Friday Follies

FAMILY AFFAIR: It was music morning, and during parent participation time, we were given a stack of cards and a mat, and instructed to divide the instruments into their families (woodwinds, brass, percussion and string). CJ and Annabelle did so with no trouble.

DON'T STOP: After music, I decided it was time for MPA to get its house in order, so to speak. Honestly, this place was still trashed from the aftermath of CJ's bday.

I told the kids we were going to clean up our act, and that the best way to go about something like this is to have a strategy. I asked, "Who knows what 'strategy' means?" and they both raised their hands, which I found amusing. ;)

We decided to clean from left to right, along the east wall first, then wrapping to the south, then the west. And that's just what we did. Mostly. When their attention spans drifted, I'd exhort, "Don't stop cleaning!" which morphed into Annabelle singing "Don't Stop Believing" which devolved into me finding that song on YouTube (the fantastic version from the cast of Glee) and a dance party broke out. Yeah, well, so much for "Don't Stop Cleaning." :\



CLUELESS IN SEATTLE: Today was our second session of the series of science classes we've signed up for. This time we had to drive down to Rainier Valley (quite near where we go to yoga) for class. We arrived about 15 minutes early. Conveniently, there is a park across the street from the building where we were meeting, so the kids got to play around for a bit.

At one point I heard Annabelle yell, "I'm climbing DNA!" I walked around to the source of her voice and found CJ and her climbing a twisted ladder that resembled life's building blocks.

Come 12:15 it was time to head inside for class. The discussion about solids, liquids and gases from last week resumed, and this time teacher Kate held up a half gallon of whole milk and asked the kids if they thought it was a liquid, solid or a gas. The group all hopped on the 'liquid' bandwagon.

Kate then held up a beaker of water, added a couple of drops of food coloring and asked the class what they saw. "Instant color change!" declared Annabelle. Her comment drew praise from Kate for its accuracy and the fact that she noted it was an immediate change.

At that, Annabelle added, "It's like adding food coloring to fondant!"

A puzzled Kate questioned, "Like what?"

"Like fondant," Annabelle enunciated.

Scientist Kate looked puzzled and admitted, "I don't know what 'fondant' is."

"It's fancy frosting," I muttered from the sidelines, prompting several parents present to chuckle.

Kate then asked the class what they thought would happen if food coloring was added to milk, which appears to be very liquid. After the kids each dropped a couple of drops of color into the milk, they came to learn it isn't entirely liquid after all.

They learned that liquid food coloring doesn't flow through milk easily, but that it will try to find a way when faced with soap. The kids all dipped toothpicks in dishwashing soap and plunged them into the milk/food coloring colloid.

Annabelle shared a table with a boy about her age and another kid, about 12. The trio was methodical and meticulous during the experiment and it showed. Their milk-filled pan was a thing of beauty after they introduced the soap coated toothpicks. Everyone in the room came over to 'ooh' and 'aah' over it.

CJ's experience in class was not quite as, shall we say, successful. It started well enough- he found his name tag and his 'smock' and sat in a seat. And then, it was pretty much straight downhill. He totally checked out (mentally). He was present in body, but his mind was so far, far away for the whole hour following. He wasn't disruptive, I'll give him that, but he didn't follow a single cue or direction. I found it perplexing. And then annoying. And then it moved toward infuriating. Keep in mind, all the while, I went over to him and gave him verbal 'prompts' or encouragement or threats. ;) But he just never engaged, and they were doing cool stuff and there was no reason he shouldn't have been able to at least feign mild interest. Instead, he was completely indifferent.

Needless to say, after class we went straight home and during the 40 minute drive we talked about his actions or lack thereof. It was helpful to have the ideas and vocabulary from "You Are a Social Detective" to work with. CJ realized the error of his ways, and felt really horrible and promised to do better next time, and I'm sure he will. That said, Christian and I reminded him that there are many instances in life where there is no 'next time.' You only get one chance to make a first impression, and often there just are no 'do overs,' period. In other words, no excuses, dude. You gotta get with the program.

BOWSER GOES DOWN!: This afternoon we had a play date with favorite preschool friend Connor. He, like CJ and Annabelle, appreciates the fine things in life, like old school Nintendo/Mario games, and the three of them had a date to make the Bowser pinata go down.

