Friday

FUNNY MUG:  Annabelle is continuing to work on her Einstein-related art project. She's rebooted, and decided to make a short animation, inspired by one of the lectures about length contraction from the Einstein class. I predict she'll finish it over the weekend, so be looking for it soon. Here's a sneak peak at one of the characters. It's kawaii version of Mr. Einstein, of course. Y'all have probably seen the famous photo it's modeled after.

Oh, in case you're wondering, kawaii is "the quality of cuteness in the context of Japanese culture," per Wikipedia. Kawaii characters, per Annabelle, always have big, round eyes and a mouth shaped like a backwards 3. Interesting. Though he was given a "cute" makeover, it's still unmistakably Albert, isn't it? 

SWIMMINGLY: The kids started asking if they could go swimming today before 10 a.m., I do believe. It was not warm and not sunny, but that means the outdoor municipal pool in our neighborhood wouldn't be crowded, so I gave them a definite maybe..

SWIMMINGLY: The kids started asking if they could go swimming today before 10 a.m., I do believe. It was not warm and not sunny, but that means the outdoor municipal pool in our neighborhood wouldn't be crowded, so I gave them a definite maybe

Fortunately for them, Christian was up for some splashing action, and so off they went, from 5:30 to 7:30.

By all reports, they had a grand ol' time. They even came home sporting tattoos.

SCRATCHED: We headed down to West Seattle for the kids computer programming class, only to find out the community center's computer lab was basically non functional this morning. BUMMER. The kids stayed and messed around with a couple of non-network based things and visited with some friends, but we ditched early.

SEW WHAT?:  Over the past few weeks, Annabelle has asked me a couple of times about sewing, so yesterday while they were in yoga, I killed some time in a nearby Jo-Ann fabric store, looking at patterns.

I found this one in a pattern book. ...

It looked good, given it is an 'Easy Sew' and lots of options (two shirts, a dress, pants, and a couple of jackets). The store I was at yesterday afternoon was OUT of the pattern though. I was miffed, but undeterred. So today, we stopped at a different Jo-Ann and not only did they have it, but the pattern went on sale today and it was only $1!!!! I saved $12 for my inconvenience. Cool!

I told Annabelle we can go pick out some fabric this weekend.

Beachcombers

LOW TIDE: We started the morning with a trio of Week 7 lectures for our Einstein class. When I spotted a break in the weather, we sprang into action to take advantage of it while we could, leashing up the dogs, and the kids got their scooters and helmets.

We decided to head down to the Terminal 91 park along Elliott Bay. There, we can see fishing vessels, cruise ships, the Space Needle, the stadium district and part of downtown, and more.

We happened to hit it at the lowest tide we've ever seen down there. Given that, there were lots of shells and seaweed to check out.

One of the interesting things we spotted was this small boulder. It seemed to have a clay or brick bottom. I sent this photo of it to the geologist in the family to see what he had to say about it.

Tonight, we heard back from Dr. Jim Haggart. He said ...

It's hard to say just what the rock is, without seeing it closer.  However, I can make some guesses.  The interesting thing is the little holes that seem to be in the upper part of the rock.  These could be molds of fossil clam shells within a sedimentary rock, or they could be vesicles (irregular gas bubble holes) within a volcanic rock.

The red-brick stuff on the bottom could be partially lithified Pleistocene mud or clay (the stuff they make bricks out of!) and, if it is a volcanic rock, the abundance of iron in such a rock would provide a ready source of iron to oxidize within the mud, producing the red color.

If the holes are actually fossil molds, it is possible that this could be an erratic boulder (carried by the ice) from the fossiliferous Cretaceous rocks that are found in the foothills of the Mount Baker region (similar erratics are known to have been carried from Harrison Lake (Look on Google Earth) in British Columbia to the central part of the Olympic Mountains!)

However, I suspect it is most likely the volcanic option.  Too bad you didn't use the camera to get a close-up view, as the composition of minerals and/or grains can tell a lot.

