Turning Point

We can all look back on our lives and identify several "turning points" where the direction we turned made a major change in the rest of our life. There were many in my life, some of my own choosing, and some where other people had a part in shaping my life.
The first that comes to mind is the inspiration I had as a 19 year old to get in my 64 Falcon Sprint, and drive hundreds of miles across country to visit my high school girlfriend, who had moved to Phoenix. One thing led to another, and we have been married over 48 years now. Our family now includes about 20 people, counting the kids, their spouses, and grand kids.
Some of the turning points in my life were professional, my military service being the first one. That led to other opportunities through out my life that led to where I am today. One of those was a chance promotion that a supervisor gave me in the late 1980's that shaped the rest of my professional life. I had a long and rewarding professional career.
This last week my turning point was health related. I had open heart surgery to repair a bad heart valve. Time will tell how that turning point will effect the rest of my life. Wish me luck.

Reflecting on where I've been, and where I'm going.

The Red Planet

This summer we have had an exceptional view of Mars. The "Red Planet" has been the closest to us that it has been in many years. For us night time sky watchers, it has put on a brilliant display, bigger and brighter red than it has been in recent memory.
I have owned a pretty nice little telescope for many years, and I go out and look at the planets as often as possible, usually several nights a week. Jupiter and Saturn always steal the show. Four moons are usually visible around Jupiter, and the rings around Saturn are pretty cool to see. But, this summer, the normally lack luster Mars, is really joining the party. It's a bright red-orange color, and appears almost as large as Jupiter through the telescope. On a nice clear night, you can even see some surface detail similar to what we see on the moon.
We may never get to visit Mars, but this summer we get a better than usual look at it. Get out and check it out.

Photo of Mars taken this summer. (Google image)