New York, New York!

Fall is a great time of year, and it's even better in New York City!  In October I took a few days to travel to The City of cities.


Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip:

Jazz Band in Central Park

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Times Square

Ray's Pizza

Hudson River

One of My First Loves - Astronomy

My 12.5 inch reflector at twilight in West Texas.

My love for astronomy began when I was a child and simply looked up at the night sky and stared in awe at all of the stars.  In suburban Illinois in the 1970s, there were plenty of stars to appreciate.  Now that I live near a big city, it much more challenging to find a clear dark sky.  For the best views I now travel to low population sites where there is little or nearly no light pollution.

As I grew a little older I began to dream of being able to see more clearly the sights the heavens held high above.  At the library I discovered Sky & Telescope magazine, where I poured over articles and photographs of magnificent astronomical objects.  My favorite middle school teacher, hinted to my father at Open House one night just how much I would love to have a telescope.  To my surprise that fall my parents gave me my first telescope - a 4 inch diameter reflector!

Now, twenty-six years later, I still have that telescope, along with several others.  My interest in telescopes and the night sky is very much alive and borders on obsession.  Soon (oh, give me about two or three weeks), I will have a special tab set up on this blog site entitled, "Astronomy."  After you take a look at the photos there, I'm sure that you'll fall in love with astronomy too.

Coming Soon...A new short mystery story

“So Patricia, what’s with Mr. Ambrose tonight?” the owner said.

“I was wondering that myself Tony,” only her eyes turned towards his table as she wrote in the reservation log. The subtle disagreement there had turned into a full blown argument, although Mr. Ambrose and his friend were trying hard to keep it from being readily apparent.

Her eyes returned and finally looked up at him, “Tony, did you notice anything strange about him?”

“Other than the obvious seething anger?”

“Clearly, but I’m referring to the way he is dressed. That fedora,” she leaned forward, her voice an intense whisper.

“Ah that. No I’ve never seen him wear it before. Striking red feather against that beautiful gray,” he remarked with admiration.

With solemnity Patricia replied, “It wasn’t a feather.”

Scrabble by C. T. Martin...

available February 17, 2011 at: http://www.ctmartinauthor.net/theater

A New Mini Mystery

Going Out on a Limb
by C. T. Martin


"You can only stay here one night Dave," she said.

"Why?" he asked.

"You toss and turn too much, I can't get any sleep!"

"For that, you would turn me out of your home?" Dave pleaded.

"Yeah that, and not to mention you're a fugitive from justice! I don't need the cops finding that thirty grand you lifted from the bank, in my house!" she exclaimed.

Early that morning Dave crept out of her home with his sack full of loot. Soon he spotted a pickup truck at the drugstore. The driver had stepped inside and left the engine running.

"Here's my chance," Dave thought. At first he intended to steal the truck, but then thought better of it. Hiding the money was one thing, trying to hide a stolen truck was another. He waited for the owner to return.

"Excuse me," he started politely.

Guarded, the man looked at Dave and replied, "Yes?"

"If you don't mind, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and ask if you can give me a lift into the city?"

"Well, I am headed in that direction. Hop in, but you ride in the flatbed."

Dave was fast asleep when his chauffeur pulled up to their destination. The driver walked towards the tall white building marked, "Courthouse," where he worked as a clerk. It wouldn't take long to find a cop inside willing to verify, that the man sleeping in the back of his truck, was a wanted bank robber.