Super interesting! And now, of course, we want to go back and find the rock to get some closer shots of it. I hope the water doesn't carry it away before we can get back!

We probably spent a half hour enjoying the great outdoors before it was back to physics.

We noted that the sundial in the park was keeping good time today.

As is their tradition, the kids celebrated when the reached the top of the loooong hill we have to climb on the way home.

NOTEWORTHY: Guess what we did this afternoon? More Einstein! We're playing catch up because we were gone last weekend, and last week's darn problem set slowed us down for a couple of extra days.

Here are some of Annabelle's notes from this afternoon. I love them. :)

BREAKING NEWS: And by breaking, I mean a freaking bridge collapsed. Specifically, the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River. It's about 100 miles north of Seattle, and we last crossed it on our field trip to see the tulips. Around 70,000 cars cross it each day. It fell into the river at about 7 p.m. tonight.

Initially, it was hoped that there were no casualties, but by 9 p.m. there was a report of at least one casualty.

In the days and weeks to come, we'll find out why the bridge collapsed. The Associated Press reported that the bridge, built in 1955, had a sufficiency rating of 57.4 out of 100 according to federal records. That's pretty awful, and well below the statewide average rating of 80. It was labeled 'functionally obsolete' years ago.

Break on Through to the Other Side

EUREKA!  As referenced in yesterday's blog post, we here at MPA had managed to find our way through the first challenging six weeks of our Einsteinian physics class passing all the tests and problem sets. After trying to derive equations in my sleep all night, I got up refreshed and ready to go this morning and tried to work out the three problems we were having trouble with and guess what?!?!? I still couldn't do it. Doh! So much for sleeping on it. :/

Good thing there's a math major in the family (hi Grandpa R!). Lateish last night in semi desperation, I sent him an SOS email explaining our speed bump. Ironically, what was vexing us was not even Einsteinian, really. It was 'simple' (LOL) math. Actually, it wasn't simple, but it was *only* math, no mystery involved, unless, say, you're an 8- or 10-year old who is typically a decade or so away from this kind of math, or you're a 47-year old who is 30 years removed from this math - and didn't grasp it too well even back in the '80s. ...

As I explained to our lifeline, our course honor code allows us to work in groups on problem sets, sharing ideas and information, so asking for some guidance was AOK. As expected, Mr. Lifeline QUICKLY had us headed in the right direction. So this afternoon, while the kids were in a math class, I went ot the library, filled in the blanks and, with a shaking hand, I hit 'submit' on my problem set answers. And guess what? I could hardly believe my eyes when the score was 24/24. The kids have managed a perfect score before, but that was my first 100 percent. :) Hip hip hooray!

The score happily surprised me a bit, because the kids and I had worked long and hard (probably 5 hours plus) solving the other problems. There were a few that we could not find a 'firm' (100 percent sure correct) answer for, but we had talked and talked about them, and had chosen one of the four possibilities that made the most sense to us for good reason. And we were right on all counts! SUPER gratifying.

In other Einstein news, the class we're taking includes an optional creative project. Since our 'maths' (as the Brits would say) were bringing us down as of late, this seemed like a good time to have some fun with Einstein.

CJ decided to write an acrostic poem - one that uses the first letter of the topic word to begin each line. Naturally, that topic word was EINSTEIN. First, he wrote the poem. Then, I suggested the poem would have more resonance if it involved an image of Einstein, so he looked online for a photo he wanted to use. He chose the classic Albert in front of chalkboard image. From there, he erased the drawings on the chalkboard and then had to fit his poem on the board. He was very particular about finding the right font (one that looked like chalk writing) and the right color, so that the words would match the sepia tones of the photo.

I thought his end product was really great.

Annabelle has something in the works, too. Stay tuned.

