The Telescope

She adjusted the smoky grey filter in the aperture. The telescope had been a gift from her grandfather. They had enjoyed many late nights exploring the stars from his back porch. In the summer they drank freshly squeezed lemonade, but in the winter they enjoyed hot chocolate with always the right number of miniature marshmallows. She heard a crash in the kitchen. Cautiously, she peeked through the open window. Her daughter, standing on tiptoes to reach the counter, was dropping ice cubes into a half-filled pitcher of iced tea. She missed her grandfather but his love of science lived on.

(Photo credit: “Transit of Venus.The image was taken with a home-made solar filter from baader solar film. The camera was placed on a very steady tripod that is operated by using a remote control. A few consecutive shots were stacked, using freeware RegiStax 6 Never look at the sun directly. You may go blind.” Selected as the Picture of the Day, Wikimedia Commons on August 17, 2012)