We'd arranged to meet at Ella Bailey Park, atop Magnolia. When we got there I scouted a quiet corner of the park and a tree to hang Bowser from, away from the crowd. Yeah, well that lasted all of 12 seconds. I was stringing Bowser up when a guy pushing a stroller interjected himself into the equation. He said, "You really need to hang that from the playground, where it will swing freely," and then he started peppering me with questions about the pinata, taking photos of it with his phone and telling me how he'd never seen anything like it, how I should have a Web site with them and ship them all over blah blah blah. Aargh. I was just hoping for a very low key Bowser bashing. Sigh. (I guess we should have done it in our carport!)

So, we moved him over to the playground. Of course, once there, I welcomed all the kiddos present to have a whack, because it would have been sooooooo ruuude (IMHO) to hang a pinata in the middle of a public playground and then declare it off limits to anyone.

Thankfully, Bowser was over-engineered (as is my pinata norm), and he withstood a couple hundred hits. In fact, he was so darn strong, he was wearing the kids out. I proposed playing soccer with him. :) Eventually, chinks in his armor developed and he spilled his guts. It was fun for CJ, Annabelle and Connor - and what a bonus for the kids who just happened to be hanging round the park this afternoon.

SPACE RACE LATEST: Via Facebook and email today, the Kennedy Center folks let me know that tickets for the May 14 launch will go on sale on Monday morning at 6 a.m. Left Coast time. The notice came with this caveat: "NASA Causeway tickets may be available for less than one minute." Um, yikes.

I totally believe it too, after reading the hundreds of messages on Facebook from people from around the globe declaring their intent to come for the launch. I'm so glad we decided to buy the tickets through Gator Tours now - I can only imagine how hammered they'll be once that one minute sellout happens come Monday.

Earth Day - Hooray! (title by Annabelle)

FAILURE TO LAUNCH: So, while most of the West Coast was still tucked under their sheets, at 5:45 a.m., I was frantically monitoring three computers and working the cell phone. You see, tickets to view the launch of Atlantis (STS-132) on May 14 at Kennedy Space Center were supposed to go on sale at 6 a.m. our time, with the Internet 'waiting room' queue opening at 5:45.

I was more than ready to jump on in at 5:45, but from the get go all Internet connections timed out, access was denied, and every end was a dead end. The phone was either a busy signal or an error message. This went on for TWO FREAKING HOURS. Over and over: refresh, reload, redial. Refresh, reload, redial.

OK, so they can land men on the effing MOON, but they don't have the tools and technology to sell me four frigging tickets to watch a shuttle launch?!?!?! Grrr!

Not a wonderful way to start one's day. ...

Finally, at about 7:48, one of the computers loaded to a page that, in really tiny type, said that Kennedy Space Center was having technical difficulties and no tickets would go on sale today. AARGH. After investing so much time and angst in the process, I almost didn't believe what I read. So, I finally thought to check Facebook, as I'm friends with the KSC. Sure 'nuff, before 8 a.m. they had posted notice that tickets wouldn't be going on sale today and to stay tuned for further developments. So I guess the good news was we weren't aced out yet. The bad news was, we still might be, and we get to go through all of that frantic phone/computer crap again. Now there was something to look forward to!

In happier NASA news, just before the kids went to bed last night, we watched live streaming video on NASA's Web site of Space Shuttle Atlantis being rolled to its launch pad. At times, we could hear crowds cheering the vehicle. I wonder if some of the voices were the astronauts. Apparently the crew that will be on board Atlantis was also at the pad last night.

CLEAN TEAM: After ballet this morning, we came home and took Kirby for a protracted walk. We brought empty plastic bags along to pick up any trash or recycling we found along the way. (We often gather recyclables during our walks, but today, bags in had, we were equipped to pick up more than usual.) CJ and Annabelle were vigilant about their jobs and each filled their bags by the time we were done. Because it was the right thing to do, we didn't just throw it all in the trash either, nosiree. We had to sort the castoffs into trash and recyclables. We took the recyclables home and put them in our recycling bin.

Naturally, after doing this, it occurs to me we should carry a bag with us every time we go for a walk. Today, we were able to pick up a LOT more than we usually do.

GREEN GORILLA: An email from New York Times' Learning Network provided us with a list of links to somewhere around a gazillion other Earth Day links. One was the Earth Day TV Web site. Once there, we watched a couple of videos: "Polly Bear's Earth Day," which the kids liked so much they asked to watch it twice. Next up was "Gorilla in the Greenhouse," which, it turns out, has its own Web site. Naturally, our next stop was the Green Gorilla's Web site, where we found out more about the series' characters, some games, all with an earth-friendly focus.

