The Big Melt

DRIPPY: The good news is, the Mariners Moose is no longer covered in ice and snow. He is now a slushy, drippy mess, like the major arterials around town. The side roads are still treacherous. More rain and a wee bit warmer temperatures are promised for this weekend, which should bring some respite from the freezing stuff, but an unwelcome byproduct will be some flooding.

We ventured out today. I think we spent more time knocking snow and ice off the car than we did running our errands.

BOOKISH: Knowing we had a library due date to contend with, we spent the morning cleaning and organizing the book shelves in the living room and a bookcase in the kids' bedroom. We found lots of read books to return and several unread titles to devour.

And so, we four (counting Kirby) hunkered down on the couch and read down the stack for a bit.

One book we read was "The Watertower," by Gary Crew. The story was about two boys who go for a swim in the murky, dilapidated water tower. It was dark and weird - two characteristics I would usually embrace - but for whatever reason, in this instance we all found it just, well, dark and weird and off putting. The kids didn't like the book at all.

Next up was "Mail Harry to the Moon." It was about a boy non-plussed with his newish baby brother Harry's existence. Spoiler alert: The narrator changed his mind about his younger sibling. It was a nice enough book, but a bit young for CeeJ and Bee.

"Drummer Boy" by Ann Turner was a fictional account about a 13-year-old who joined the Union Army in the Civil War. The book featured really great illustrations by Mark Hess and an engaging, first-person narration. A historical note at the end said about 40,000 boys from age 9 to 17 enlisted as drummer boys or buglers during the war. We also learned that drummer boys were used to relay officers' orders to troops in the field when distance or conditions didn't allow verbal instruction. Recommended reading.

"The Toll-Bridge Troll" by Patricia Rae Wolff was a fun read about a school boy who had to cross a bridge every day on his way to school. Since he couldn't or didn't want to pay the toll, every morning, he had to think up ways to trick the troll (riddles figured heavily into this equation). Eventually, the troll figured if you can't beat 'em, join 'em and decides to go to school with the boy. Kimberly Bulcken Root draws a nice troll, BTW.

Our favorite book in the stack was "Home Run," written by Robert Burleigh with wonderful illustrations by Mike Wimmer. Along with colorful prose on each page sharing some of the Sultan of Swat's story and game day heroics, there was a baseball card inset featuring factoids about Ruth. One of the more interesting things we learned was that perhaps the number one reason Ruth hit soooooo many more home runs than other batters of the time is because the others choked up on their bats considerably, trying to swat or slap the ball, or "hit 'em where they ain't," as Wee Willie Keeler would say.

A 1921 photo from the Library of Congress collection (Digital ID  LC-DIG-ggbain-32385)

REPRIEVE: Unfortunately, there's no rush on us getting the SpaceX model rocket done for a Feb. 7 launch day since it isn't happening. The launch has been pushed back indefinitely.

According to reports, engineers need time to complete additional hardware and software testing in the wake of a recent simulation (presumably a simulation that didn't go too well, eh?). As things stand now, it's not expected to fly before late March and it could slip into April, depending on other launches scheduled for the Air Force Eastern Range. Stay tuned. 

POINT TO PONDER: First thing this morning I saw a Tweet reading, "Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars." It made me stop and think - and Google. ;) From what I could find, it's a Serbian proverb.

Ice, Ice, Baby

SLIPPERS: Imagine my surprise (well, horror, really) this morning round 6, when I let Kirby out for her first time today and heard that unmistakable sound that those who have lived near the Columbia River and the Gorge in the Portland/Vancouver area for any length of time know and fear. That, and Kirby slid ATOP the crusted over snow instead of sinking down into it. That meant it was definitely precipitation of the nasty kind. It wasn't pouring rain, or thundering hail, or even sleet. No, it was that &%^ *$%#  FREEZING RAIN.  My first thought was, "WTH? This wasn't in the forecast."

I had the kids come outside (yes, in their slippers) so they could see the change that was taking place. They were surprised to find the concrete coated in a layer of solid ice.

We turned on the telly and watched the disaster unfold. Before long, I heard a 60-something meteorologist say he'd never seen or heard of this much freezing rain in the Puget Sound area. Initially the (revised) forecast said it would be coming down until 10 a.m. And then it was noon. And then 4 p.m. As you might expect, countless roads were closed. Highways were blocked with carnage, and Sea-Tac airport was closed. Some time before noon, Governor Chris Gregoire had declared Washington a State of Emergency. Some 200,000 people were without power (brrrr!)

