Friday Finds

SOLAR SYSTEM SCORE:  Regular readers know we are active in a "Buy Nothing" neighborhood group, where neighbors post items they are looking to rehome and other neighbors express their desire to pick up said items. Today, this popped up in my feed ...

Why wouldn't want a Giant Inflatable SOLAR SYSTEM? I especially love that the box notes it includes eight planets, Pluto ... in other words, it's not counting poor Pluto as a planet. That would make Neil deGrasse Tyson happy. 

I threw our hat into the ring on the post, letting the gifter know we are space nuts and do outreach on occasion at local schools. Happily, we 'won' the set.  Annabelle drew a cute thank you card, which we left on the person's porch. Nice!

POP SOME TAGS: We visited the big Goodwill store on Dearborn in south Seattle today. There, treasures we found included a cool science book and a fun Star Wars-themed Mad Libs. Not bad for three bucks!

KIRBY'S TURN:  This morning we continued our coursework for our "Dog Emotion and Cognition" class through Yale University via Coursera. 

Like we did with Laika yesterday, today the kids put Kirby through the paces in a Dognition.com test.

In the eye contact game, you hold a treat (the kids used a morsel of Velveeta) next to your eye, and see how long your dog will maintain 'eye conact.' While Laika broke off after about 30 seconds yesterday, Kirby maintained for the entire 90 second test each time. 

Apparently this shows she's entirely bonded to the kids. 

I'm sorry, but I can't help but think it's because she's entirely bonded to Velveeta. 

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: This morning I received an email from a Web designer letting me know some of the photos I've parked/donated to Morgefile.com were going to be used on a pediatric medical practice's Web site. 

Two photos of much younger CJ and Annabelle are in the bottom lefthand corner of the front page of the Web site. 

From the 'it's a small world' file, the practice is just across Puget Sound, on Whidbey Island. How 'bout that?

Sun Celebration

CALM BEFORE THE STORM: Today, our first sunflower bloomed. It may be our last of the season, as well. While it's currently 80-plus, blue skies and nary a breeze, by Saturday afternoon, it's supposed to be heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 40 MPH - kinda tough on sunflowers. But we're happy for the rain, in hopes it will help extinguish the devastating wildfires.

Knowing the rains are coming, we made sure not to miss our sunshiny walk this morning, and decided to go to the Ballard Locks, because I'd read their salmon fish count was way up as of late. 

Sure enough, as we walked along the south shore of the estuary, we could see scores of enormous salmon just under the top surface of the water.It's hard to see with the naked eye in this photo, so I put some orange arrows in, each pointing to a big ol' fish. There were more fish than I've 'arrowed,' to be sure.

No surprise, there was also a big, fat seal on site, having a breakfast buffet.

While I stayed up top with the tourists, the kids went down below to the fish ladder viewing windows. Annabelle captured this action shot.

We wandered over to the north side of the locks, and through the flower gardens, which are in full bloom.

Of course we also watched a few boats motoring through the locks, including this huge vessel, Akutan.

We did the Google when we got home,and learned Akutan is a small town in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. Its population is just over 1,000.

According to the Web Site Maritime-Connector.com, the ship's gross tonnage is 749, and it was built in 1944. It sure was pumping out some stinky blue smoke today, I can tell you that.

We also watched a really long train cross the railroad bridge before we headed back home.

DOGSPERIMENTS:  We took our first test for our "Dog Emotion and Cognition" class this morning, and afterward, conducted our first experiement using the Dognition Web site. Our test subject this morning was Laika, a three year old Havanese.

We played two test games with her. The first was the "Yawn Game." One person was supposed to yawn every 5 seconds for 30 seconds total, while the other gave the yawner time cues. 

According to the Dognition site, "Yawning in dogs can be an indicator of stress, but we were measuring something different - social yawning." Dogs are purportedly capable of contagion yawning.  

CJ was going to be the yawner, but it turns out he is absolutely TERRIBLE about yawning on command. He tried to spontaneously-yet-on-command yawn and made a horrible noise, like a yeti stepping on a LEGO, and made a crazy head gesture.

