Meet the "alebrije." This figurine was presented to me at IAU402's conference dinner, for having won the poster contest. It's a beautiful piece of Mexican folk art. Its origins dates back to the 1930s, when an ill Pedro Linares had a dream of one these that kept repeating the word "alebrijes."

They had little tags on them that read:

Upon arrival, I was greeted at the gate by a lone guanaco, which was certainly appropriate. Note the profile picture.

I got to see this tonight. I’m a lucky guy.

Sometimes life imitates art.

They’re putting the lights up on El Pino.

We watched in horror as a small puppy got run over by the car ahead of us. We scooped her up and got her to a vet; fortunately, she was in shock but otherwise uninjured. And that's how we adopted Acorn. Here she is on her first walk, with our other two Rez rescue dogs, Pumpkin and Butternut.

So, I'm having a (very small) art exhibit at the local coffee house that I use as my second office. Astrophotos by @kneugent.bsky.social , Joe Llama, and myself will be up at Late for the Train from now through the second week of October. Go figure!

I'm on our 4.3-meter telescope tonight. Given the weather map and the prediction, the only question is do I call it now or wait until bedtime?