Thought for the Month:
"Listening takes more work than talking." From the short story “Silence” By Colm Tóibín

The SunTree Traveler

What Happened in February?

Valentine's Day at Elephant Butte

We had to send out an e-mail (and make a few telephone calls) to cancel our planned Valentine’s Event at Elephant Butte. I hope that everybody got that word on the cancellation. If not, you have our apologies

We attempt to get all of the information on all events as far in advance as we can so that surprises do not complicate everybody’s life.

Unfortunately, that apocalyptic rider on the pale horse does not care about anybody’s plans or schedules. Bob Hake passed away on the morning of 3 February. He, and his wife Pat were the hosts of the event.

Bob was a great friend to most of the club members and will be greatly missed by all.

SunTree members and associates wish to send our sympathies and great regrets to Pat, their children and grandchildren at this terrible time.

Pre-St. Patrick’s Day at Mira Vista RESORT
The weekend prior to St. Patrick’s Day, SunTree is planning to return to the Mira Vista RESORT for soaking, swimming, eating and potlucking.

Your newsletter editor has reserved room 23 which has a patio and a table where we can get together on Saturday afternoon for snacks and conversation.

In the past, some who have come to our Mira Vista RESORT event in March have taken some time off from the resort to attend major league baseball games during the cheap spring training season. Unfortunately, that will not happen this year since Tucson has been written off as a spring training venue. The closest spring training games will be in Chandler, Tempe or Mesa Arizona this year. Bummer.

Plans For The Near Future

If you go to the http://www.suntree.net/content/happening.html page of this website, you will see that there are a couple of events coming up which require a little planning. Look at that calendar and decide what events you plan on participating in and get in contact with the club so that plans may be developed.

The important ones are the camping trips which may seem a long way off, but the earlier we know of the number of participants, the better.

We will have to make reservations at Wildwood and put down a deposit to reserve the facility. Currently we have that on the calendar on the weekend of 5 June.

The next month, we are looking at having a camping trip in the Gila National Forest somewhere near the Poverty Creek area.

Last year, we were forced to move our normal camping site due to crowded conditions at the “traditional” site. The place where we went was as nice, or maybe better than the old place, but with an idea of the numbers planning to attend, we can make choices.

Due to some suggestions from some members, we want to re-investigate the possibility of a rented houseboat on Elephant Butte Lake again. The last time that we asked, the renters would not allow us to move the houseboats out of their immediate vicinity. That would not work for us, so we gave up for that time. We want to ask again this year.

We had a couple of folks ask about getting together for a sail on the lake. Obviously this could not be a full-up club event, but if there is interest, SunTree will attempt to get the interested parties in contact with each other.

Celestial News for March

The Moon Moves in To Inspire High Tides

Morning: If you have been up before sunrise for the last week, then you know what a brilliant moon we have been having. It has been beautiful. As the new month starts, the Moon starts to wan, but perhaps in sympathy, Venus moves over to the right of the crescent Moon. Venus is best seen about an hour before sunrise. She loses some of her brilliance as the days move forward and she moves closer to the horizon.

On the other hand, around the sixth, five planets, along with the Moon will form a crowd to hold off the advancement of the rising Sun. As you may guess, this is a losing proposition. Because of the glare of the rising Sun, only Jupiter will be visible. He will be to the left of the Moon.

Evening: The full Moon on 19 March is the closest Moon of the year. It will not again come this close to Earth until 2016 (Expect rare, unusually high tides.) Spring arrives with the vernal equinox on 20 March at 5:21 PM MDT

Little Mercury will be hanging in close to Jupiter and will be its brightest around the eleventh of the month forty minutes after sunset. On (or about) the fifteenth, Mercury will be very easy to find just to the right of Jupiter.

At the middle days of the month, Saturn will rise in the east around 8 PM.

Those of you who are planning to go to Mira Vista for the weekend of 12 March will have no worries, but if our club event had been scheduled for a week later, when the full Moon of 19 March occurs, there might be some problems. That full Moon will be the closest point of the year that the Moon comes to spaceship Earth. The Moon will not get this close to Earth until 2016. Those of you who might be at Mira Vista and have a room near one of the swimming pools should protect yourselves from unusually high tides during that time period.

As sure as Spring Training hits Florida and Arizona, the Vernal Equinox will bring in Spring at 5:21 PM MDT on 20 March.