Clear skies

There's nothing quite like hanging out together, stargazing on a summer night in our own backyard.

The moment we've all been waiting for...

We are proud to announce the newest resident of our "astronomy corner," now home to 5 telescopes and equipment -- and decorated accordingly. :)

Tada! She's all finished, calibrated, and ready to go!

Of course (Murphy's Law), the night sky is totally socked in at the moment. *sigh* But... there will be other nights. We can't wait to take our home-made scope out for a spin!

Finishing Touches

It's really amazing how much the varnish is changing the look of the wood. Beautiful!

Ain't she a beaut?!

Almost ready for hardware and finishing.

Some (further) assembly required

We're gettin' there...

Yow! Check out those legs!

The legs for the telescope stand, of course!





Figuring out the angles for the tripod.

We knew those high-school geometry classes were good for something!


Here's how the base will sit on top.

Moving right along...

... on the telescope.

Trent working on a bearing. (See the pretty, striped base in the background?)


"I am saturn. See my rings?"

Getting close to assembly time.

More Telescope...

Thanks to our illustrious spectator/photographer, Joseph, we were able to capture a wider view this time.

(For instance, pics of Trent and me working together -- which happens more than we are able to catch it on camera, as Camden doesn't know how to operate one ... yet.)

Retrieving a clamp with style.

Joseph was pretty appalled at all the dust! See?



Joseph to Melody: "Hey, look like you're doing something important!"

This one's for you, Katie H.

Please don't try this at home.

Nothin' like workin' in the woodshop to spark a little romance! (heh heh)

A Little Extra Touch

Trent carved out the second bearing for the telescope today. He decided to add a little something in the center -- kind of his trademark, if you will.








He held it up for Camden and said, "What's this?" To which Camden promptly replied, "Saturn!" Trent said he feels pretty happy with his carving if his 1-year-old can identify it! (Yes, we are also learning the planets. Our little whiz kid can name most of them by himself now.)

Building a Telescope

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Trent and I both love astronomy. And, as anyone who has seen my bedroom set knows, Trent has an amazing talent with woodworking. So, we decided it would be fun to build a telescope together.

The tube is made out of mahogany. Trent started out with planks like he has in his left hand.

Beginnings of the bearings.

Trent's done most of the work so far, but I've helped a little, too. Here's me sanding down the tube.

The bottom-left part of the pic shows sections that have been sanded. Power tools rock.

Trent in the carport/workshop.

To be continued...