Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
Mon, 07/30/2012 - 15:21
It's not bad enough that we've been getting the SW desert heat here in Eastern Missouri (lost track of the triple digit days) but now we're getting their monsoon Pacific moisture clouds to block out our skies. And, the clouds aren't heavy enough to bring us much needed rain! 
Jim Roe
Bourbon, Missouri
Well I am up the road in Kansas. Any clear night for the last three months have been accompanied by 15 - 20 mph winds. When the wind drops the haze rolls in, so I feel your pain
:-(
What's a clear night?
:-(
Complain complain. Well, I guess what it really boils down to is - is observing yourself worth moving to a better location?
Mike LMK
Hi there: Keeping up with the times. Just about the time I get the procedure down so I know what I am doing. It changing to get better. SO, What constitues better. Maybe the joy of fussing with the page.
Ah, now the sweltering midwest unfortunately is getting a taste of our monsoon, at least as far as cloud cover goes. I lived in Eastern Kansas for seven years. This has been a very wet monsoon here, with many more haboobs than normal, but oddly very little flooding. This may be stating the obvious for a lot of folks, but here is an alternative to grumpiness, Jim. Going back (or staying) inside, accepting what Mother Nature dishes out, and doing some "desktop astronomy" can be as rewarding as being at the telescope. Lots of neat projects to do at the desk - just ask Arne or Doug, there are plenty of interesting things to do and learn! I'd be interested to hear what you accomplish.
GTN makes a very good point. It reminds me of something Thoreau said. In his 1842 essay “A Natural History of Massachusetts” (Bode, 1964), he opens with:
Books of natural history make the most cheerful winter reading.
Along these lines, I would mention Chet Raymo’s The Soul of the Night (1985). For those unfamiliar with Raymo, he is an astronomer who also has a keen interest in the writings of Henry Thoreau.
Bode, Carl (Ed.) The Portable Thoreau (Revised edition). New York: Viking Press, 1964.
Raymo, Chet The Soul of the Night: An Astronomical Pilgrimage. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1985.