Naturally, this morning we had a lesson in "What is Freezing Rain?" and talked about what causes it. I shared what I knew, but I also drew heaving from a nice explanation on an About.com article on the topic.

About 10 a.m., when it was initially supposed to stop snowing, but it was still coming down strong, I thought to take our Mariners Moose bobblehead outside. There he stayed for the next several hours. We went out and checked on him every hour or so, and took some photos during our visits.

As you can see, he started by accumulating freezing rain booties. Then some ice dusted his base. Next his muzzle (do moose have muzzles?) got a sprinkling which eventually turned to a drift. Meanwhile, he was up to his knees (do moose have knees?), and eventually his thighs. Poor guy. Hope I remember to bring him in before going to bed.

IN REVIEW: I decided our snow/iced in day would be a good time for me to get the monthly reports submitted that will keep us in good standing at the school where the kids take science, art, music and LEGO classes.  I swear, every month before I write it, I'm thinking, "Geez, I hope we did enough academic stuff this month to make it look legit," and then HOURS later I'm thinking, "Dang, I'm just going to have to start leaving a bunch of stuff out," because I want to get it done. Without a doubt, Dec. 15 through Jan. 15 was busy busy busy for MPA.

FIRE IN THE NIGHT: All day long we were looking forward to a p.m. launch taking place at the Space Coast. It was actually an Air Force launch this go round. We watched Spaceflightnow.com's coverage of the 330-foot tall gantry being pulled back from the Delta 4 rocket at pad 37B. Atop the rocket sat a the fourth Department of Defense Wideband Global SATCOM military satellite (or WGS, for short) to be placed into Earth's orbit. The $464 million satellite was  built by The Boeing Co. One of the things the satellite will do is add more speed and bandwidth to support transmission of high-resolution video collected by unmanned aerial drones. A good story about the importance of the satellite appears on Florida Today's Web site: http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20120119/SPACE/301190048/Launch-more-than-satellite-sendoff .

It was a beautiful launch that went off without a hitch. We could see each of the four rocket boosters separate, and then the rocket's stages separate. Do yourself a HUGE favor and look at photos of the launch on the VERY talented Ben Cooper's Web site: Launchphotography.com.  The first one, especially, is jaw-dropping.

I actually got to see this rocket on the pad when I was back at Kennedy Space Center in November. I was standing on the launch site of the Apollo missions and could see it in the distance. Here it is through my telephoto.

BLACKOUT OFF: CJ and Annabelle were happy to find that none of their favorite Web sites were blacked out any more. The one day protest of SOPA and PIPA was over. The good news is, the protest caught the attention of millions of people, the media and (gasp) even politicians!

There's a great post on the Urban Times Web site about yesterday and its (positive!) fallout titled "This is What Democracy Looks Like": http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/27kD2r/www.theurbn.com/2012/01/this-is-what-democracy-looks-like/

TIV REVISITED: Today, we reviewed a couple of cool, informative posters we picked up at last night's "Tornado Alley" special screening, and we watched some footage of the Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV) when it appeared on "Mythbusters."
 
Afterward, I asked them to each write a couple paragraphs about TIV. I thought they did a pretty good job. Here's what they came up with ...
 
CJ: "Tornado Alley" is a movie about a group of people who want to catch footage of a tornado. But it isn't going to be a walk in the park. To catch footage of a tornado, you need one strong car.
   TIV could burst through a tornado. Later, TIV2 was made. Though TIV2 is missing some things, TIV2 is still a very good car!
   A sad thing that I know is when TIV missed a tornado. Another sad thing is when things get destroyed. But the thing that tops it all is when people get killed by the tornado."
 
Annabelle: TIV2 (the tornado intercept vehicle) is a vehicle made by Sean Casey, a storm chaser. TIV has forty-inch spikes that stick into the ground forty inches. TIV can lower its armor too.
   TIV has gone into many tornadoes, yet has missed many. TIV is a modified Dodge 3500. TIV has layers of armor in this order: aluminum, Kevlar, aluminum, steel, 1/2-inch rubber, 1/2-inch polycarbonate, 1/2-inch rubber, sheet aluminum.
 
CHECK IT OUT: Super cool, super short video of the ISS flying past the moon. Neat-o! http://www.universetoday.com/92797/iss-caught-between-the-moon-and-new-york-city/

Storm Chasers

BLACKOUT: Imagine CJ and Annabelle's abject HORROR this morning when they tried to hop on two of their very favorite Web sites (Wikipedia, above, and Minecraft, below) only to find they were both blacked out.

