Because we decided to have our regular meetings for the first half of 2002 in February, April, and June, there was no meeting in January 2002.  This of course explains the absence of any minutes from the January meeting.  However, our financial life goes on, so Treasurer Betty Grimm submitted the following written report for December 2001.

       After repeated cloud-outs, our January Star Party  actually took place - with potluck supper and all.  The sky was very clear for a change.  It was a little chilly, but there was no wind to speak of.  We took a break in the middle of things and came inside to warm up around the wood stove with hot cider and hot chocolate.
       Terry Eakens saw first light with his brand new Orion 120 mm refractor, a slick scope with a very smooth German equatorial mount.  Terry will soon have it equipped with go-to capability.
       Chuck Dobbins also brought his new scope, an 8" go-to Meade.  It's always fun to look at the same objects with different scopes.  We also had Murray's 12" Meade up and running.
       Mercury was a bright naked-eye object about 10 deg above the WSW horizon in the early evening - boiling and shimmering in a scope, of course.  Saturn and Jupiter were well placed throughout the evening.  We had perhaps the best view of Jupiter that many of us had ever seen.  A thin band north of the major equatorial band was visible much of the time.  A narrow band between the two major equatorial bands was occasionally visible, and so were thin fragments of other bands.  Some of the open clusters were really great, for example M36, M37, and M38.  All in all, it was a very good night.  The nine people who attended were well rewarded.