LEMON HEADS: Last night the last show I watched was on the Food Network, so when I fired up the TV this morning for the kids, that's what flickered on. The program airing was a lemon-themed episode of "Unwrapped," and it instantly captured their attention, as it was showing how Lemonhead candies are made. I don't think the kids have ever even had Lemonheads, but they were very interested in how they were made.

It's a highly automated process, using a collection of specialized machines. We watched the insides of the candy being made, with the material being rolled out into a sheet and cut by machines, then it solidified and broke into little balls, which were coated with sugar, citric acid, and yellow coloring, among other things.

Some 15- to 20-thousand pounds of Lemonheads are produced per shift at the Ferrara plant where they're made.

The next segment of the show featured a Sunkist lemon operation. We learned that lemons are actually a hybrid of lime and a citron. When the harvested lemons are being processed, each fruit has an amazing 20 photos taken of it. Computers analyze the photos and the lemons are then sorted based on size, color, blemishes and such. We also learned that the lemons are coated in a wax before being shipped to market. Supposedly it's to replace their natural waxy covering that disappears when they're washed at the factory.

Speaking of lemons, we just had our first and only harvest of a real live lemon here on 'campus.'  While we were away this past weekend, the lone lemon on our tree (more of a plant, really), fell off.

Years in the making (it's our first lemon from the several year old plant), it's big, bright yellow. Check out the ugly little plant it came from.

ALOFT: Throughout the day, we checked in with the progress of Solar Impulse. It took off, per plan, in the wee small hours of the morning (just before 5 a.m. their locaal time) from Phoenix, headed to Dallas-Fort Worth.

© Solar Impulse | Merz | Rezo.ch
Tonight, as the kids went to bed, Solar Impulse was descending to below 5,000 feet, with Dallas-Fort Worth in its sites. Another cross country leg successfully completed.

FUNKY FOLLICLES: Today was 'crazy hair day' where the kids take their science class in Shoreline. We used chalk on Bee's locks to give her some color. CJ got to experience the joys of being a girl, with a few little pony tails. He squealed big time as I ponied him up. I suppose he has a whole new appreciation for girls now. ;)

Tuesday Doings

PULLEYS: The kids completed some science homework today for the pulleys and levers unit they're in the midst of. 

They were tasked with constructing a single fixed pulley. It took them a fair amount of talking and scrounging and testing, but they came up with something that, indeed, fit the bill.

Another part of the same assignment was to find levers pictured in magazines and cut out examples of type-1, -2, and -3 levers.  Here are some items CJ found.

 Annabelle found a couple, but got frustrated and decided it would be more fun to draw the rest.

UP WITH THE SUN: Tomorrow morning Solar Impulse, the plane that gets all its juice from our one and only sun, will be taking off again.

© Solar Impulse | Merz | Rezo.ch

Solar Impulse will take off at 5 a.m. MST from Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport tomorrow morning, bound for the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It will be the second leg of its cross-country journey, which started on May 3, when Bertrand Piccard flew the plane from San Fran to Phoenix.  

Wednesday, André Borschberg will be in the pilot's seat, attempting to set an absolute distance world record in solar aviation - over 830 miles. The previous record was 693 miles, held by Solar Impulse and Borchberg on a Switzerland to Spain flight in 2012. 

The team of Solar Impulse says they hope the flights "inspire everyone to be pioneers and change-makers to bring solutions for today’s challenges." People who join their movement (by entering their contact info on the Solar Impulse Web site at http://www.solarimpulse.com/join_us/) can take a virtual ride in the plane, as their name will be on a USB key kept in the cockpit and transported across America as virtual passengers.

Each leg of the cross country journey will be streamed live on www.solarimpulse.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook. The plane's position, altitude and speed will be shown in real time, while cockpit and mission control cameras allow viewers to experience the journey.

WEEKEND REWIND: Yesterday's post about our weekend focused solely on the pig roast we witnessed. There were other goings on, of course. For instance, the kids got a chance to check out some chickens.

And here's Rudy, the fine looking and vociferous rooster.

