I spent 6 weeks last summer in Jordan, so that was the fourth straight summer
I've been away from NorCal. Sounds like the good viewing was smoked out anyway.
It looks like next summer I'll be around, so I hope to make the NorCal star
parties next year.

While in JordanI did meet with the head of the Jordanian Astronomical Society.
They have monthly outreach meetings. One handicap the amateur astronomers there
have is it is hard to import telescopes because of potential military uses.
(They worry a lot about the country to their west and potential terrorist
attacks from within Jordan against the same.)

Michael Huster, Ph. D.
Associate Professor of Science
Simpson University
2211 College View Dr.
Redding, CA 96003