The North American Sundial Society held its 2012 conference in Asheville NC, August 16-19.  Alice Io Oglesby and Hugh Munro, local hosts and sundial enthusiasts, took NASS members on a sundial tour through Asheville and the rolling hills of western North Carolina to see the vertical dials at Sunny Point Café and the analemmatic dial of the “kitchen garden” at the Biltmore Estate.  In Burnsville, NASS members saw the Quilt Block Sundial, one of over 200 colourful quilt block paintings along the North Carolina Quilt Block Trail. NASS was welcomed by the Mayor of Burnsville and had the Quilt Block sundial explained by Bob Hampton, astronomer designer and Martin Weaver artist. The Quilt Block Sundial in Burnsville was a most impressive example of teamwork and community support. Travelling further, Brian Leonard showed the armillary sundial he fabricated and installed in Marshall, NC.

The NASS conference included exciting talks on a colourful “Parallel Time East West Sundial” presented by new NASS member Peggy Gunnerson and shadow alignments at Toshogu Shrine by Barry Duell of the Tokyo International University.  Frank King talked about a most unusual circular analemmatic dial he designed for the Metropolitana of Naples (an Italian job).  Dr. King was also this year’s recipient of the Sawyer Dialing Prize.  Roger Bailey discussed dials of Mallorca and the “Box of Sapphires”, a compendium designed by Ibn al-Shatir in the 14^th century. Fred Sawyer gave a most interesting talk on “Projected Refraction Sundials with Ambigram”, and at the NASS dinner on Saturday, he distributed a special gift to NASS participants: a location specific projected refraction sundial with the ambigram showing “CARPE” on the dial and “DIEM” in the projected shadow.  Other speakers with interesting presentations included Alice Io Oglesby, Bill Gottesman, Dudley Warner and Ken Clark.  Next year’s conference is being planned for Boston.

Photos shown: (Top) NASS conference participants underneath Bob Hampton's Quilt Block Dial; (Bottom Left) NASS members examine Alice Oglesby and Hugh Munro's vertical dial at Sunny Point Cafe; and (Bottom Right) Bob Hampton's Equatorial Dial made from a bent yardstick.

More photos from the conference:

First Row: Sunny Point Cafe; Vertical Dial at Sunny Point Cafe; Dudley Warner

Second Row: Analemmatic Sundial at Biltmore Estate and Designers Alice Oglesby, Hugh Munro, Mac Oglesby;  Barry Duell

Third Row: Bob Hampton designer of the Quilt Block Dial; Martin Weaver artist of the Quilt Block Dial; another Bob Hampton Dial

Fourth Row: Mayor McIntosh welcomes NASS members to the Town of Burnsville, NC and provides insight into the community support behind the Quilt Sundial, along with tidbits of town history. (Center foreground, in blue, Executive Director for Quilt Trails of Western NC, Barbara Webster and in yellow, designer, Bob Hampton.); Burtonsville Mayor McIntosh; Barbara Webster describing Quilt Blocks of Western NC

Fifth Row: Frank King inspects Leonard Armillary Sphere Dial in Marshall, NC; East-West Dial Sculpture by Peggy Gunnerson at Asheville Conference; Peggy Gunnerson presenting on Stained Glass Sundial