The kids also got in a quick game of Twister. What a classic.

Funny how the mat looks so much smaller now than it did when I was a kid.

On the way down to Siletz, we stopped at a the Baldock rest area between Portland and Salem. There, we found an interesting living feature called "Grove of the States."

Once upon a time, it featured trees for each of the 50 states. Some of them looked lovely, like this New York sugar maple.

However, a lot of the specimens seemed to be really struggling in their not-native environments, like this North Carolina palm.

And some trees were missing entirely, holes where the former rootballs were located, as was the case with the Arkansas Pine.

Despite the voids and a whole lot of signs in various states of disrepair, it was a nice pit stop.

SPEED BUMP: For the first time, we seem to have hit a bit of a speed bump in our Einstein class. We finished watching all the week's lectures, took the test following each of those and aced them, took the overall weekly test and aced that, but the problem set for this week is vexing us. What's really frustrating is that overall, this week content wise had been lighter and less difficult (at least on the surface) than last week, by far.

We're trying to generate equations that will let a person transfer points from one person's point of view to another's on the same spacetime diagram. We have the starting points to work these equations, but try as we might, the ones we come up with don't match any of the four options on the problem set. Grrr. We have a couple more days to complete the problems, but I don't know what's going to change between now and then. We've already watched, rewatched and rewatched the lectures, and worked and reworked. We'll sleep on it, or as Albert would have said, we "vill t'ink" some more, but I'm not very hopeful that the physics fairy showing up and solving these puzzles. Frustrating, indeed. 

This Little Piggy

SOME PIG: Normally, I lead my blog posts with a really big picture on top.  I'm not going to do that this time, because I want to give you a chance to hit the 'eject' button. ...

If you do not want to see what pork ribs, bacon and ham look like before they reach the supermarket, this is your chance to skedaddle.

This weekend we headed to Siletz, Ore., for a very special birthday party. Part of the festivities involved roasting a real live whole dead pig. Me being me, I took lots of pictures of said pig in various states of undress.

It was a great opportunity for the kids to see that meat doesn't just come from plastic-wrapped packages in a grocery store. Rather, it comes from previously living breathing, and in some cases snorting and oinking, animals.

The subject of our roast spent a couple days on ice in a lovely bathtub before being manhandled into a wheelbarrow and carted to the garage.

There, with surgical precision, the pig was butterflied. It took some pretty heavy duty hammering with mallets and cleavers to get the job done.

Here's what delicious pork ribs look like before they're seasoned, slathered in sauce and BBQed to perfection. ... 

After the jaw and head were split open, we got a look at its not-so-pearly whites.

Once it was butterflied, the poor piggy was flipped back over. 

I put a butcher knife within its reach, but she didn't stand a fighting chance at this point. 

It was now time to strap Petunia to a rebar rack before she was barbecue bound.

I couldn't help but take the photo above. It looks like her hoof is being tenderly held to help ease her through the process. 

Once secure, it was time to transport this little piggy to the fire pit.  Here, Christian carries the front of the rack.

And here's the pit, constructed of concrete blocks, lined in foil, and hot charcoal was spread around the bottom.

She was placed skin side down, and if memory serves, she was flipped after about 90 minutes. At that point, she looked like this. ...

After her underside cooked for an hour-plus, it was time for another flip to crisp the skin. ...

And the pig did, indeed, become a crispy critter.

Cooked through and through, the pig could practically be pulled apart with bare hands.

I do believe there were two dozen people on hand eating dinner. Even after everyone had their fill, there was so much meat left, it looked like no one had eaten. A 75 pound pig could feed a much larger army.

Suffice it to say, the whole thing, from start to finish, was a spectacle to behold. If you want to take one on yourself, check out this link to a Web page where "Three Guys from Miami" teach you had to "Roast a Pig Like a Pro."  It worked like a charm for the hard working, skilled pig roasters hosting the party in Siletz!