July is the time of the year when the nights are warmer, and we make use of that by staying out late on the terrace. One of the benefits of living in Central Oregon is that there are few cities, so the skies are dark and our entire area is considered one of the best for stargazing – as reflected by a number of research observatories located here. While we are talking every year to be more systematic about it (I have bought some books and stargazing guides) – we are again just sitting there, finding the few constellations we know and simply enjoy the sheer endless number of objects. In August there will be an additional incentive since usually during that month there is a good frequency of shooting starts related to meteor interactions with the earth atmosphere. One interesting element of stargazing is that one can see the

Just about three weeks ago the department of transportation completed a road project not far from our house. A tricky three-way intersection that operated as a two-way stop was converted into a traffic circle with three entrances, a bike path, signage and streetlights. The motivation for this change was, as people have been saying, a number of accidents that occurred there over time. We never witnessed one but broken-down fences on the neighboring property and bend-over traffic signs that seem to happen regularly, provide some evidence. The online neighborhood forum had quite a mixed set of opinions about this construction – including complaints about the cost that possibly could have been avoided by converting the intersection into a three-way stop; to concerns about the streetlights impacting the dark sky stargazing. But here it is and personally I feel it has been well built and the construction did not significantly disrupt

There are many beautiful natural sites, that draw large amounts of visitors. The more accessible they are the broader the range of people that come and visit. While it requires some navigation, I do believe that all people have the same right to access and as it gets managed by the park service, I am assuming that there is consideration as to the capacity.  We just returned from a camping trip to the Banff National Park in Canada, and it is considered one of those places. The websites with the most desirable sites to visit are full of warnings about the lack of parking, the need to book shuttles and to be prepared for a wait to obtain access (or to go to the restroom!)  or crowded trails. Examples of such places would be Lake Louise, Moraine Lake or Johnson Canyon. All of them offer a broad range of hiking