As I drove up the winding road to Henry Coe State Park, I idly mused upon the current state of my 401K as I contemplated the shrinking ozone layer. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 11 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 75 in Lynx. It was better than Miss Piggy. After that, I identified Abell 28. It seemed just like one of Martha Stewart's doilies. After that, I sketched IC 703. It looked uncannily like the face of God. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I tried NGC 5874 in Triangulum. It looked uncannily like a waterfall. With that checked off my list, I tried for IC 3948. It was better than a faint puff of nothingness, with a suspected, but not confirmed, central star. Then, I located B 313. It was a blurry likeness of a waterfall. Next, I star-hopped to NGC 3403 in Antlia. It gave the appearance of George W. Bush. After that, I stumbled upon NGC 2760. It was not quite as bright as a far-away cloud.
After a short break to enjoy a nutritious snack, I found M 38. It would be easy to confuse with Smokey the Bear.
Finally, it was time to pack up and leave. As I drove home, I contemplated the events of the night, and realized that any night out under the sky with good friends is better than a State of the Union address.