Hi Bob, I'm hoping you got the moon photo. Thanks for the message on the phone. I've been off until now and just got it this afternoon. There's a gigantic drawback to a Meade 12" -- that is, it's gigantic. I have little trouble hoisting it onto the tripod for alt/alz viewing and moon pictures, but the only time I had it on the Superwedge (which isn't part of the basic price), that was a real ordeal. I had to have help lifting it up,then more help in attempting to get the two other screws in to hold it onto the Superwedge and then in the morning I found that the top screw was just barely in. Yikes! When I wanted to take it down I didn't want to both people again asking for help but I was afraid to try and lift it off the Superwedge using just one hand on the remaining screw and one on the tube's handle. So I ended up putting foam packing on the ground on top of a blanket, and lowering it as gently as I could onto the ground, wedge and tripod still attached. As it got to the lower portion it fell pretty fast but the foam cushioned the impact and there was no damage. It was easy to unscrew it then and lift the components into the back of our Cherokee. Since then I've been doing a lot of consulting via email and figuring, trying to decide how to get it off and on the Superwedge when I want to do photography. I considered building a gantry and using a winch with it. In the end I decided on a modified version of the spur-of-the-moment way I got it down. I bought a one-ton winch from Home Depot, as well as some wide auto tow straps. My notion is to get the Superwedge and tripod set up, aligned and leveled with the telescope on; attach the winch line to the Jeep; drive in rebar and tent spikes, and maybe tie a couple of lines on that are attached to another couple of tent spikes, to hold two legs in place; lie the tripod and Superwedge down; connect the tube, then use the winch to pull it upright. The anchors should hold the two back legs in place so it won't slide around or tip. Also, I'll have one final tow line from the wedge going out to a couple of cinderblocks, which will act as a counterweight pulling along the ground to prevent it going over too fast once it's vertical but before the final leg goes down. Another option I tried to do was to shorten the tripod by 10 inches, since it really is too tall for any useful purpose. Shortening it would increase stability, as it would be closer to the ground. It also could make it possible to lift the telescope onto the Superwedge, using a set of straps and dog collars in an arrangement that another LX200 owner designed. I drove to two metalworking shops on Saturday hoping to do that, but no luck -- one guy seemed incompetent, the other wanted to much. When I found the nice deal on the winch, it seemed better to go with the idea of winching it up and down. I'll let you know how it works out. One final thing: I had a horrible time with the manual as it didn't explain some things well. But I think I have those difficulties about solved. I still need to train my gears (PEC) and to try out my Pictor guider. Then I should be able to take some real photos. I had not fixed collumination when I took the moon photo, but I have now. That was the last thing I did during my last session. But I have to say, the few views I've had with it before collumination were remarkable. From a site that wasn't that dark I could see the spiral structure in M51. Also I was fascinated by the moon, for the first time in a long time -- crisp detail. Best wishes, Joe Joe Bauman science & military reporter Deseret News bau@desnews.com (801) 237-2169