Some fantastic pictures there Frank - it sounds like you all had an amazing time and the viewing must have been awesome - if only we had the same weather here!

Frank,

Awesome shots - told you a decent photographer was all that was needed. Glad to see your Astrotrac arrived in time.

Isn't the sky there just fantastic - and you can't say enough about our Greek hosts.

Sounds - and looks - like you all had a great time. Ah, to be in shorts showing off the chicken legs again...

All I can say really is that my house is yours.
Please, please do come over sometime soon!
I'd love to take ye around West Clare and show ye the sights.
(maybe if we are lucky the skies will be good in the Burren)

:oops: I forgot to say this earlier, if any of you are ever over here and nearby, I could give you a room and like Frank says, we can organise something in Clare and Kerry.
If the Athens hotel we were is typical, then you'll find hotel costs here truly astronomical. !


BTW, great images there Frank.

be in shorts showing off the chicken legs again...

Chicken legs bitten by mosquitos
(photo is from the first day before the bites)

I didn't know that "chicken legs" is also used in english for
the same!!


Dave L and Frank we really appreciate your invitation!
We hope to come and see you one day who knows
BTW we arranged today to have a minibus in Novo for
the eclipse day so could meet together.

Some pictures from the fantastic observing site that is Mt. Parnon:
www.frankryanjr.com/parnon_2008.htm

Frank,

Please allow me for a small correction ... "Some FANTASTIC pictures from the fantastic site that is Mt. Parnon". All of them are truly excellent!

Hi Frank

That milkyway image is great looks like that astrotrac doe's the job.

Well done on a fine image.

Superb reports guys and many thanks to all our friends in Greece for hosting the Irish groups.

Frank, that sound you heard is my jaw hitting the floor ... your Milky Way pictures are incredible and if ever an ad was needed for buying an Astrotrac then your photos are one. Well done!!!!!

atb,

John

Incredible shots Frank :shock: Well done.
Sounds like everyone had a great time.

Chicken legs bitten by mosquitos
(photo is from the first day before the bites)

Well,
the body count keeps getting higher and higher.
After the antihistamines wore off yesterday my foot swelled up to
roughly the size of the hind leg of a baby elephant.
Badly infected too. :shock:
I'm jut back from the doctors with a sick note for work until Monday.
(I was gonna post up a pic of it but I thought it might frighten the minors on the site! )

Oh dear,
what shall I do with my time?
Maybe I will process the several hundred photos I took?...Hmmm?
(BTW - Thanks also for commenting on the pics.)

Greek lads,
you need to begin to train one of the group to be the 'Medic'.
What with all the injuries and mishaps us Irish bring on ourselves.

What gives? Dave G
got back home without even a scratch,
(although half of Kineta beach did see the 'Moon'
even though it was during the middle of the day!)

:wink:

the body count keeps getting higher and higher.
After the antihistamines wore off yesterday my foot swelled up to
roughly the size of the hind leg of a baby elephant.
Badly infected too. :shock:
I'm jut back from the doctors with a sick note for work until Monday.
(I was gonna post up a pic of it but I thought it might frighten the minors on the site! )

Crikey Frank! You don't do things in halves.
At least the grazing on my leg isn't too bad.

What gives? Dave G
got back home without even a scratch,
(although half of Kineta beach did see the 'Moon'
even though it was during the middle of the day!)

:wink:

LMAO!
I wonder did Christina get a photo...

Altogether now...
The pale moon was rising above the green mountain
The sun was declining beneath the blue sea...

What gives? Dave G
got back home without even a scratch,
(although half of Kineta beach did see the 'Moon'
even though it was during the middle of the day!)

:wink:

OMG, I tried to forget about that. Alright here's what happened. After we had a swim on the way back to the airport it was time to get out of the swimming trunks and into the dry gear. Well remember how our Greeks hosts couldnt do enough for us well, Vagelis and Yiannis (I think) held a large towel in front of me while I dressed. I (thought) I felt someone take the towel which I had covering my rear and let it go! Unfortunately I was mistaken and half the beach saw the Moon in broad daylight!! In panic mode I had a quick decision to make pick up the towel or continue to put on the underwear which I already had one leg in. Bad decision again, I went for the underwear which I couldnt pull up because my legs were still a bit wet. I'm just glad Christina wasn't behind with the camera (oh God please tell me she wasn't?) Ena-dio-tria!!