"You look like a breached whale," Annabelle assessed.

We decided Annabelle would be the yawner.

It might have been a moot point, however, because Test Subject did not yawn in response to Annabelle's yawning. 

The Dognition Web site tried to reassure us, however, noting ... "this is not surprising. Although dogs are one of the few species besides humans that contagiously yawn, there is variation among dogs. Data from several research groups shows differing results, but our preliminary data shows that only 20% of dogs yawn contagiously."

OK, so Laika's in the 80 percent. Go Laika.  

Next up was the "Eye Contact Game." Per the Dognition Web site, "Before babies can hug or speak, they use eye gaze to bond with their mothers. Research with dogs has shown that a similar phenomenon may happen with owners and dogs"

Hmm. OK, interesting. But it gets better. ... "Owners whose dogs stared at them for longer had significant increases in the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin, also known as the "hug hormone," is related to feelings of bonding, pleasure and affection."

At first I read oxytocin as oxycontin. Apparently it's not the same thing. ;)

So, we did the eye contact test, which involved holding a doggie treat next to your eye and seeing how long your dog would stare at you. Yes, really.

I just want to go on the record as saying if someone held a t-bone steak next to their eye, I would stare at it longer than someone who was *not* holding a steak next to their eye. But I digress.

Anyway, the results are in and they say, "Judging by the extraordinary length of time Laika spent gazing soulfully into your eyes, you probably often find her staring at you for no reason. You might wonder if Laika is trying to tell you something, like she is hungry, needs to go to the bathroom or has an opinion on what to do over the weekend. But Laika may not want or need anything - she may be just hugging you with her eyes."

Based on the combined results of the two tests, what are we told? 

"Laika's empathy scores were off the charts. Empathy is the ability to feel what someone else is feeling. Humans are extremely empathetic; it is one of our best qualities. Empathy is not something we are taught; it is present even in young children, growing and strengthening as we get older.

Researchers have recently suggested that other animals also have empathy, or at least a basic form of empathy. If this is true, dogs are an ideal place to look. 

Humans and dogs go back thousands of years - enough time for the bond           between us to develop into something special.



This is even more special because initial results suggest that small dogs like      Laika tend to be more individualistic than large dogs. By being more on the        bonded end of the scale, Laika certainly stands out from the small dog crowd. If most dogs are bonded to their owners, Laika absolutely adores you."

CJ contemplated the results and asked, straight-faced, "Do they mean she's empathetic, or pathetic?"

STAR ROCKS: One science lesson for the day came via a wonderful story on Forbes.com about the geology of Star Trek. They had me at Star Trek, but it's a well-written article, with lots of interesting examples of how crystals, minerals and other geological aspects are essential plot devices in the Star Trek world. In fact, one of the "Trek in the Park" performances we went to see was "Devil in the Dark," about the Enterprise crew visiting a mining colony and finding out that the 'rocks' were, in fact, sentient beings.
GOING UP: What’s the connection between a warming world and rising seas? NASA lets us know in this great Earth Minute video: https://youtu.be/msnOHuPep9I.


"It gets across the message quickly and easily," said CJ.

"I think the illustrations are a great way to show younger kids what he means if they don't have a full vocabulary developed yet," observed Annabelle.

BIG ONE: Today marks the anniversary of the really big and bad eruption of Krakatoa in 1883.

The volcano rumbled to life on May 20, 1883, venting after a 200 year slumber. Over the next three months, there were regular small blasts, and on August 11, ash started spewing, growing progressively stronger until Aug. 26, when the epic disaster began. 

At around 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 27, began a series of four powerful eruptions, the last of which made the loudest-then-recorded on the planet. Krakatoa is in the Dutch East Indies, and the eruption was heard as far away as central Australia.

Of the 36,000 or so souls who were lost, 31,000 of them were actually killed in subsequent tsunamis rather than the devastating eruption. 

http://www.history.com/shows/how-the-earth-was-made/videos/the-krakatoa-volcano

Wednesday Wanderings

SOMETHING FISHY: Today, the kids helped clean the aquarium. In the process, we got a good look at our two 8-plus year old goldfish, since they were only in a couple of inches of water as we drained out the old for new.

