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(meteorobs) Update

Well,  I've been very busy these last 3 days...no time to even answer any of
my email.  I was able to read everything Friday morning and last night.  My
computer has a problem again when I tried to get on this morning.   I'm on my
wife's at the present.  Later when she gets back she will hopefully help me
fix it.  So...I will try to answer everything the best I can remember in one
big swoop. 

First of all, I worked Thursday...so that day i was unavailable.  Then Friday
I had to drive up to Pomona to pick up my daughter and then drive over to
Hemet to visit my brother.  In other words...I was on the road most of the
day.  Yesterday was also my birthday, so I had to deal with the well wishers
at home and be civil about it.  After that was over, I made a trip to the
observatory to observe last night.  It was very clear.  I started observing
around 10:15 pm...then at around 11:30 pm a large coastal fog bank enveloped
me for about an hour and a half.  After wards, It was very clear again.  I
got about 4 hours observing time...and plotted 34 meteors.  No unusual
activity to report...other than a nice -4 and -3...I haven't made a
determination as to what they were yet...could very well be Sagittarids.
 Neither one was in my camera's field of view.  I might have caught a -1 and
0 magnitude, but won't know until I develop the film some day.  Bob, I heard
two "international Travelers" last night walking down the road at about
1:30...they made no attempt to join me...They spoke a foreign language as
they walked.  They were coming from the turn around.  My inlaws said that is
the direction they were coming from and they were right...So, I wouldn't try
observing from there anymore...too risky.  They also said that they are
staying down at the river bottom...about a 150 yards away.  A few dogs
barked, but nothing suspicious in my vicinity.  Rambo sure makes a lot of
racket however.  I went to the windmill to plug in and he started running
after me.  I hope he treats the "travelers" the same way. By the way, I
removed the extension cord...Rambo tries to eat it and might get his lips
electrocuted.  I also removed some more items from the observatory...namely
my sleeping bag, blue box.  Just precautionary.  I'm convinced the
observatory will be broken into soon.  I cautioned Brian staples of the SD
Astronomy association and the Laguna Observatory.  Brian said they have them
coming over also at his site.  He mentioned he is armed...so am I. 

Gary,  I just postal mailed you copies of my plotting charts for those 4
nites around the Draconid activity.  I also enclosed a couple other little
items as well. You can match them with the reports that I emailed you last
week.  If you don't have them anymore, just holler and I will resend them.

George G.  I just postal mailed you your missing charts along with the
plotting form. 

Rainer, charts for my May and June observations were also mailed today.  I
also mailed two photos of two different Lyrid fireballs from Last april for
Jurgen. 

Jim Houser,  I will add you to my permanent mailing list for my meteor
reports that I email.  I'll send you the latest 4 for June as soon as my
computer gets straightened out...don't know when that will be?

Okay, about the Xi Draconids...the velocity thing.  Everytime I get into one
of these bru-ha ha's, I usually learn something in the end. I guess that is
progress? I didn't quite understand what Gary meant when he was talking about
the velocity from the possible Draconid radiant couldn't be as fast as I
claimed and still be in Solar orbit.  As soon as I read the  apex
relationship in a later message, some brain cells made the synapse. I can't
compute it, but I understand the concept. The only things that make any
sense, is that the following are possibilities:
1) I was right about the velocities being very fast and that they are
hyperbolic ...highly unlikely.
2) I mis-judge the velocities from being Very Fast to what should be
Fast...possible, but I find that hard to believe...even with short meteors a
fair distance away from the radiant...maybe some, but not that many. However,
I do have 4 listed as Fast, one as Medium, 2 as Slow, and 8 as being Very
Fast. I accepted these as possibilities due to their proximity to the radiant
and path lengths to the radiant. 
3) The radiant isn't real, but all coincidences...I'm not ready to swallow
that one just yet. 
4) If the radiant is real, the most logical is that I erred on my velocity
judgements. 
5) If the radiant isn't real, a very interesting set of coincidences are at
play here. Too many coincidences for me to conclude that the radiant doens't
exist. 

There were a lot of messages shot back and forth on this, but I can't
remember what all was discussed.  When my computer gets fixed and I see
something that I didn't address, I will respond to it.

As for that little ditty that I sent out about Observing with Mosquitos.
 I've had a few people respond with some other ideas to add to my little list
of remedies.  One that I remember was the drinking a tablespoon full of
Vinegar each day will keep insects away.  Someone else sent me an interesting
response about various sprays for clothing only...not for the skin.  I hope I
didn't lose it on the computer?
George Z.