After the antihistamines wore off yesterday my foot swelled up to roughly the size of the hind leg of a baby elephant.
Badly infected too. :shock:

OMG hope it gets better soon Frank. That looked pretty nasty alright. It is indeed gonna be hard to fill those empty days with image processing of more stunning photos! :wink:

BTW many congrats on those stunning photos. That astrotrack is worth its weight in gold! Good job the security at the airport are not into astrophotography eh :wink:

oh god, that's a scene I'll never forget, I remember thinking
"what the .... is he doing"

as for out battle injuries, atleast none of you have 8 tiny microscopic (admittedly painless) spikes permanently impaled in your foot, I've been told that they'll work their own way out, nothing short of a Stanley knife is going to get them out. :oops:

oh god, that's a scene I'll never forget, I remember thinking
"what the .... is he doing"

as for out battle injuries, atleast none of you have 8 tiny microscopic (admittedly painless) spikes permanently impaled in your foot, I've been told that they'll work their own way out, nothing short of a Stanley knife is going to get them out. :oops:

I got a couple actually. Managed to poke one out but the other one is still in there.
Nice souvenir though!
I look down at it with fond memories.

"Astronomy is an extreme sport but what a way to go!"

What gives? Dave G
got back home without even a scratch,
(although half of Kineta beach did see the 'Moon'
even though it was during the middle of the day!)

:wink:

OMG, I tried to forget about that. Alright here's what happened. After we had a swim on the way back to the airport it was time to get out of the swimming trunks and into the dry gear. Well remember how our Greeks hosts couldnt do enough for us well, Vagelis and Yiannis (I think) held a large towel in front of me while I dressed. I (thought) I felt someone take the towel which I had covering my rear and let it go! Unfortunately I was mistaken and half the beach saw the Moon in broad daylight!! In panic mode I had a quick decision to make pick up the towel or continue to put on the underwear which I already had one leg in. Bad decision again, I went for the underwear which I couldnt pull up because my legs were still a bit wet. I'm just glad Christina wasn't behind with the camera (oh God please tell me she wasn't?) Ena-dio-tria!!

That sounds like a very plausible excuse Dave. Oh yea. We believe you Dave. Honest!
Don't listen to Dave L or Frank. They are only teasing. I honestly don't believe for one second that you were deliberately streaking across the beach in Greece.
It might have looked like you did it intentionally, but I'll give you benefit of the doubt!

Yea right!

that's a scene I'll never forget

I'm sure your therapist can help you work those issues Dave Maybe a little more difficult than the spikes in your hand!

oh man, it was certainly some job getting out over 20 of those damn things out of my hand, I managed to get about half of them out of my foot leaving 8 there, with my luck it'll be getting septic at just about the time of the Russian eclipse.

with my luck it'll be getting septic at just about the time of the Russian eclipse.

See I told ya not to get in the water but would ya listen :roll:

More like, come on in Dave the water's lovely!

oh man, it was certainly some job getting out over 20 of those damn things out of my hand, I managed to get about half of them out of my foot leaving 8 there, with my luck it'll be getting septic at just about the time of the Russian eclipse.

Dave L,
Put on some natural olive oil several times and they'll come out!

Poor Frank,
with this sweet blood, good food for Mt Parnon's mosquitos!
At least you'll have free time to work aaaall these photos

Dave G,
If you don't remember I was the one who saw the "Moon"
in the middle of the day and got blind

Michael O,
Next time in Novo on my hat will be the "Red Cross" :wink:

I'm just glad Christina wasn't behind with the camera (oh God please tell me she wasn't?) Ena-dio-tria!!

Ena-dio-tria ... business opportunity here ... Ena-dio-tria ... papparazzi photo(s) ... Ena-dio-tria ... blackmail money ... Ena-dio-tria ... fresh and tax-free dough ... Ena-dio-tria ... thanks Dave!

Well guys due to a major 'stuff up' on my part I have few photos to offer. I though I had left my Irish/Greek plug adaptor at home and as such I could not charge my camera battery once it had run out. Of course when I got home the adaptor and second battery were in the bag all the time.

I have combined the few photos I have together with some sent by George Nikolidakis into a report to be found here;

webtreatz.com/content/view/66/1/

I'm just glad Christina wasn't behind with the camera (oh God please tell me she wasn't?) Ena-dio-tria!!

Ena-dio-tria ... business opportunity here ... Ena-dio-tria ... papparazzi photo(s) ... Ena-dio-tria ... blackmail money ... Ena-dio-tria ... fresh and tax-free dough ... Ena-dio-tria ... thanks Dave!

I think you may have just paid for your flight to Russia!

as for out battle injuries, atleast none of you have 8 tiny microscopic (admittedly painless) spikes permanently impaled in your foot, I've been told that they'll work their own way out, nothing short of a Stanley knife is going to get them out.

Those Urchin spikes are a pain to get out, soak the affected area in a vinegar solution - they will fall out with a bit of teasing.

they will fall out with a bit of teasing.

Oh come on John, the last thing Dave L needs is MORE teasing

Dave,

I wasn't teasing......

nothing short of a Stanley knife is going to get them out.

I was being very kind. For instance I could have commented that Stanley knives are very common in Limerick - or that Stanley knives are Limericks answer to everything - but I didn't. Oooops I just have.......