A midsummer night's sky-gazing

On a warm July evening in New Jersey, Dan and Julie headed to a spot on the shore of Raritan Bay that offered a northwest view over water. They thought Bayshore Waterfront Park might be a good spot to watch the sun set and the stars come out - and, perhaps, spot a comet.


They were in luck. There was just enough thin cloud that evening (Sunday, July 19) to create a spectacularly colorful sunset. Then, after the sun went down, the clouds mostly dissipated as the sky darkened and stars began to emerge.

Now, a warm, humid evening in the metropolitan area will never be ideal for stargazing, but the air was clear enough to easily see such bright lights as Vega, Arcturus and the Big Dipper - as well as Jupiter and Saturn rising in the east.

Guided by a couple of articles and illustrations indicating that Comet C/2020 F3, a.k.a. Neowise, would appear between the Big Dipper and the Northwest horizon, Dan and Julie searched that area with binoculars as, gradually, more stars became visible. It was a good hour or so after sunset when they spotted what looked like a little white smudge, or a brushstroke, close to two small stars they later determined were Talitha and Talitha Australis, in the front paw of Ursa Major.

Although it was faint and blurry, Dan and Julie felt pretty confident they had found the comet, with its tail pointing away from the sun as comet tails do. They were further convinced when, the following evening, they were able to spot it again from just outside their house - in a slightly different position, now between Ursa Major's paws, just where the charts said it would be.


The comet was much too dim for Dan to make a photo. But along with the stars, Bayfront Waterfront Park also afforded a view across the bay and New York Harbor to another light show, the Manhattan skyline.

Any other skywatchers out there? This image from Earthsky.org shows where the comet is expected to be on the night of its closest approach to earth, this Thursday, July 23 - with an added mark showing where Dan and Julie spotted it on Sunday night.

Josie, Nolan celebrate big birthdays

With their birthdays just two days apart, it makes sense for Josie and Nolan to combine their celebrations, right?

Brother and sister marked important birthdays this week - Josie's first (July 19) and Nolan's fifth (July 21)!

Jack celebrates first birthday

Jack celebrated his first birthday with Mom (Genevieve) Dad (John) and big sister (Beatrice) at their summer home in Noyac on July 16.

A few days earlier, Uncle Dan and Aunt Julie made a quick weekend trip to Noyac, and were able to spend a little time seeing Jack, Bea, Genevieve and Kathy at Long Beach - while keeping several feet of "social distancing" between them.

A quick visit to 'the island' for Dan & Julie

Dan and Julie got their first taste of Long Island Summer on the weekend of July 11-12. With concessions to the ongoing health crisis - avoiding crowds, getting takeout dinner - they were able to enjoy a bit of beaching and visiting family.

The previous day saw a tropical storm pass by, so they checked out the waves at the ocean beach in Bridgehampton, where a couple of young guys were attempting to ride the surf.

They arrived on their luxury yacht checked out the luxury yachts docked in Sag Harbor and strolled along Main Street - which was less crowded than on a summer weekend in normal, non-pandemic times, but still active. They and many other people (though not all) were wearing masks. Dan and Julie stayed outdoors except for a brief stop for tradition's sake at the Wharf Shop.

They later met Kathy, Genevieve, Bea and Jack at Long Beach - carefully maintaining social distance but managing to converse and enjoy the beautiful day together. The water was warm and the breeze was just right to be cooling but not chilling.

Genevieve, John and their children have been living full-time at their summer house, and Kathy at hers, and working remotely since the pandemic hit the New York area in the spring.

Building a life in the country

In their first summer at their new Upstate New York home, this young couple has been making good progress in their efforts to create a productive small farm.

Andy and Shannon - who is adopting the name Wren - have planted more than a dozen rows of crops, as seen above, and are raising a flock of chickens. They put in many hours of hard work putting up fencing around the crops to protect them from the chickens, and a much bigger fence around their property to protect the chickens from other animals. The importance of that project became clear when a dog killed a few of the chickens before the fence was completed.

They also outfitted the coop where the previous owners had kept a handful of chickens to accommodate the flock of more than 50 birds they acquired as chicks in March (see previous article). The birds are growing quickly, the roosters are starting to crow, and in a couple of months the hens should begin to lay eggs.

Dan and Julie drove up to visit on Independence Day weekend. Since the pandemic hit the U.S. in March, both couples have been keeping mostly isolated and taking precautions to avoid any significant contact with other people - so a weekend visit at the country house seemed reasonably safe.

It was a very enjoyable visit. Andy and Wren were fine hosts, providing delicious meals (although not home-grown yet; maybe next time). The weather turned beautiful, and the property has a wonderful view of wooded hills - with great sunsets.

The four also took an afternoon drive to revisit Thacher State Park and survey the Albany valley from the Helderberg Escarpment, which they'd seen on a previous trip last summer.