Last time we cleaned the tank, we blogged about how we thought Annabelle Fish might be female and full of eggs, as she had a bulge on her side. After today's look at her, now we're more worried it's a tumor and some kind of spinal deformity. :/

Understandably, Annabelle (human) immediately asked if we should take her to the vet. I stammered and explained that there would be no vet for an eight year old, 89 cent goldfish.

Hindsight 20/20 moment: We never should have allowed the fish (yes, there's a CJ Fish) to be named after the kids. Obviously.

DOODLES:  This afternoon, during a visit with G&G up in Mukilteo, Annabelle whipped out four custom pieces of art on thank you cards per her Grandma's request. They were super cute and she was happy to do it.

Meanwhile, back at MPA, this is what her math scratch paper looks like.

PIPE DREAMS:  Yesterday, we played a vintage game that is tons o' fun, Parker Brothers' Waterworks.

I recall spending hours and hours playing it in the Seventies. Yesterday, I rediscovered why I enjoyed it so much then. It's easy to learn, there is more strategy than luck involved, which I appreciate. Good times were had by all, especially CJ, who won the game yesterday.

DOG DAY: According to posts I've seen all over social media, August 26 is National Dog Day. So, I guess it's only fitting that we spent part of the day listening to lectures in our "Dog Emotion and Cognition" class from Duke University via Coursera.

Part of the class involves visiting the "Dognition" Web site and participating in some lessons or tests with your dog to determine their strengths and not-so-strengths regarding different types of 'intelligences.'

Here's a sneak peek at some of what we have to look forward to.

https://youtu.be/LN9RPPhF6B0

SEEING STARS ... AND BEER: This evening we stopped by Bad Jimmy's to quench our thirsts and play a spirited game of Oz Fluxx. While doing so, we saw a poster on the wall of the establishment publicizing a monthly "Astronomy on Tap" event. It was actually occurring the very evening we were there, but later. Next month, we will try to time it better!

I talked to an event organizer and he said turnout is always standing-room-only good, and for tonight's event, they'd had 170 'we're coming' RSVPs - about twice what the place can hold. Bad Jimmy's even had a special beer on tap for tonight's event, the Big Sipper. 

Happy to hear that so many neighbors are interested in astronomy. The local event is run by University of Washington astronomy students. It's part of a nationwide Astronomy on Tap movement. Nice!

Sad

          Caption: NASA/Goddard, NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. 

          Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS’s thermal bands, are outlined in red.                      http://go.nasa.gov/1hXITML #EarthRightNow

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE: Washington state continues to be in the news in ways you don't want to be. Specifically, the wildfires continue to rage, so much so, in fact, that even NASA is reporting on it from on high.

The photo above was taken on August 23, from NASA's Aqua satellite's MODIS instrument. Unfortunately, Washsingotn is not alone in the wildfire crisis. According to Inciweb, an aggregating website for U.S. wildfires, there are 40 active fires in California, with the largest being the Happy Camp Complex Fire, which has burned over 134,000 acres. Fortunately, it's now 100 percent contained, but there are "scores of other fires in California that are burning 30, 40, and 50 thousand acres at the same time.  A good portion of the state is currently on fire," per the press release. 

Meanwhile, Oregon has 19 active wildfires, the largest being the Cornet-Windy Ridge Fire, which has grown to over 103,887 acres.  Ignited by a lightning strike on August 10, it's currently 80% contained.  

Here in the Evergreen state, 27 active fires are listed on Inciweb as of yesterday, the largest continuing to be the Okanogan Complex fire located east of Twisp.  Ignited by a lightning strike on August 15, it's now over 239,000 acres, and it's only 10 percent contained. 

This natural-color satellite image was collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite on August 23, 2015. 

UNDER THE BRIDGE: For months now, as we've headed southbound out of our neighborhood, we've often passed a woman, standing on a small concrete island near the Staples store. She'd stand at the east end of the Magnolia (Garfield) Bridge, always smiling at cars passing by, holding a tattered piece of cardboard with the words "It Could Always Be Worse" scrawled upon it. .