The Green Gorilla, named KJ, by the way, is an interesting dude. He comes off like a cross between a wise old shaman and a beatnik. The group of kids (Bucket, Socket, Scoot and Cypher) he hangs with is a musical band (of course), and their songs are in kind of a Partridge Family-meets-ska style. (Unique, to say the least.)

On their "about" Web page, the show's creators describe Gorilla in the Greenhouse as "an action-packed animated web show that inspires kids to take real-world steps towards a healthier environment. One part Scooby Doo and one part Yoda, the series shows that small actions can make a big impact, emphasizing fun, collaboration and great music."

READ ABOUT SEEDS: After lunch, we read the excellent, informative "From Seed to Pumpkin" by Wendy Pfeffer. A picture book, it followed a pumpkin seed from the day it was planted through harvest time. Root function, green shoots, seedlings and seed leaves were covered, as was the process of how the pumpkin plant feeds itself. By halfway through the book, the vines sprouted orange blossoms, and it's explained that then the bees come and carry yellow pollen from male flowers to female flowers. "Now pumpkins can grow," it says, noting the petals wither away and where flowers bloomed, hard fruits begin to grow.

This last fact caused Annabelle to recall, "My pumpkins last year never grew." And she was right. We got huge, beautiful blossoms, but no fruit was produced. I asked the kids why they suppose we were fruitless and they both concluded that the bees didn't come and do their job.

Well after all our hard work so far this spring, nurturing starts from seeds, we want to make sure this doesn't happen again. So how can we coax the bees to visit? Quite obviously, signs seemed like a good idea. So we scrounged up some 3x5 cards and craft sticks and the kids made some insect sized billboards.

Annabelle posted this one at the top of the lot:
CJ wants bees to know the price of pollen is right! (This sign is posted by our blueberries)
And this year, we hope the bees will be a bit more diverse (we need them to visit male and female blossoms!), so CJ crafted this one:After our sign project was finished, we turned our energies toward planting a few sunflowers and tomatoes around the lot.
SEATTLE THEN & NOW: Reader Ruth sent us a cool link today - it's a shoreline/skyline photo of Seattle that transforms from 1907 to 2002 with a click of your mouse. Check it out!

FREE DVD!: Via a Seattle Homeschool Group email list post, I learned we could get a free copy of "America The Story of US." It's a six week (12-hour) mini series that will be premiering on HISTORY™ April 25. According to the folks at History.com, it will present "a fascinating look at the stories of the people, events, and innovations that forged our nation. It will provide you with an unprecedented opportunity to bring our nation's history to life for your students." They also say the series "will be supported by educational materials tied to curriculum standards and is copyright cleared for Fair Use in the classroom by instructors or pupils in the course of face-to-face teaching activities."

And the best part? "HISTORY is offering America The Story of US on DVD to every school in the United States. School must be an accredited public, private or home school, grades K-12 and college. Hey, we're eligible! That being the case, I filled out an online request and got a confirmation saying our DVD will arrive in August. Cool!

LATER, GATOR: Though my attempt to get tickets to view the launch was a dismal failure this morning, during the day I kept researching our options. After reading about alternative viewing places, I decided that, by god, if we're flying that far and spending that much $ to see the shuttle launch, by god, we're going to see it (and hear it and FEEL IT) from the Causeway.

In reading the comments of other disappointed people on the Kennedy Space Center Facebook page, many of them mentioned an outfit called Gator Tours. I checked out Gator's Web site, found that they did, indeed, have bonafide tickets for the launch and then I thought to check Gator's Facebook page to see if past customers had left comments. They had and they were glowing. So I told Christian about it and he was sold, too. So we DO have tickets to the Causeway for launch day. They cost twice as much as getting them straight from NASA, but we do get the added bonus of being picked up at the Titusville Kmart parking lot at 6 a.m. on launch day (launch time is after 2 p.m.) and spending god knows how many hours on a bus with strangers. I ask you, dear reader, how can you put a price on that?

OVERHEARD: This afternoon, behind a closed bathroom door, CJ muttering, "Everybody is a critic."

Almost Earth Day

GET ON THE GRID: Thanks to the Seattle Homeschool Group email list, today we discovered the fantastic Math 6 Spy Guys. It's an Alberta, Canadian-based site - with a kind of James Bond-ish graphic theme. Cool graphics and music, by my ears and eyes.

