Texas Star Party - May 2002

Ricky belongs to an astronomers club called The Arcane Astronomers. They have several parties each year where the club gets together and travels to different locations in Texas to enjoy each others company and to gaze at the stars and planets. They also attend the Texas Star Party, held every year in late April or May, at the Prude Ranch in Fort Davis, TX, in the shadow of The McDonald Observatory.

The Texas Star Party was started in 1979. Astronomy clubs from the Southwest Region of the Astronomical League and individual volunteers help operate the annual astronomy convention. TSP has grown from 535 attendees in 1982 to more than 1000 attendees.

Ricky attended Texas Star Party 2002, held again this year, again in May, on the Prude Ranch, in Fort Davis, TX. He has been attending this event for the past several years. The Texas Star Party and the many friends he has made there are an important part of his life.

On Friday, May 3rd, Ricky and his friends Roy & Wally took the day off from work to pack and load Ricky's truck and camper for the trip. This year, they were bringing more equipment than they ever had before, so the camper was loaded until it was busting at it's little rubber seals. Packing the day before also did something else very important. It let Ricky sleep in for an extra two hours or so, since he didn't have to travel from home to home, packing as they go. The following day, the guys loaded up and headed out for their 8-day trip to enjoy meeting fellow astronomers. They visited and enjoyed studying and looking at the stars and planets when the sky was clear. If they happened to get a cloudy night, they took the time to enjoy talking and visiting, or attending seminars. They were all exhausted on their last day but all agreed that they had a successful and wonderful trip. Now the plans start for their 2003 star gazing trip.