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Here are two images from Sunday night after 21:00edt from our backyard, looking west at Jupiter (left) and Venus (right).
The left image is a 15 second exposure and the right a 64 second exposure using a Canon Powershot A540 point and shoot with CHDK firmware.
It was decently warm (above 0 C), no bugs and a soft wind from the south.
Too bad it was a work night 🙁
Lennox and Addington County is considering setting up an observing area in the Sheffield Conservation Area, just off highway41 between Erinsville and Kaladar.
We went up to check the place out on Sunday and came away with these photos.
 About 28 minutes north of Napanee and the 401 highway |  hmm.. they may have to change this sign for nighttime observing! |  The existing “parking lot” |
This was not the conservation area per se, but a pulloff at the top of a hill within 100m of the actual area.
 Look for this tiny sign!
|  A little scary going downhill in the winter
|  The conservation parking area right on the lake in a valley. |
So it appears that it would not be in the lakeside parking area as the trees grow quite high, there is a good stiff wind funneled off Little Mellon Lake and it is a very narrow and steep access road.
More likely it will be at the top of the hill and hopefully there will be a garbage cleanup as well.
So far it sounds like there will be a few concrete pads poured.
Maybe a portapotty? Probably not.
More gleaned from the net:
The Sheffield Conservation Area is a 466.6 ha (1,157 acre) park with a typical Canadian Shield landscape – outcroppings of granite, scattered forests, and plentiful wetlands. Nature enthusiasts and hikers alike enjoy the area for its natural beauty and serenity.
And a media release from the county:
http://www.lennox-addington.on.ca/medianews/685-stargazing-tourism-in-las-sights.html
Last weekend came a long procrastinated task… replacing the bath/shower fixture. It had been corroded for some years, been leaking for some months and we went out and bought a replacement about 4 months ago… just waiting for a nice quiet Saturday to get it done.
Our water is very hard (>200) but the water softener brings it down to <10 in the measurement system. Even so we were shocked at the amount of corrosion.
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There were no water cutoffs that we could find, so we shut down power to the well and then drained the pipes. The first three images show the removal of the old stuff (at least 10 years old, possibly 20?).
It was connected with three compression fittings that came off fairly easily with an adjustable wrench.
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These three images show the new one going on.
I could not get the old compression fittings to come off, so left them on and reused them. Nice to see standards as the new fixture went on smoothly. Tightened up the nuts, turned the power to the well back on and tripped the foot valve. Soon we had pressure and two leaks 🙂
Tightening each 1/4 turn at a time and soon we had no more leaks. The housing went on along with the hot/cold/diverter handles and all was well.
Testing the shower with the diverter showed the middle connection leaking heavily. All of the handles and housings came off to repair that by tightening the nut and soon we were leak free.
Everything went back on and soon the cats were exploring the tub, wondering where their entertaining water drips went to.
All in all it took about 1 hour, mainly because I had no idea what I was doing. In the future it would take maybe 20 minutes.
The next day it was sealed along the top and sides of the tiles with a clear silicon (cures in 24 hours). The bottom was not done so as to allow any future leaks to drip down into the tub.
The next day after that the overflow plate was replaced as it was also corroded and rusty.
The only remaining item is to find a drain fitting and replace it. So far they seem to come only in kits with extra pieces that we don’t need.
Ok.. at least a two planet conjunction with Jupiter and Venus very close together in the Western sky. Going from left to right, Jupiter is first, Venus is second, Mercury is quite low near the horizon to the right of the bird feed. This is a 15 second exposure with a Canon Powershot A540
The next shot was taken with a Canon Powershot A495 (a lower model number but a newer camera!), also a 15 second exposure looking west.
It’s that time of the year… time to prep for spring. The greenhouse took some minor exterior damage in the windstorm of Saturday 2012 March 3rd. That will be fixed in a few weeks after it warms up enough to do the outside work.
On the inside, we had two shelves for growing flats and that was not quite enough the last couple of years. 2’x8′ was about 32 square feet in total.
So yesterday, down came the shelves for remodelling into three shelves giving us another 50% to work with. This will help spread the flats out a bit more. The entire growing shelves are enclosed in removable plastic to allow us to put a small ceramic heater inside to keep warm over the next couple of months.
The bottom shelf was lowered about 4″, the top shelf raised about 6″ and a new shelf was built into the middle slot.
Absolute height was reduced a bit on the lower two shelves but that should not be a problem. As the plants get to that height, they will start going outside to harden off before planting in the ground.
And this is the first seeds to go into soil this year… a couple of flats of flowers destined for the L&A Hort Plant Sale in May.
SEEDY SATURDAY and other events
http://www.seeds.ca/ev/events.php
Seed Sunday in Perth Ontario Canada
Sunday March 4th 10:00-3:00
Royal Canadian Legion, 26 Beckwith St. E.
Free Admission, gardening related talks and presentations, food and drink available, bring seeds for the swap table and support local sustainable agriculture. Brought to you by the Perth Farmers’ Market.
Contact: Sarah Mackenzie 613-284-0578
Seedy Saturday in Kingston Ontario Canada
Sat. March 10, 10am-3pm
Bring your saved seed to share swap. Enjoy seeds, books and presentations.
Lunch and refreshments available.
Kingston Unitarian Fellowship – 206 Concession St.
www.providence.ca/seeds
WORKSHOP
Sisters of Providence Heirloom Seed Sanctuary Workshop
Kingston Ontario Canada
Sat. Mar. 17, 2-3:30pm – Starting Seeds at Home
All are welcome, refreshments included, no fees but donations are welcome.
Heirloom Seed Sanctuary Barn, 1200 Princess St in Kingston
www.providence.ca/seeds
SPRING EQUINOX
Sisters of Providence Heirloom Seed Sanctuary
Kingston Ontario Canada
Tues. Mar. 20, 8:30am – Spring Equinox celebration
All are welcome, refreshments included, no fees but donations are welcome.
Heirloom Seed Sanctuary Barn, 1200 Princess St in Kingston
www.providence.ca/seeds
Cate Henderson
Heirloom Seed Sanctuary
Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul
1200 Princess St Box 427
Kingston, ON K7L 4W4
www.providence.ca/seeds
613-544-4525 x 124