From
Samuel Ray
® . . . . . . . .Date: Sat, 20 Sept 2003 00:45:55 -0400
Subject: Hi
Dear Masatsugu,
I
thought I would tell you that yesterday we survived a direct hit by Hurricane Isabella. No one in the family
was injured, and, other than losing a few tree branches and limbs, we suffered
no property damage. Some nearby homes were damaged, and numerous trees away
from our property were blown down. Our electricity was off for about 24 hours.
Many people, over a million according to the TV news, still have no power. I
worked this evening at the hospital, and our electricity came from emergency
generators that belong to the hospital. Nearby
I
sketched Mars a few minutes ago, with very good seeing. A cloud is drifting by
as I write. Perhaps I can make another sketch later. I would be tempted to
drive to the observatory in Bon Air, but I do not know if the electricity is on
there, and I would not want to make a long drive unless the telescope's drive
was working.
Numerous
people have mentioned how much they have enjoyed the CMO Gallery. A reporter
from the Washington Post telephoned to ask about the close approach of Mars. He
said he got my name from your CMO page. We had a nice talk, and he wrote a
short piece about amateur observation of our Red Planet.
Glad
to have lights,
Sam