Playing Catch Up

SWEET LOU: It's been a busy few days for us, and I'm finally getting around to posting about our weekend. 

Saturday afternoon, we headed to Safeco Field for a baseball game and, more importantly. to watch Lou Pinella inducted into the Mariners' Hall of Fame.

It was a touching ceremony. Lou's family was on hand (they're in the top half of the semi-circle pictured below). 

It was so remarkable - Lou's speech was all about the men who had played for him and the team's ownership and the fans, and almost nothing about himself.  He was humble and emotional and appreciative.

The game itself was disappointing. The Mariners' bats were on ice, unfortunately.  We did get to see a big, beautiful full moon, however.

COMPUTING:  Before the game, we attended the first annual Vintage Computer Faire at the  Living Computer Museum, a newish and most-welcome addition to the Sodo neighborhood of town.

It was our first visit there, and we'll be back, for sure. Assembled by Paul Allen, the LCM's collection showcases the meaningful milestones in the evolution of computers. What's really great about the museum is that the computers are restored and fully functional or "alive" (hence the word living in the museum's name).  

This IBM System/360 model 91 was absolutely beautiful - all lit up and looking like something out of a great old science fiction movie. :)

According to the Living Computer Museum's Web site, the console pictured above is the sole remaining part of a massive machine that ran at Princeton University. It was one of eleven Model 91 computers sold, and only 16 were built.

We also got to see the Xerox Alto up close.  Released in 1973, it was one of the very first personal computers, it's famous for being one of the first computers to use a mouse-driven GUI, or graphical user interface, making it have a very short learning curve for newbies.

Unfortunately, Alto was temporarily down while we visited. The museum staffer in the booth assured us it's usually up and running. 

CJ and Annabelle got a kick out of typing a message on an old IBM computer card system. 

Back in the day, this machine was the bees' knees. 

And look at this big ol' beauty, a tape reading machine by digital. 

I had to chuckle at the laptop running Windows next to it. Bet the laptop is more powerful. 

Every photo I took of the kids in front of the big ol' machines (a Xerox in the case below) has them with their eyes closed. Oh well. 

In addition to the permanent displays, there were also some activity booths at the fair. People could make jewelry out of computer parts, and we each colored a 3-D printed "Bit," the museum's mascot.

MONUMENTAL:  Sunday morning, we finished the Great Rock Wall of Magnolia, our 'little landscaping project whereby Christian and I stacked about 18 tons boulders up a steep slope over an area bout 25 feet wide and about 13 feet high. Said boulders weighed 200 to 300-plus pounds apiece. 

As we surveyed what we accomplished, I told Christian I can now understand how the great, ancient pyramids were built, because if just the two of us could do what we did with nothing more than ropes and pulleys and brute strength, imagine what you could get done with thousands of people laboring. 

Now, we're working on installing perennial plants in the nooks and crannies of the wall, which is a bit of a project in and of itself, but it will be well worth it once that's done, too.