Though its intro page says it's for grade 6, I didn't let that stop us. We know no limits! ;) I looked around the lessons and decided we'd go with ordered pairs, because just last Friday at Musikgarten, teacher Nancy was talking about the kids learning to place notes on the musical staff and how that is like the X and Y axis in math.

We had good fun with Lesson 18, all about ordered pairs and plotting them on a grid. First, we simply plotted pairs of numbers, creating intersection points of X and Y. Then, the lesson evolved into having to guess where the secret agent was hiding. (We were given his original coordinates and told he was heading north and west.) And lastly, they were given several coordinates, had to plot them and then figure out what shape they'd made when those plot points were connected. Really great stuff, definitely above k1 grade level, but the kids had absolutely no trouble with it.

In fact, as I told them, it's really no different than playing "Battleship," a game I played for hours on end as a kid. I need to find them one at Goodwill, Value Village or a garage sale. I did find this free Yahoo! game called Ship Sinker online. While it didn't have letters or numbers on the X and Y axis, it did involve a grid, of course, and then deduction regarding where the opponent's (in this case a computer) ships were located. It was fun - the kids got pretty excited toward the end when we were neck-and-neck with the computer. I am happy to report, we sunk their battleship. :)

OH SAY CAN YOU SYNONYM? This morning started at the kitchen table with some language arts for the kids. CJ had to read a passage about water and answer some comprehension questions. One of the questions was "The word 'forms' means 'kinds' or 'spots.' CJ picked 'spots' for some reason. I referred him back to the passage and asked him to find the word 'forms' and then substitute both 'kinds' and 'spots' and tell me which one makes more sense. When he did that, he quickly saw it was supposed to be 'kinds.' I explained this was a synonym - a word that means the same thing or could be substituted.

Coincidentally, Annabelle's worksheet had lists of word pairs and she had to circle the ones that were synonyms.

After they both finished, I suggested we play the synonym game. I had them stand up and I'd say a word and when they came up with a synonym, they were to raise their hand. They did really well and came up with some interesting answers. For example, once when I said 'hard' Annabelle offered "firm" while CJ said "difficult." Those were synonyms for different kinds of hard, but they're both right, of course.

Other interesting offerings were "horrible" (Bee) and "naughty" (CJ) for my "bad." When I said "puffy," CJ said "fluffy" and Bee pondered it for awhile before coming up with "cottony." I thought that was pretty clever. When I said "slow," CJ came up with unfast, which I don't believe to be a word, but I was glad that he thought to use un with fast, because that shows he knows "un" means "not," and of course he knows "fast" is the antonym for "slow."

We played the game for about 20 minutes this session and I'm sure we'll do it again another day. Oh, and Annabelle suggested that we play "The Antonym Game" someday soon, too.

EARTH DAY EVE: There is no shortage of resources available for Earth Day-related learning. In fact, there are so many, we don't dare wait until Earth Day to get started!

Today we checked out Animal Planet's offerings. They have a special "The Animals Save the Planet" site and on it are several short videos with environmental messages - everything from eat less beef to help lower methane/greenhouse gasses to using electricity efficiently.

We also took a virtual field trip today, hopping on board the Magic School Bus to learn a bit more about climate change.

The half hour program was, in large part, a promo package for the new book "The Magic School Bus and Climate Change." However, there was some good info in there, including facts and demonstrations of solar, hydro and wind power, and some (very standard) reduce, reuse, recycle type how tos.

It was fun for the kids to get to "meet" Magic School Bus author Joanna Cole and illustrator Bruce Degen and hear a bit about their thought/production process.

A third Earth-Day related lesson we used today came from a fave, BrainPOP. The kids watched a video about air pollution, took a couple of quizzes to see what they'd learned or retained, and then we did an experiment using a clear plastic bottle with a cap, a half cup of water, and a match.

We put the water in the bottle, I struck a match, dropped it in the bottle, capped it and then the kids squeezed the bottle. When they squeezed it, the air in the bottle was clear. When they let go, a whitish cloud filled the airspace in the bottle. As the experiment instructions explained, the smoke from the match gives the water vapor something to collect on, just like smoke combines with fog to make smog, which was something the kids learned in the BrainPOP video.

READING FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Today, via a Reading Rockets post on Facebook, we learned about We Give Books. The organization describes itself as "a free website that enables anyone with access to the Internet to put books in the hands of children who don’t have them, simply by reading online." The project is created by the Penguin Group (publishers) and the Pearson Foundation.