Initially, CJ declared the people blacking out some of his favorite Web sites today trolls. I explained to him that he was entirely wrong. These Web sites are blacked out of their own accord, as a protest measure against legislation that could change the Internet as he knows it.

And then, after the initial hysterics died down, we had a little lesson about SOPA (short for the "Stop Online Piracy Act") and PIPA (an acronym for the "Protect IP Act," with the IP standing for 'intellectual property'). Together, we read Wikipedia's very thorough explanation of the proposed legislation. (it was the only part of their English Web site that wasn't blacked out today).

Regarding the proposed changes, CJ said, "Imagine a world without free knowledge! They should get fired for doing that!"

"People need knowledge!" echoed Annabelle.

"I would love to be able to take PIPA and SOPA down," said CJ.

Many of the blacked out sites (including Minecraft and Wikipedia) had links that made it easy for people to contact their legislators on the matter, so that's just what I had CJ and Annabelle do. CJ did so through an interface on the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Web site.
Using a link from Wikipedia's info page, Annabelle navigated to the Web site of our Congressman Jim McDermott. Through his site, she sent him this message:

I am a 7 year old living in Magnolia and I found out about Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) today when trying to use Wikipedia - a great resource for me when doing school work, and when trying to play Minecraft, one of my favorite online games. Both sites are blacked out today to raise awareness about these bills.


I have read about how PIPA and SOPA might change the Internet and it frightens me. I use the Internet so much to learn things and I am really worried most of the Web sites I use might disappear forever if these Internet Blacklist Bills are passed.

I hope you will join Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon and other members of Congress, in opposing it.

Thank you!

So, thanks to two of their favorite sites being blacked out, the kids got an excellent lesson in the business of the Internet, censorship, and civics. We'll certainly be watching what happens with PIPA and SOPA in the future.

IN GRAINED: This morning's art project was having some fun with the sand art kit Annabelle got as a Christmas present. CJ filled a colorful giraffe, while Annabelle made a striped horse. They each made pendants, as well.

WHITE OUT:  Today, Snowmageddeon finally struck Seattle. There were just a couple of inches of snow when I awoke around 5 a.m., and by midday there were probably 4-plus inches. That, and it was snowing sideways much of the day.

Around 10 a.m. a firetruck tried getting up our hill. It didn't make it past the end of our alley. There, it sat for about a hour while the poor firemen had to dig it out and then gingerly back it down the hill.

We did spend some time outside in the white stuff, tromping around and sledding down our hillside.

WEATHER WATCHERS: While the snow came down outside, CeeJ and Bee played catch up on the weather calendars they're supposed to be keeping daily for their science class. Truth be told, they were a few days behind.

Above, is CJ's work station. He carefully cut out icons and pasted them on the appropriate days.

DIRTY JOB: Another project we started today is the Root-Vue planter CJ received as a Christmas gift. It has an acrylic front so you can see your plants do their things. We carefully followed the instructions for setting it up.

The kids unanimously decided to plant carrots (over onions and radishes). The info says the seeds should germinate in about a week. Stay tuned for further developments.

TIV-RIFFIC!: This evening we braved the snowy roads to make the (mercifully very short) drive to Seattle Center for a special event. Filmmaker and storm chaser Sean Casey was there with his amazing Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV). Casey and TIV have been featured on Discovery Channel's "Storm Chasers" show, and are the stars of the movie "Tornado Alley," which we saw a few weeks ago in IMAX 3D. When we heard he and the armored car were coming to Seattle, we were jazzed. When the snow arrived we were afraid the event would be canceled, and though everything else at Pacific Science Center was closed today, the TIV exhibit was still on. Hooray!

We went a little early and enjoyed (mostly) happy hour at McMenamins first, although we did have to get up and move tables because we sitting next to The Most Obnoxious, Loudest, Most Foul Mouthed 20-something girl EVER. Though she continued to spew incessantly while we moved, the other people in her party noticed. We could still hear her 5 tables away, but she finally quieted down for a few minutes when her food came. Egad. Here's our lovely view before blabbermouth drove us away.

But back to the good stuff. We got to the center around 6:30 p.m.

We found TIV awaiting us under the Pacific Science Center arches.

We checked it out from all angles. That's one impressive, hulking machine (it weighs 14,000 pounds).

Before the movie Casey was in the lobby signing shirts and posters. Here's a crappy shot of him crouched down, signing the kids' TIV shirts. (My poor camera was so cold from being outside, its trigger wouldn't work properly.)

