And lo and behold, the forecasters got this one right. Above is my view out of the upstairs window this morning. Not too many people down on the golf course today (that big white patch in the distance)!
It was just a small window of white - the snow started around 5 a.m. and was expected to be gone by noon - so the kids didn't waste any time getting out into it.
There were snowball fights ...
SCIJINKS: We spent a lot of today prepping for the week-ish we'll be spending on the road, but we managed to shoehorn some school-y stuff in. For starters, I had the kids check out SciJinks - Weather Adventures. It's a NASA site geared at students, and all about weather here on Earth, as well as in space.
The kids checked out its front page, and then I suggested they check out the "Fun and Games" tab. Once there, Annabelle immediately chose "The Bad (Weather) Joke Machine."
She yukked it up and read all the jokes to us, including one about the Emerald City. ...
Q: How do you predict rain in Seattle?
A: If you can't see the Space Needle, it's raining. If you can see the Space Needle, it's about to rain.They both checked out Weather folklore, and Annabelle played Spectrix, a game where you combine colors to reveal information about weather and the environment. They also checked out Weather Tricktionary.
All in all, it's a great site, and one that we give six thumbs up.
FESTIVE FUNK: The kids got their groove on today with a fun Merry music machine. It lets you combine numerous musical elements into a high tech holiday symphony. Check it out: http://us.moo.com/merrymusic/
KEEP ON TRUCKIN': While so many on Earth gear up for holiday festivities, Curiosity keeps toiling away on the surface of Mars, and the livin's not easy.
In fact, the rover's wheels are showing more signs of wear and tear than was expected, according to a Mission Status Report from JPL.
PHOTO: NASA/JPL
Curiosity has been tackling some tough terrain in recent weeks. The team is going to take some photos of the treads, and plans to plot routes to future destinations that a little bit smoother.
CAN YOU DIG IT?: With great fanfare, the world's largest rotary drill started tunneling along the Seattle waterfront . Its job is to dig out a subterranean roadway with will replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
Things got off to a bumpy start, with a workers' strike that idled it before it could even start. (Wait, if it hadn't started, it couldn't really be idled, could it?) Any way, Bertha eventually got going on July 30, but then ran into some sort of plastic-y strands that made its progress screech to a darn near halt. It finally got past that, and now it's been idle again for days and days, as it has run into something the huge cutting face can't handle. Not good. Not good at all. They thought they had a workaround, involving pilot holes, sending 'divers' down, and more, but Bertha is being inundated with ground water, so the delay is at least another two weeks.
To date, Bertha (which is 5 stories tall, might I note) has gone just over 1,000 feet on its 1.7 mile path from Sodo to South Lake Union.
If you want to watch the nothing happening, here's a live cam: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/viaduct/Traffic/ConstructionCam
Things got off to a bumpy start, with a workers' strike that idled it before it could even start. (Wait, if it hadn't started, it couldn't really be idled, could it?) Any way, Bertha eventually got going on July 30, but then ran into some sort of plastic-y strands that made its progress screech to a darn near halt. It finally got past that, and now it's been idle again for days and days, as it has run into something the huge cutting face can't handle. Not good. Not good at all. They thought they had a workaround, involving pilot holes, sending 'divers' down, and more, but Bertha is being inundated with ground water, so the delay is at least another two weeks.
To date, Bertha (which is 5 stories tall, might I note) has gone just over 1,000 feet on its 1.7 mile path from Sodo to South Lake Union.
If you want to watch the nothing happening, here's a live cam: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/viaduct/Traffic/ConstructionCam
But before I bag on Bertha any more, check out this cool photo. See - there is a wee bit of tunnel there!
Photo: Washington State Department of Transportation -http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/Viaduct/
Trying to make lemonade out of lemons, the Seattle clam chowder powerhouse Ivar's has a contest. "Tell us what you think is blocking Bertha for your chance to win Ivar's Chowder for one year (one cup per week). The most creative answer will win. And, just by entering, you'll get to dream of the grand prize with a coupon for a free cup of chowder."
What's not to like?! Woot!
Enter here by Dec. 23: http://www.ivars.com/promos/item/317-clamosaurus
What's not to like?! Woot!
Enter here by Dec. 23: http://www.ivars.com/promos/item/317-clamosaurus
POM PROJECT: I almost forgot, here (finally) is a photo showing what all those pom poms we made awhile back were for - several pairs of 'spirit' gloves. Not necessarily the most practical apparel, but fun. ;) Go Hawks!
Love the gloves. They are a winner.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree, winners like the Hawks!!
ReplyDelete