Our Story

Welcome to our site! We are Joanne & Steve. After 20+ years working for a city school department and police department, we sold almost everything, bought an RV, and started living on the road with our three children. Joanne homeschooled and worked online. Over the years we worked for Jellystone Parks as well as volunteered. We stopped traveling after 7 years and bought a house. Steve continued police work with the National Park Service and Joanne taught Kindergarten. Now that our three kids are adults, we have decided to travel more and explore.
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Monday, August 9, 2010

Did you ever wonder?

If you notice the moon phases square to the bottom left of this blog, you will see that the moon is in absentia.  Tomorrow, August 10th, will be a New Moon...even though we won't see it.  Last night at bedtime...around midnight, it was PITCH dark.  There was no moon light whatsoever.  Amazing how much this orb actually lends itself to illumination at night...of course, we do know that the moon has no light of its own.

Anyway, while lying in bed, I was thinking of the word "pitch."   We say pitch black often, but what is this phrase's origin?  When I hear pitch, I think dark...I also thing of pitchblende, A massive variety of the mineral uraninite.  Pitchblende was used by Pierre and Marie Curie in their discovery of uranium.  I read the book, "Obsessive Genious" about Madame Curie.  Loved it.  



The word "pitch," itself, means any of various heavy dark viscid substances obtained as a residue from the distillation of tars.

So, when you look outside tonight, tomorrow night, and the next...enjoy the pitchdark night.  And may the New Moon bring you a safe end to the summer.

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