Secret Love - A Maylor Tale

Into The Mystic - 1970

Song selection - Into The Mystic by Van Morrison

A/N -  Some of the content written here is based on factual information obtained from Brian May's thesis.  'A Survey of Radial Velocities In The Zodiacal Dust Cloud' can be found online.  Google it!

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Dear Roger

We arrived yesterday on the island and I got my first glimpse of Mount Teide today. After staying overnight on the coast, we drove inland to the national park this morning. The observatory is beautiful and we are staying in the onsite student housing.

Dr. Reay has his own quarters and I'm sharing with Tom while we are here. After checking in, we changed and took our first hike in the surrounding area. The terrain here feels so foreign to our soil back home. It seems so odd that such a small island can provide beaches as well as forested areas. Then you reach the volcanic area and it almost seems desert like. We plan to do a hike that goes up much higher in a few days. Dr. Reay said to expect snow.

The little I managed to see of the beaches was impressive. I know how much you love the sand and water and this would probably be your favorite thing on the island. We are going back to visit the beach on the weekend and I will think of you as we take a dip in lovely blue waters and lounge in the golden sand.

Of course, our main objective is to locate the ideal spot and build a hut for observing the zodiacal dust. The scouting begins tomorrow. I will sign off now as I am tired after a long day. I will write again soon.

Brian

P.S. Tell everyone I said hello...especially Freddie

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Brian read over the letter and initially found it dull. After mulling over a rewrite, he realized it couldn't be improved upon and slid the folded paper into an envelope. He addressed the envelope and affixed the stamps needed to get it home to England. To Barnes. Into Roger's hands. He smiled as he considered the brightness in his friend's face when the letter arrived in the post. Happy to hear Brian had arrived safely in Tenerife and how things were going.

After visiting the communal bathroom, Brian walked back to his assigned room. Tom was sitting up in bed reading a book. The men shared a 'good night' as Brian climbed into his bed and felt the pull of sleep take him quickly.

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Dear Roger

First, an update on our planned hut. A location has been established and a local construction firm arrived today to deliver the building materials and assist in the erection of the building. The men on the crew all speak Spanish so this proved a challenge for me. Luckily Dr. Reay and an associate here at the observatory, Dr. Carlos Magro, are both fluent in the language. They are kindly translating on behalf of myself and the crew chief. Carlos also has taught me a few keys words in Spanish. A few of which you might find handy should you travel this way. Ask me about all the curse words he taught me when I get home.

Once the hut is completed, I plan to move quarters and spend the rest of my time conducting research. I am itching to try out the spectrometer here. Especially since I missed any chance of using it in Testa Grigia. I hope the insulation is sufficient on the hut. It does get fairly cold here at night. The elevation is almost 3500 meters where we are at. I am concerned for the equipment more than my own comfort.