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Árbol del Sol
Thought for the Month The SunTree Traveler
What a weird and unexpected event at Faywood Hot Springs this year for our pre-Thanksgiving weekend. A few days prior to the event, the SunTree mailbox was deluged with messages from various members telling us that they would not be able to make this event due to either commitments made earlier or for unexpected problems which they had to tend to. I, your newsletter editor, got the impression that I probably would be the only one to show up to soak away the weekend. It was not a disappointing situation since I had some personal travel planned over Thanksgiving week and it would give me some time to work on the December newsletter. I had a great surprise by the turnout. We had only a couple of repeats from the Halloween weekend, but we had others who had not been able to make the Halloween Event and still wanted to participate in an Autumn club event at Faywood Hot Springs. We did not see a single cloud over the weekend. The days were fantastic, warm and sunny. The evenings were cool (into the thirties) but with a nice fire in the clubhouse fireplace, the chill felt good. Of course, the soaking pools also felt wonderful in the chill evening air. Our only unanticipated problems came when we realized that one of the unpredicted absent members were the people in possession of the “SunTree Box” (that is the magic hamper that contains all of the things that we have learned will need to be available for our events, e.g. paper plates, cups, serving ladles, spoons, napkins, Kazoos, table cloths). We had to make do with what was on hand in the campers of the people who were there (we did spend the day working with some clay and essential barnyard ingredients to put together some adobe plates and cups. The cups did not really cure in the sun long enough, so that when we put coffee in them they started to dissolve, but the coffee had the same rich flavor that we are used to). It was a very successful event that was expected to be a “bust”. I hope that all enjoyed the weekend as much as I did.
It is the “between the holidays” event time again. Be sure to call to indicate that you will be participating in this event, what you plan to bring for the potluck and if you plan to stay overnight. It will be on Saturday and Sunday, 9 & 10 December with an evening potluck on Saturday and a breakfast potluck on Sunday morning.
A Secret Meeting in the Morning Sky Early in the Month. Lots seem to be happening on 9 December in both the morning and in the evening skies. Morning Sky: In the morning of 9 December, there is a clandestine meeting of Mercury, Mars & Jupiter low in the predawn twilight. The next morning, they seem to still be in conference with Mercury and Jupiter extremely close together. Cute little Mercury remains visible during the whole first half of the month. Jupiter emerges from the solar glare to take on its new duties as the “official” morning star Evening Sky: Saturn rises by 9:30 PM at midmonth. On the evening of 9 December, those two “stars” below the moon are the Planet Saturn and the star Regulus. Venus appears in the evening sky, although it is still low during twilight. Venus is just to the right of the crescent moon on 21 December. The Geminid meteor showers should be visible before midnight on both the 13 and 14 December. Unfortunately, the SunTree scheduling office put this shower with a peak on Tuesday and Wednesday following our Elephant Butte event. You will have to make your own plans to see this from your own back yard. We may see a few “falling stars” when we are in Elephant Butte, though (if the glare of our fire does not block out the sky). This shower normally has a high rate of meteors and they tend to be slow so that you have some time to tell others where to look. As you probably know, the name Geminid indicates that the radiant (apparent source of the shower) is located in the constellation, Gemini (you remember, I am sure, our old friends the twin brothers Pollux and Castor) which fortunately is in the night sky this month, so you will not have to get up at 2:48 AM to see the shower. The brothers should be hanging out in the eastern sky around 8:30 on the nights that they will be the center of the meteor shower. Winter officially arrives with the solstice on 21 December at 5:22 PM MST
© 2004 SunTree Travel Club - Site updated Summer 2008 |
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The pre-Thanksgiving at Faywood Hot Springs