Hello Friend,

     Frankly, I could not believe my ears.

Recently, we had a female customer come in to the store, who had been in the hobby for quite a number of years.

She decided that she wanted to purchase a fairly large instrument,
that she could use on her property in her dark sky location.

     The 14" aperture telescope was going to be mounted on a set of dolly wheels,
which we also sold her, so she could easily move the telescope in and out of the garage with reasonable ease.

         Shortly thereafter, she visited a local astronomy club and some
members of the club asked her what kind of instrument she had purchased.

Imagine her surprise when they told her that she was "oversold" a telescope that was too big for her
and that she would not possibly be able to handle!

Now I actually heard this information second hand,
so I spoke to the lady in question and she  reconfirmed what was said to her, Friend.

Of course the individual(s)  involved had no inkling or idea of her actual situation, or what
she was in fact capable of doing for that matter.

And not that it was any of their business anyway!

       In fact, those were thoughtless comments, by small minded people, in my humble but accurate opinion.

There was an article in one of the astronomy magazines recently asking the question:'Where are all the women
in amateur astronomy?' alluding to the fact that most astronomy clubs are primarily male dominated.

Well, if they are treated with this kind of disregard, no wonder they don't stick around.

     Something to think about.

Clear Skies,

Ray Khan