Casey talked for about 10 minutes before the screening, and then came out afterward to answer questions. Of course, CJ and Annabelle had questions. CJ asked, "What's the most annoying thing that ever happened to you when you were in TIV?" Casey got a chuckle out of the question. He said his annoying times have been when parts on TIV break and when people copy his vehicle.

Annabelle asked how the heavy armor moves up and down on TIV. Casey explained it's done with hydraulics.

The theater wasn't packed, but I was surprised there were as many people as there were (around 80 maybe), given the weather.

All in all, it was a busy day at MPA, especially considering most Seattle area students has school-free snow days!

Northbound

RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD: Today it was time to head back up north to home in Seattle. We said goodbye to Siletz, Ore., a few minutes after 9 a.m.

I was a bit nervous about how much snow we were going to see in our travels. And while the sides of the road were snow covered all the way to Portland, the roads were clear, except for some slush in the Coast Range (with a peak elevation of 770 at the pass next to Cline Hill, which is 1076 feet).

By noon, we were in Vancouver, USA. We stopped at one of our favorite pizza shops - The Blind Onion. Their mascot is Fred, a blind onion. Annabelle wasn't long in drawing her own version of Fred and a couple of friends.

We had the pleasure of G&G R. for company during lunch. After a nice visit it was back to the Honda for another 3 hour drive. Things were pretty smooth sailing from Vancouver to Seattle. In fact, north of Olympia or so, the roads were dry. We made it home in good time. There's no doubt you're in Seattle when you see this sign:

And now, we await Snowmageddon.

EBB AND FLOW: Today, NASA announced the new names for GRAIL A and B, the twin lunar mapping spacecraft. A class at Emily Dickinson Elementary School in Bozeman, Mont., won the naming contest, suggesting Ebb and Flow.

CJ and Annabelle had submitted Castor and Pollux, but I have to admit, Ebb and Flow seems like a good choice, since the spacecraft are using gravity to map the moon, and it's the moon's gravitational pull that results in tidal changes here on Earth.

In all, 900 classrooms and more than 11,000 students from 45 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, participated in a contest that began in October 2011 to name the twin lunar probes.

Here's a photo of Leland Melvin, NASA Associate Administrator for Education, left, Maria Zuber, GRAIL Prinicipal Investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and James Green, Director of the Planetary Science Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, applauding the winning students during the big announcement.  (Photo Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers)

The Scenic Route

ROAD WARRIORS: On Saturday, we piled into the Honda, heading for Siletz, Ore. (about 20 minutes inland from Newport). On previous trips, we've taken I-5 all the way south to Albany/Corvallis and then headed west towards the coast. This go-round, we cut over to the coast at Olympia for a change of pace.

The scenery was different, which we appreciated. We drove through rain forests and crossed over many a river we'd never seen before. We caught glimpses of the ocean and saw a number of spots where Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery had camped out generations ago. (CJ, especially, loved Dismal Nitch. For whatever reason, that name just delights him.)

We stopped in Astoria briefly. There, next to the maritime museum, we checked out a really big anchor and saw a Coast Guard ship, Columbia. It was so windy and c-c-cold when we stopped, the river had huge white caps and big waves breaking on the shore. Here's a photo of CeeJ and Bee freezing while not smoking on the dock.

Though it wasn't planned, we stopped at Gearhart, Ore., when we spied a McMenamin's (Sand Trap) sign along the highway. Lovely place- great food and they even had Purple Haze on tap. Mmmm.

We stopped again in Seaside, so the kids could get some arcade action in. Funland was hopping for a winter afternoon - I can only imagine what the place is like when it's the height of tourist season.

The drive from Seaside to Siletz seemed to take f-o-r-e-v-e-r. We did finally reach our destination around 5:30 p.m., I believe. We'd left home about 9:15 a.m. Long, long drive. We had a nice dinner and the kids enjoyed playing with their cousins. Oh, and they got to open some great Christmas presents, so they were very happy campers.

WHITE BLANKET: Imagine the kids' delight when they woke up to a snow covered landscape. Time for some sledding!

 

Good times!

WATER WORKS: Come Sunday, we went to the Rogue Brewery for lunch. There, CJ sampled his first Mountain Dew (actually, his first soda of any kind). He raved on and on about how much he loved it - how he wanted "boatloads of it." As it turned out, he only had about four sips, but he wanted desperately to like it since it's the unofficial drink of gamers everywhere.

 After lunch we went over to the Oregon Coast Aquarium which was wonderful.

I loved the nettles jellyfish.

 

These strawberry anemones were gorgeous!

It was cool being able to have sharks circling with no danger of becoming shark bait!