Sounds awesome, Bubba. I love sky-gazing, though my interest is just novice-level, if that. You'd love visiting Alaska and seeing the Aurora Borealis- or have you?

Believe it or not, I have a framed stitching on my kitchen wall that offers a link between astronomy and cooking! It reads: "To make an apple pie truly from scratch, first you must invent the universe." -Carl Sagan

griz, I'd love to go up there and see that but it's unlikely I ever will. I saw the aurora once years ago in Colorado and it's awe inspiring. I was a truck driver back then and pulled off the road and watched it dance for an hour.
I really liked Sagan, I have his Cosmos series on DVD and I think I can say he got me interested in astronomy beyond the casual naked eye level.

Here's a view of the Aurora for ya, Bubba- enjoy! Taken near Pioneer Peak in the farming region of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley near Palmer/Wasilla.

MIL came home a day early from their trip. She became ill.
I am off of dog duty. Unfortunately on the last day Jon was playing with their dog and the dog ran into Jon hitting him hard under the chin. It caused his lower jaw to ram upward hard and broke one of his crowns. Have to get him an appointment at the dentist in the morning. This is not gonna be cheap to fix.

I'm drained and need a vacation. I have so many projects to do and they are due on Tuesday. I have to edit a video, get a PowerPoint presentation together, then write 11 pages of paper.