In the Stars: Serendipity and Bob Johnson's Blog!

Thinking back, I remember writing a post or two on the idea of coincidence, or synchronicity. Whether you attribute the coincidences in your life to God, to accident, "just the odds," fate, luck, ESP, or some kind of Cosmic Jester, it's interesting to contemplate how these events effect our lives.

In one of my posts I described what I thought was an interesting coincidence in my life, relating to a family trip to Bussana Vecchia, Italy. And now I have another for you.

One evening a little over a week ago, my husband and I stole an hour from the ongoing saga of our house construction, to spend out on the lake, watching the changes of twilight. I shot a lot of too-dark water-garden type images, enjoying the process in my usual fashion.


Then the moon caught my eye, and there I sat in a moving boat, clicking away at the rising sphere. I knew I wouldn't get good results, but I had to try it anyway. I remembered Bob Johnson's wonderful Black Holes and Astrostuff blog, and all the great sky, moon and star photos HE has taken. I had mentioned him before, but there in the boat, I sang Bob's praises to my husband, for his enthusiasm and expertise in teaching us about the heavens.

My thoughts turned to autumn and the anticipation of living in our new space, the house we have been rebuilding for ten years. Why did it take so long? Because we used our own labor, mostly my husband's, and did as much work as we could fit in over each summer. Soon I will have high decks to sit on, I thought. I told hubby that it would be fantastic to sit up there and look at the night sky with a telescope, as the Maine nights (when they are clear) are like black velvet, studded with diamonds. He agreed.

In the comments on my blog a day or two later, came a message from no other than Bob Johnson. "Hey Lynda, you won something, come see..."

I went to Bob's blog for a wonderful surprise! I had won, along with two other of Bob's randomly chosen blogging friends, a TELESCOPE! How unbelievably timely! A "Galileoscope" by name, with what Bob says are very good optics for the money.

Now I can stargaze from my deck, and learn more about astronomy. Bob even recommended a few books on the subject. I can't thank Bob enough for his generosity and for trying to awaken in his blogging friends, the same mindfulness of the heavens that he feels! KUDOS to you, Bob, for your inspiring and informative blog, and for sharing! As Bob knows, I've named my Galileoscope "The Bobascope" in honor of him. Thanks for enriching my life, Bob!

If you aren't already familiar with Black Holes and Astrostuff, stretch your horizons with a visit. You will also find his posts on his recent trip to China there, along with commentary on the sky show he saw from across the world. Don't forget to wish him a Happy Birthday, as I'm pretty sure it's this week. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOB!


Above is one of my BAD moon shots from our aluminum 17-foot boat, which was rocking on the lake, of course. I know I will do better, with a little help from my blogging friends. (Who says we don't build community? )

If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.