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9| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,S eptem ber 20,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca If your children are re- turning home these days with a van full of grandchil- dren for a swim at the neighbourhood pool and dinner, chances are you live in a home full of memo- ries. The thought of down- sizing may have crossed your mind, followed by a stress relieving glass of wine. Downsizing can be a daunting thought. Sorting through the family home full of 25+ years of family heirlooms, mixed in with old Eaton's shopping bags containing grade school re- port cards likely doesn't take priority on the week- end to do list. That said, there are resources and tried processes available in Waterloo to ease the bur- den and help you move for- ward. Realtors sometimes use the term right-sizing in- stead of downsizing not be- cause it's a buzz word, but rather it explains the rea- soning behind a later life- style move more accurate- ly. Downsizing can be the result of a change in health, a work-related move, or perhaps anyone of any age realizing they have "too much house." Right- sizing better reflects a gold- en year shift because it doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing space. Perhaps you're right-sizing to a bun- galow from a two-story home, or it's time to transi- tion to a condo option with decent square footage and live among peers who have already completed the pro- cess. Throughout Waterloo there are plenty of options that lean toward adult life- style living. Leasing at the Barrel Yards has become a popular option for those who want to try out condo living without worrying about committing to a sig- nificant lifestyle shift, if it isn't the right fit. If condo lifestyle is right for you, Waterpark Place is well maintained and provides fantastic amenities among an adult lifestyle commu- nity in the heart of uptown. If you're an active indi- vidual who enjoys garden- ing, Waterloo has great neighbourhoods (Lincoln Heights, North Lakeshore, Westvale and Westmount) stalked full of bungalows and mature landscaping on quality lot sizes. This right- sized move offers the op- portunity to lower your home maintenance activi- ties and bills without sacri- ficing parking or a neigh- bourhood feel you may de- sire to maintain. Beyond the housing op- portunities available local- ly for making right-size moves, there are resources available to help ease the burden of decluttering and simplifying the process. A professional Realtor helps develop an optimal time- line and suggestions on how to get your home "show ready." There are se- nior moving services avail- able to help move items that younger generations may not appreciate, but still have value. These ser- vices can include online auctions, facilitating con- tent removal with Habitat Restore and assisting with the recycling process. Moving from a long- standing family home shouldn't be a rushed deci- sion, and it also doesn't need to be chaotic and stressful either. We are hosting a seniors seminar on Thursday Sept. 27 be- tween 2:00 to 4 p.m. at the Waterloo Recreation Com- plex. Experts will be on hand to discuss right-siz- ing in greater details. Paul Stickney is a life- long resident of Waterloo and local Realtor with experience in residential home and condo resales. He can be reached at paul@kwhouseand- home.com. RIGHT-SIZING 101 MANY OPTIONS TO CONSIDER FOR A LIFESTYLE MOVE IN WATERLOO IN YOUR GOLDEN YEARS, WRITES PAUL STICKNEY PAUL STICKNEY Column It's a tale of innumera- ble and awesome violence - the lunar surface scarred with impact craters from millennia of asteroid and comet collisions. I'm fascinated every time I gaze at the scene through my eight-inch Dobsonian reflector tele- scope. I have loved space sci- ence since I was a child, and astrophotography has been a hobby of mine for many years, using only my telescope and a Kodak PIX- PRO Astro Zoom digital camera. And taking magnificent lunar landscape images, with majestic peaks jutting miles above the chaotic surface, is easier than you may think. In the September/Octo- ber 2018 issue of SkyNews, editor Gary Seronik writes: "Our nearest celes- tial neighbour is tremen- dously photogenic. From wide-angle shots of con- junctions with Venus to highly detailed close-ups of the lunar surface - the com- positional possibilities are endless." As with all forms of as- trophotography, shooting the moon requires plenty of experimentation, writes Seronik: "Try different ex- posure times and ISO set- tings to find the combina- tion that works best with your equipment and the moon's current phase." I find a waning crescent moon can look spellbinding in photos, but some of the best images I've captured are of a waxing gibbous when the moon is nearly full on a dark, clear night. "Nothing beats a frame- filling portrait of the moon's entire disc," writes Seronik. "It's the best of both worlds - details show up readily, and you can ap- preciate them in context." While I find photo- graphing the moon to be in- credibly fun and gratify- ing, it requires a lot of pa- tience and dedication to capture the perfect shot. I have taken thousands of lu- nar images over the years, many of them on bone- chilling nights when the moon is high in the winter sky, and only a fraction turn out to be real keepers. I can't imagine how challenging astrophotog- raphy was 20 years ago, be- fore the digital age when backyard astronomers used film, unable to know if the images they captured were sharp, if the exposure was right, or if the subject was even in the pictures until they were developed. Thanks to digital cam- eras, you can have an in- stant replay of what you've just photographed by looking at the back of the camera or downloading the images onto a comput- er, making lunar photogra- phy accessible to anyone with a telescope. Seronik writes: "The next time the moon shines brightly in a clear night sky, set up your scope and try capturing your own lu- nar snapshots. It's one of the easiest forms of astro- nomical photography, yet it's also one of the most re- warding." The moon's violent past and imperfections are what make it such a bril- liant and compelling tele- scopic sight. If you're a stargazer (or a moongazer), you may want to give astrophotog- raphy a try. There are plen- ty of resources to help a be- ginner pick the right tele- scope and equipment, and you'll likely be amazed by the fascinating stories our moon has to tell. Marshall Ward is a freelance writer and artist. Email is welcome at mar- shall_ward@hotmail.com. THE MOON IS A TALE OF INNUMERABLE AND AWESOME VIOLENCE OPINION EVERY TIME I GAZE AT THE SCENE THROUGH MY TELESCOPE, I'M FASCINATED, WRITES MARSHALL WARD MARSHALL WARD Column This image of the 10-day-old waxing gibbous moon was photographed with an eight-inch Dobsonian reflector telescope and a Kodak PIXPRO Astro Zoom digital camera. Marshall Ward/Photo