First Day of School 2017-2018

Woot! There it is. August 16th; back in school! Normally I don't look forward to school starting, but this year there was a slight anticipation. Summer has been fun and chaotic. But, it was time for structure again ;)
Getting adjusted to the new, early schedule was going to be a challenge for all of us. I'm going to buckle up the seatbelt in case this school year moves as fast as last year did. Any tips for slowing down time out there? Ha!

Ava: 5th Grade

Isaac: 2nd Grade

"Ok mom, how long do I have to hold this smile?"

...... and they are off to get ready for a colorful year! (This was the welcome sign at Baker School):

Willow will start preschool after Labor Day weekend. She was so upset when her sister and brother went to school and she didn't. Her day will come soon enough.
Here's to another ride ahead!

2017 Perseid Shower/Snake Valley Night Sky

One of the best rewards in Snake Valley is when we get draped every night with one of the greatest night skies in the country. This month there was a Perseid Shower. The moon rise was early, so if I was going to catch it I had to get out in between 9:00 - 10:20 pm. I decided to take my gear to Wheeler Peak Overlook; 10,000 ft. Even though the park has been really busy this summer, I had the place to myself. Stellar.
Funny that looking at the night sky makes you feel like the only one on earth; but really it connects us all. For a good hour, I soaked it in. Mostly, I had fun taking photos of the bright Milky Way....

Wheeler Peak & Jeff Davis Peaks:

Summit Parking Lot:

The stars were aligned in my favor and I captured what I wanted ....... :)

Bat Surveys at Sacramento Pass

We went out to Sacramento Pass where Bryan and the crew were doing bat surveys. The evenings lately have been the perfect temperature. I wish it could pause like this for the next few months.

Joey, Kelsey, Kathleen, and Bryan setting up nets over the pond.....

We took turns taking the boat out on the water before the sun set........

The milky way has been bright this week. However, you don't get much time to view it when the moon rises just after 10:00 pm.....

The moon rise orange glow behind the crew as they collected data on the bats....

This was a neat catch, a Hoary Bat. They look like bears with wings. Large, hairy, and aggressive:

Watching the moon rise felt like, for once this summer, time stood still for a few moments.
It was wonderful.

Another beautiful Great Basin night sky experience.