On We Give Books' Web site, visitors find picture books appropriate for children through age 10 or so. There's a mix of fiction and nonfiction, and an array of authors. The site says they'll be adding news books every month, together with special seasonal offerings.

To help make books available for those in need, all you have to do is choose one of the campaigns to support listed on the We Give Books site, and then proceed to read the book of your choice online.

I selected "The Little Engine that Could" by Watty Piper. (I am somewhat ashamed to admit I've not shared that classic with CJ and Annabelle until today.) The version online is "the complete original version" - its first copyright in 1930. The illustrations were a delightful throwback - except for the scary clown. Naturally, CJ took great pleasure in the fact there was a clown that creeped me out. ;)

We read about the stranded train full of toys and food for good girls and boys. And we watched one engine after another come by and refuse to help for one lame reason or another (most along the lines of that wasn't their job, and one because he was old and tired and didn't think he could do it). Finally, a little bright blue engine came along. She was wee, but optimistic, and decided to at least try to help. Of course her "I think I can, I think I can" chant carried her to the mountaintop and beyond.

After we read the book, I asked the kids, "Why do you think the blue engine, even though it was the littlest, was successful?"

"Because he thought he could!" declared CJ and Annabelle.

Lesson learned. :) They promptly hopped up out of their seats and started chugging around the house, chanting, "I think I can, I think I can!"

A BREAK IN THE ACTION: Christian and CJ got a surprise at Tae Kwon Do tonight - the session ended with a board breaking exercise! FYI - they didn't use real live wood boards, they're some composite about an inch thick. They click together and are not easy to break apart, I'm told.

CJ wasn't successful on his first attempt. Or his second. Or his third. Or fourth. Or fifth. Or thirteenth. Or twentieth. After that, it was time for a break - and a gut and brain check.

CJ was pretty discouraged with his lack of prowess, and so Christian took him aside and they had a little pow-wow talking about technique and attitude. (I wish I'd told Christian that we'd read the "Little Train that Could" earlier that day - and/or that CJ remembered the life lesson therein.) Of course, as it turns out, their conversation pretty much evolved into that with Christian reminding him that two of the tenets of Tae Kwon Do are perseverance and indomitable spirit. And he also got CJ to finally adopt an "I can do it!" mindset. In fact, he declared just that before he stood up, marched back over to the board and, after a few more attempts, finally broke it!

ANOTHER NAME: Fishermen's Terminal is one of our frequent destinations on jogs/bike rides. There, hundreds of fishing vessels are docked, many of which work the waters around Alaska. Last night, one of the last things I read before going to bed was that the Northern Belle had gone down in the Gulf of Alaska, and its four crew members had been rescued. We've seen the Northern Belle docked down there lots of times. It was a beautiful boat (there's a photo of her on Flickr here.)

First thing this morning, I learned that one of the crew - the captain - did not survive. That means that soon there will be one more name on the memorial we so often visit. A Seattle PI blogger has Coast Guard footage of the rescue and audio of the distress call.

A bit of history: There was another Northern Belle, this time an American transatlantic ship, which was was involved in a dramatic rescue effort in 1857. It ran aground near Thanet, England. All 14 aboard were saved after a harrowing rescue, and timber salvaged from the shipwreck was used to renovate a pub (named "Northern Belle" natch) in Margate, England.

Happy Birthday 2 CeeJ!

VERY GOOD MORNING: Before 6 this a.m. CJ came seeking confirmation that this day - finally - was his birthday. Yes, indeed, CJ it IS your birthday.

For his birthday breakfast I handed him a banana. He was appreciative, but underwhelmed - until I told him we'd be going to his favorite donut place, Top Pot Donuts, this morning. He had to wait a good long hour for Annabelle to rouse so that we could make our way to Queen Anne hill and donut bliss.

He made a sprinkle topped chocolate cake donut disappear in record time. Annabelle, on the other hand, lingered over her Pink Feather Boa for a long time. I had a damn fine cup of black coffee. :)

HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN: We returned home where we awaited the arrival of CeeJ & Bee's bro Kennedy. Meanwhile, Annabelle and I put the finishing touches on CJ's Super Mario Bros. themed birthday cake (which wound up weighing in at around 20 pounds, given all the fondant layered on it).
Ken arrived around 10 ish. He helped with the cake and played some Super Mario Bros. with CJ on the Wii and helped with the cake (have I mentioned a lot of fondant was involved?).

