We met Neil Armstrong! Neil. Freaking. Armstrong.

Here's a picture. On the left, Matt, the Assistant Planetarium Director. Next to Matt is me. On the far right is my husband, the TASM Planetarium Director. And in between us is NEIL ARMSTRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who is truly as nice as everyone says he is. Who chatted with me several times and patted me on the shoulder in a kind grandfatherly way. And who, when I told him I worked with children and would he please give me a message for them said:

"Working with children? First, I am sure what you are doing is important, so thank you. Tell them I said never cease, never stop, in your quest to learn more and in your quest to be more."

So there you have it. I have a direct quote from Neil First Man on the Moon Armstrong.

Knitting at the Messier Marathon

Messier Objects are a set of astronomical objects cataloged by French astronomer Charles Messier. How many of them you can see depends upon where you are and when you are. Messier Marathons are when astronomers, like MrKnotty, meet up and set up their telescopes, attempting to find all 110 objects in one night.

MrKnotty decided it was time for me to experience a Messier Marathon so, along with several other Oklahoma astronomers, we set out to Checotah -- that's right. Home of American Idol What's Her Nose With the Blond Hair.

While he set up the telescope, I checked out the scenery.

Then I came back to see he, and all the other astronomers, were still fiddling with their telescopes and comparing electronic gadgets.








So I wandered some more, meeting up with the local wildlife.



Assuming that I am a wuss who would not make it through the entire night, MrKnotty set up a tent and chairs for me. So, unable to resist, I sat down and knit.







Here's Checotah at nightfall. It was really peaceful out there.

One guy brought a huge telescope -- I had to climb a ladder to look through the eyepiece. It was really fun. I saw a spiral galaxy, the Orion Nebula and the rings of Saturn.

Eventually, I did wuss out. I abandoned MrKnotty and went to sleep in the tent. My punishment? The next day when we were driving home, I saw a mole on my neck that I didn't remember having before. Of course it was A TICK!!!!!!!! I made him pull the car over and pull that nasty thing off me. Then I spent the next several days convinced I was going to die of some exotic tick disease. Luckily, I didn't. But still: yuuuuuuuuuuuuck!