A foggy view

I'm a sucker for the the 17 Mile Drive in Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach, even when it's foggy and cold like today. Pam and I had planned to go on a whale watching cruise in the afternoon but thick fog and the fact we're both coming down with colds scuppered our plans so it was lunch at the Dametra Cafe in Carmel (highly recommended if you're in the area, one of the best and most fun restaurants I have ever visited) and then a trip to Pebble Beach.

Unfortunately, the last time I played golf was about 15 years ago and today I didn't have a spare $500 to spend hacking up the fairways and scaring everyone within a hundred yards with de-orbiting or worm-killing golf balls. Instead we spent a very pleasant two hours watching the fog and surf at one of the most beautiful and manicured places in the world.

Tomorrow brings a check of my bank balance, credit status and how much the California economy has improved since I've arrived. Then it's south on the PCH if I have any money left...

And I didn't check my email at work once today. Now that's an achievement I'm proud of!

An evening on the balcony

Our vacation starts here - sunset on a balcony overlooking Carmel-by-the-Sea. San Francisco was amazing by the way - what a fantastic city!

(Yes, I know it's cheap wine but I've been overspending a tad - can't imagine how in a place life SF).

Outta here

My usual youtube video for a California trip and just one of the best songs ever. I'll try and post a few pictures during the trip but will have other priorities! I've been looking forward to this for months and it's finally about to happen. Have fun while I'm gone, everyone!



Tom

It just seemed appropriate

Not long now - 6 nights in San Francisco, a place I've never visited (except for the airport hotels) and then a 2-week road trip on the Pacific Coast Highway. The San Francisco part is work-related but am not complaining. The rest will be pure pleasure!

I found this on youtube. I have no problem admitting I've never been a fan of Tony Bennett, but given my location and the upcoming trip it just seemed appropriate. (You might want to wait for 45-seconds to see what I mean!).

In need of a vacation

Wish I could embed this here but can't. It's a beautiful piece of music - Spanish guitar(*), jazz, Motown, a little rock & roll and some great electric guitar stuff from the early 70s. You'll recognize the song, I'm sure, and it's where I'm going to be for the next three weeks. For those who have followed my blog for a while, you'll know this is my favourite place in the world! I'm dreamin' about it as I write this...

George Benson, California Dreamin'

(*) When I was a kid, maybe around 9 or 10 years old, I could actually play a bit of Spanish Flamenco on my guitar. I gave it up to do other things (cricket and football, mainly) but about 10 years ago I found I could still play the same tunes. I guess it's like riding a bike. Then I gave it up again to do a bit of astronomy.

New science phenomenon: a jet-powered meteor with contrail

Sometimes I just despair. This video of a "meteorite" was shown on the Daily Telegraph's website, a UK newspaper that's supposed to be above the usual tabloid nonsense (and I apologise for the advert if one appears).



It reminded me of the so-called "mystery missile launch over Los Angeles" a little while ago and all the nonsense that followed. Those of you with a pedantic nature may point out that it's not a meteorite but a meteor since rocks from space entering the atmosphere are only called a meteorite once they hit the ground, so if this is space rock it's a meteor. Fine, but it's neither, and may I make a suggestion for those looking to find where it landed?

First place I'd search is an airport.

Astronomy on Mauna Kea

It seems those of us who work in the field of astronomy are nothing other than industrialists and/or working for the military. We're also addicts needing a 12-step recovery programme and are quite violent given this particular rant:

Big Island Chronicle letter

Nothing could be further from the truth of course, but this is a typical example of opposition to the TMT on Mauna Kea.

It seems to me that it's an argument about returning to the stone age versus understanding our universe and it'll be interesting to see who wins in the end.

An inside view of splitting light

Top marks for anyone who can figure out what on earth this is. Ex-UKIRT employees are automatically disqualified. As you might be able to tell, I had auto-focus turned on and the camera had absolutely no idea what to focus on. I should have realised that would be a problem from the start...

Submillimeter Valley with sunset clouds

Another shot from my time on Mauna Kea's summit last month. This is Submillimeter Valley although without the CSO which is just out of shot. The JCMT is bottom left and the SMA middle bottom. The clouds meant we couldn't observe this night but they did give us a spectacular sunset.

I want one of these

It's my birthday soon. Anyone?