FOOD, FUN AND GAMES SESSION ONE: At noontime, we headed to Burger King in Ballard to redeem CJ's free Kids' Meal coupon. From there it was on to the University District to a new store/arcade, Pink Gorilla. There, CJ and Annabelle got to see old school video games for the first time - including Donkey Kong 3 - in the big ol stand up cabinets the size of a Smart car. Good times.

Upon our arrival home, CJ discovered a huge special delivery awaiting him at the front door. Balloons from Nonnie and Bops!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: After hanging out at home for a bit, we headed out again, this time to Columbia City, where we attend yoga weekly. This week, our destination was Full Tilt, a great old school arcade including multiple great old pinball machines and game cabinets, including the original Donkey Kong game!) CJ, Kennedy and Christian hung out there for an hour while I took Annabelle to yoga.

Right after, we met Rick for dinner at CJ's restaurant of choice, the Old Spaghetti Factory in Belltown. We had a nice view of the Olympic Sculpture Park and CJ enjoyed spaghetti, ice cream and a song from the staff. :)



LUCKY KIDS: Tonight at 9 p.m. CJ pronounced, "I'm having an awesome birthday. This is like the best birthday ever!"

CJ isn't the only one who had a great day. This afternoon as Ken and CJ were beginning to play a Super Mario Bros. game together, Annabelle declared, "I'm really lucky. I have three brothers. Not many people have three brothers." :)

Obviously, today, it was all about party! party! party! Tomorrow (and the next day, and the days after that) we'll do plenty of schoolin' .

Short and Sweet

CJ BDAY EVE: I can guarantee you this won't be the longest blog post ever. Eyes are blurry and fingers are speckled with fondant. Today it's been a whirlwind of preparations for CJ's bday tomorrow.

The kids started their day with a writing exercise. I thought having them write a thank you note would be a great way to get some language arts in as well as checking something important off the 'to do' list.

The kids did a good job. They were motivated and CJ was "on" when it came to not being intimidated by the blank sheet of paper and the fact he doesn't know how to spell every word in the English language. ;)

SCIENCE 'N' STUFF: The kids requested we visit the BBC Web site for some learnin' today, so I hopped over the their Bitesize headquarters. In the past we've used their math and language arts activities and games, but today we gave some science a whirl.

First, they played "Gut Instinct" where they had to battle "Viral Vinnie" (a cartoony virus) and other players in real time. It was way above their grade level so I had to help.

Next, they chose to play "Changing State" on the Bitesize "Materials" page, because we suspected it might relate to some of the same concepts that they learned about during the Pacific Science Center class last Friday. It was a good follow up to Friday, so that was time well spent.

Third, they learned about microorganisms - how some are helpful and some are harmful - through a Flash-animated activity.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: The Bowser pinata inches closer toward completion. I was going to do a fast-slap job of painting it, but Annabelle would have none of that. She shamed me into adding some shading on his stomach and shell. Annabelle helped crafting Bowser's wristbands and collar. CJ has approached this project in a hands-off manner. He just tells me what his vision is and I'm supposed to make it happen. ;)

It was nice when he walked in from Tae Kwon Do tonight and the first thing he was was Bowser, complete with hair, eyebrows and claws. Despite the fact Bowser's still missing his horns, CJ smiled widely and said, "Now THAT looks like Bowser" and "it's perfect!" High praise coming from a kid who knows his Bowser.

FULL BLOOM: For our fresh air and exercise we loaded up the bikes and headed west, to Magnolia Boulevard, where a ribbon-like park fronts the bluff overlooking Elliott Bay, Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. It's always a feast for the eyes, but today was especially nice because the sun was out, it was over 70, and everything was in bloom. Here, Annabelle stops to admire one yard in particular ...

We stopped so the kids could play around in one wide patch of grass. They played tag for awhile, and a game Annabelle invented where each of them picked a color, and when their color was called, they had to pick as many 'flowers' (dandelions) and they could before the other person's color was called. We closed the field play with a game of Red Light, Green Light.



The view from this bench is terrific - Space Needle and stadiums to the east/left; the water, West Seattle, lots of ship traffic and nearby islands to the south; and the Olympics to the west. It's a nice place to "have a sit." PILLOW TALK: A few minutes ago, Annabelle called out from the bedroom, "Dad?" He asked what she needed and she replied, "Solids, liquids and gas are states of matter."

Goodnight, Annabelle. :)