Lizard Hollow Observatory Construction Journal
April, 2000:

April   13, 2000 - First Light!:      Nearly five months of work came together in one beautiful moment tonight.    Ted and I hauled the telescope out to the Observatory and attached it to the mount,  and at about 6:15 pm, with the sun still above the horizon, the telescope saw what is often referred to as "first light" - in this case, it was the Moon, slightly past first quarter in phase.     What a magnificent sight!    I wish you all could have been there.    I don't mean to get schmaltzy on you guys, but it was a very magnificent,  emotional moment for me and for Ted,  who is the architect of the building and who has nearly single-handedly completed the building after Ben Gell erected the frame of the building and the roll-off roof.    Without Ted and Ben, and their careful,  thoughtful and craftsmanly work,  Lizard Hollow Observatory would still be merely a personal fantasy.

Now that Lizard Hollow Observatory is complete, I will be able to get caught up on e-mail and other tasks that have been shoved to the back burner during construction of the Observatory.    I will be getting the construction journal web site back up to date over the weekend,  and will add more pictures over the next couple of weeks.     I'll also be holding an Open House at the Observatory sometime in May and hope those of you in the area will drop by to take a look through the telescope and have some laughs too.


My warmest best wishes to all of you,
Thom Gandet

1999:	2000:
September Journal	January Journal
October Journal	February 1-14 Journal
November Journal	February 15-29 Journal
December Journal	March Journal