The story of my avatar

It was a dark, clear night.

Mars was at its closest approach in a while, and was appearing especially bright. People were coming out on their porches and stair landings to see it.

This happens in Arizona, many of us are star-mad.

I had my new Nikon camera, and wanted to see if I could get the planet in a picture.

However, at maximum zoom, it was impossible to hold the camera steady enough without a good tripod. The planet kept making these fanciful tracks across the frame.

One looked like a perfect "R..."

So my avatar, my friends, is a photograph from the night the heavens themselves spelled my name.