A couple of our ladies have advanced degrees in Physics and Astronomy related fields. Gina, our newest member, remembered having a beginners guide to Astronomy class as an elective while she was squeezing out her 3rd PhD. at Berkeley and really enjoying it. One thing led to another and all of a sudden a number of the girls wanted to get into amateur astronomy. It was probably as much of a way to beat the heat during the long hot summer nights here on the West Coast as it was the excitement of learning something new! Well, Julie and Shelly went down to our local telescope store and purchased several pairs of binoculars and a modest 150mm refractor telescope. Good quality 7x35 or 10x50 binoculars are a great way to get started and a necessity as you progress. Oh, I should note at this moment that Julie and Shelly both are working Astro-physicists and have allotted time scheduled at Lick Observatory located here in the eastern foothills of Silicon Valley. Yes, once every 7 or 8 weeks or so they spend usually 4 nights in a row at the top of Mt. Hamilton on the computers and in front of several large 4K monitors doing their thing! Rarely do they actually get to do any hands-on observing through any of the available telescopes. That's probably why they are so excited about getting a small scope and teaching the others the basics. It should also be noted that Gina is starting to feel comfortable with the clothing option rules around here (and why shouldn't she?). But she is still not quite ready for the full reveal. Maybe when we turn the porch lights out to get our eyes accustomed to the dark she will have a change of heart! We hope all of you find some great hobbies that you can do with your families during our present situation. All be safe and enjoy.