Try a Papaya

PRETTY PRODUCE:  Our march of the new (to us) produce month continues. Recently, we cut into a papaya for the first time. Tangerine and pink - so beautiful!

We're getting a bit better at trying out new fruit. For instance, this go round, we thought to read online what a ripe papaya looks like. Turns out, the one we bought a week-plus ago was absolutely not ripe.

So, we put it in a brown paper bag for a couple of days and waited. The dark green turned more golden, and it developed what looked like bruises in a couple spots (which is actually a sign of ripening).

Annabelle read instructions about how to cut it aloud. First, you slice off the top. 

 Next, you cut it lengthwise.

Boy were we surprised when we found these inside! They looked like little eggs. They're papaya seeds, of course.  We read up on whether or not they're edible. They are - but they are bitter, tasting almost like pepper. Some save them, dry them, and ground them up.

One source said you're supposed to eat a couple of them for good luck, so we did.

"Instant regret!!!" shouted CJ, running for the sink. (I didn't think they were that bad at all.)

We cut the rest of the skin off it, sliced it into spears, and ate some. More of it went in our smoothies this morning. It had a very mild taste - almost like a melon meets a peach.

CHECKMATE:  After multiple fits and starts on what should have been a simple project, I'm calling it (our custom Seahawks chess table) done. 

It started as a wood-toned freebie table from a neighbor. We sanded and sanded it, painted it Seattle gray, gridded it out, painted the Seahawks' blue and green for squares, and found enough cards to stage a Seahawks v. Packers match up. The hardest part ended up what should have been the easiest part - just putting a coat of clear acrylic on the top. For whatever reason, the first two times I did that with two different products it was a DISASTER, and back to the drawing board. Ugh. 

Now, we're going to donate it to a local school to be auctioned off for a fund raiser.

I hope the school makes a little money from it. 

TESTING, PART DEW:  Today was the second of four days of state mandated academic testing. The kids each had a reading test today that involved them writing a passage with several paragraphs.

I was rather surprised (and not in the good way) when Annabelle came shooting out of the testing HQ after just about 45 minutes.  I asked her how many paragraphs she wrote, and she said four. In that amount of time, given the other questions and all the reading she had to do, let me just say I can guarantee you it wasn't her best work. That, and the instructions had said to write SEVERAL paragraphs. That's not just a couple. In fact, it's more than a few.  And she had at least four adults in the know (including me, her dad, her teacher, her brother the teacher and another teacher), tell her this weekend that several usually means around seven. It's definitely not four short ones.  So, let's hope this morning's lackluster effort is eclipsed by her three other tests.  Here was today's token pre-test motivation - a little shot of "Baja Blast."  

Maybe tomorrow she gets more. Or less. 

MORNING LAUNCH:  A little after 8 this morning, we watched (via the United Launch Alliance Web site), the launch of an Atlas V rocket. It was carrying a number of noteworthy items, including the Air Force Space Command 5 (AFSPC-5) satellite, some Cubesats, and the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (or mini space shuttle, which flies top secret, robotic-driven missions for the military).  

Also on Board: The Planetary Society's LightSail-A.  LightSail™ is a citizen-funded project.  The small spacecraft has a large, reflective sail measuring 32 square meters (344 square feet). This test flight is in preparation for a second, full-fledged solar sailing demonstration in 2016.

LightSail's sail uses the sun’s energy as a method of propulsion—flight by light.  As the Planetary Society Web site explains, "Light is made of packets of energy called photons. While photons have no mass, a photon traveling as a packet of light has energy and momentum."  There is lots more to be learned on The Planetary Society's site: http://sail.planetary.org/index.html
After its sail is deployed, you can try to track LightSail in the sky (dawn and dusk are the best times) via this Web site: http://sail.planetary.org/missioncontrol

COMING HOME:  Early this morning (at 4:04 a.m., Seattle time), the SpaceX Dragon capsule will depart the International Space Station, headed for a splash down in the Pacific Ocean, and the end of a successful mission.  Dragon will be carrying some 3,100 pounds of research samples and equipment.  This capsule is the one Christian watched launch live, in person from Cape Canaveral, so you know we'll be watching its return to Earth, as well.

    Photo: NASA/ISS - ISS043E193779 (05/14/2015)