Good for you for getting out Bernie. Fun to hear of your reactions from your friends. That is what outreach astronomy is all about. 🙂
I had good news and bad news yesterday. The good news was that I took Betty shopping on Mommy's Day and picked up some more counterweights for my Celestron 11" SCT. It works perfectly, no sliding or sagging or anything. The bad news was that I had to tend bar at the Legion and missed a nearly perfect sky. >:( I was walking home and when I got into my alley, I looked up and saw the stars so clearly that I KNEW that it was a special night. ( I couldn't go out, though. I had to hit the road for Iowa early this morning.
Still, it looks great on the Orion SkyView Pro Mount. It is BIG. But it is kind of sad to see Old Reliable (my 8" Celestron SCT) sitting on the floor underneath it. :'( But that will be my quickscope/travelscope now. I have a name for my new scope. Since I got it from Duane, this scope will be "The Real Deal". ;D