The Observatory

The observatory was a room unlike any other.  The stairway up to the room was more like a carpeted ladder with deep rungs.  The door was  not a door at all, but a hatch like you'd find on a pirate ship or a rocket. The whole room was carpeted, including what you might describe as a giant stair step against the far wall. And no one else I knew had a roll back roof!

I don't remember if I actually spent the night in Grandpa Woody's observatory.  For me there was a scary factor to the observatory, especially if I was up there alone.  What was behind those miniature doors on both sides of the room? Did the roof even have a locking device?  The tiny doors sure didn't. And what about spiders? Certainly any room with a rolling roof was sure to have spiders.

In spite of my imagination running wild, filling me with terrifying ideas about what really was in the observatory, I actually spent a decent amount of time as a kid in that hideaway.

Grandpa's observatory was featured in the popular magazine, Sunset. I tried to get a copy of the magazine article, but was told it was out of print.

I like that one dictionary defines observatory as "a place or structure that provides an extensive view." In that spirit, let this be a place where we can provide an extensive view of family with the past, present and future in mind.

By Asia Cazier, daughter of Richard and Lani Moore