woos"
wrote:

Anyone have any tips?

One of our club members swears by hard candy peppermints, and NOT the
ones with added caffeine.

http://www.kidsregen.org/howTo.php?section=celeb&ID=7

---
Michael McCulloch