What is a blogfest, exactly? It’s an occasion to making online friends and discover others with similar interests. There are many initiatives in the blogosphere, of course, so it might be complicated to find which one to join. I decided this one was for me:
#CHERISHED Blogfest
The festival is hosted by Damyanti – Daily (w)rite / Dan Antion – No Facilities / Paul Ruddock – Echoes of the Pen / Peter Nena – Demogorgon’s Fiction / Sharukh Bamboat – India Destinations, and these are the instructions for this 2015 edition:
Often, objects lead us to memories.
The objects we hold most dear, harbour the most cherished memories.
For the CHERISHED Blogfest, we invite you to talk to us about one of your cherished objects.
Tell us what it is, post a picture of it if you like, and tell us why you cherish it.
Keep your post to below 500 words.
Join us on the 24th to 26th of July 2015 in sharing memories, emotions, information.
We’ll read and comment on each others’ posts, get to know each other better,
and hopefully, make or renew some friendships.
So, after giving it some thinking, this is my beloved, precious, cherished object: A telescope.
I’ve loved astronomy and space since more time than I can remember. And since all I wanted in my childhood was looking at the stars (not that things have changed later on), it was obvious in a way to do the utmost to obtain a telescope as a present from my family. After years of pleading, tears and fights, at 9 I finally got one, not dissimilar from the model in the picture – a refracting telescope quite easy to operate even for a child. In one night – the first with a clear sky – my life changed forever: I was able to observe the Moon’s surface in all its beautiful details, counting the four major Galilean Jupiter’s satellites and even glimpsing at Saturn’s rings. I discovered a new set of deep-space objects that had eluded me until that moment – like the Andromeda Galaxy or the blue Pleiades. And from that moment on I spent countless nights alone with my treasure, feeling every time blessed to have that amazing opportunity. Many years had passed since then, and I have no idea what happened to my telescope. But the magic it worked for me is still alive: I keep dreaming of outer space.
Like the blogfest concept? Join the party, following the instructions given above and write about your own object. And don’t forget to add your blog address to this Linky Tools list, so that people know about it and can visit & say hello!
Thank you for participating in the Cherished blogfest! Ever since I read Carl Sagan for the first time, I’ve had a fascination for the night skies– I enjoyed reading about your discoveries with the telescope.
Thanks Damyanti – what a great idea this Cherished blogfest. I had not thought about my telescope in years…now I am burning to get myself a new one!
Thank you for participating in and championing the blogfest. I also received a telescope when I was about that age, maybe 10 or 11. I don’t have that scope, but I do have a similar telescope and it still possesses the magic you described here. Thank you for reminding me of those simple clear summer nights when I was a child.
Amazing how nice memories remain from those times, isn’t it? I try to have my children experience the same (they’re still young though)
I love watching the night sky. As a child, i laid out in the yard, we lived in the country with no street lights and was pleased to catch a glimpse of John Glenn when he orbited the earth. Love space that is why I write mostly Science fiction books. Nice Cherish blog post.
Thanks for stopping by – and yes, my love for SF comes from there too.
The sky is beautiful during the day and at night! I’m glad you were able to get such a prized possession when you were younger, to see the wonder of the stars for what they were.
Hello, thanks – I look forward to having my children doing the same.
Wonderful! I hope you get another telescope. Do you watch NASA TV? It’s an exciting time to be watching the skies 😉
Many thanks – and yes, I’m regularly watching NASA TV. We do live in exciting times spacewise. 🙂
Ah, those stars they twinkle with so many secrets, it is no wonder that your cherished object is your telescope. Thanks for sharing this love of star gazing with us.
Hello Marje, thanks for that – hope you have the occasion to do it too. You’ll get rewarded with an unforgettable view.
what a great thing to cherish! there are so many possibilities in those stars and planets and galaxies!
Hello Tara, thanks for stopping by and yes – night sky is something really amazing!
I had a telescope as a kid too, but it didn’t inspire me nearly as much as it seems to have you!
I guess you also need people helping you in finding your way. My father was very supportive 🙂
I gave up on my telescope because of the city lights but now that I live far from the city and can see the stars, I’ll have to give it another try.
Definitively worth it!
Happy Cherished Blogfest! I’m glad I found your blog — I used to paddle our canoe out into the middle of the lake on a New Moon night, to lay down so the canoe’s sides obscured all references to earth and all I could see was the firmament of stars above. Floating on the water was floating through the universe surrounded by stars. It was Heaven. I should have taken astronomy in college instead of biology I think I would have been happier and earned a better grade also. What is it about the stars that mesmerize us so much? Is there a promise in the sky? Hope? Mystery? Can you believe that I’ve only once or twice looked through a telescope? Thank you for participating in the blogfest. Cinda
Cinda – I like the canoe concept for star gazing as long as there is no waterfall at the end of the lake… I will try not to make any Lake Erie jokes on that note… now to wander back to Stephen’s blog…
Hello, thanks for sharing that and I agree with you – I think it is the promise of something unique, and incredibly rewarding. Keep looking, and you will never stop, Cinda.
Stephan, Science, telescopes and sci-fi oh my. thanks for joining the blog fest.
Hello John, thanks for visiting, and happy you enjoy them too…! 🙂