Actually, it's only the end of the formal season, not the business season. It seems that some bright bulb has decreed that the HAA year should run from November to November, rather than the usual September to June. In retrospect, I suppose this is logical because the heavens don't turn out the lights for the summer.
Membership continues to grow in a variety of ways.
Ottawa members Peter Ceravolo and his wife Darlene presented the HAA with a brand new baby boy, who of course is an astronomer in the making. There is even a rumour that Peter has bought his son his first six-inch mirror blank. Closer to home, Patty and Charles Baetsen are eagerly awaiting their new member, who is due to arrive about the time of our annual camping excursion. The relationship between the HAA and Rob and Jeannette is so close that we were invited to share in their honeymoon at the Perth Observatory. In spite of the antics of honeymoon hecklers, it has been reported that the newlyweds are still in love.