Last night, we drove home from Kennedy's birthday party, crossing over the bridge to home at 9 p.m. sharp. By 9:25, sirens were blaring. The "It Could Have Been Worse" woman with the sign, lived in a tent under the bridge, and she had been beaten to death, by another person living in a tent, under the bridge. 

Neighborhood blog coverage here: http://www.magnoliavoice.com/2015/08/25/murder-under-the-magnolia-bridge/

Local station KOMO news had an interview with her husband tonight. He shared a tent with the murder victim, and was brutally beaten himself. Once out of the hospital, he was back on the street. Back under the bridge. You can see the interview here: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Bridge-attack-survivor-he-thought-I-was-the-devil-or-something-322887211.html?tab=video&c=y

And here's KIRO's coverage about the attack. 

We talked about what happened today, and it's just so sad on so many levels.
There's just so much so wrong with all of this. 

Arts, Wind and Fire

QUICK COOKIES:  Today is Kennedy's 28th birthday. For years running, I have made him some special cake or cookies or something, but this year I thought I'd dispense with that tradition, because he (quite understandably!) really doesn't need them or eat them. 

But this morning when I woke up, I started feeling super guilty for not making anything. So then I started semi panicking about what to make. Fortunately, by 11 a.m. I'd hit upon the idea of some Beatles-themed cookies. They are one of his favorite bands, and I'll bet my decision was, in large part, influenced by attending a Peter Max art show this weekend.

So, about five hours later I came up for air, Beatles cookies done. They're probably best viewed at a distance. :)

TO THE MAX: On Saturday, we had the absolute pleasure of meeting pop art icon Peter Max, and viewing dozens of his original works (none of which we were allowed to photograph, of course!).

I'll let CJ tell you a bit about our afternoon.

On August 22nd, 2015, we went to the Pacific Place mall to see an exhibition of Peter Max, a pop artist, who, according to Wikipedia, is known for the use of psychedelic shapes and color palettes as well as spectra in his work.

When we went to the exhibit, we noticed that there were often multiple variations on a single painting or base. Apparently, the practice of making multiple variations on a single painting was not uncommon among other pop artists. Variations on a painting were usually color and/or spectrum differences. The artwork at the exhibit had prices, meaning that if somebody wished to purchase a piece of art there, they could. One piece of art that caught my interest was a vintage Seattle Seahawks helmet that had been painted on and decorated. Another piece of art that caught my interest was a paining called "Audio DNA", a psychedelic piece that featured the likenesses of artists such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Simon and Garfunkel.

Near the end, my dad got a chance to meet Peter Max himself.

Overall, I thought it was a very interesting experience at the Peter Max exhibit.

Christian brought this book to the exhibit with him ... he's had it since his childhood.  

He asked Mr. Max, 77, if he remembered it, and he said he absolutely did. 

Many of Max's New York-inspired prints were on display, most all of them familiar to us. About the only image I can share, however, is this stamp Max designed for Expo '74, held in Spokane, WA. (The work is in the public domain as it was for the US government.)

The local media did a nice job of publicizing Max's visit. You can watch KING 5's report here: 
http://www.king5.com/story/entertainment/television/programs/new-day-northwest/2015/08/20/peter-max/32046863/

ALL'S FAIR: For the past few years, our family has volunteered to take on the task of handing the Washsington State Fair's educational ticket program orders for the Seattle Homeschool Group.

Every year I do it, I swear it will be the last (because I get frustrated with the number of people who don't follow the very simple directions they need to in order to get their tickets). 

However, every year, enough time passes that I forget exactly how much of a pain it is, and do it anyway.

And then I complain and swear I'm never going to do it again.

So this year is our last year. Probably. 

HAZY DAYS: This weekend, Seattle (and most of the state of Washington) was engulfed in smoke. The Evergreen State is on fire. As of this writing, the Okanogan wildfire has now become the largest one in state history. In Okanogan County, a group of five fires are raging out of control, burning more than 400 square miles. And there are multiple other fires burning around the state, as well. 

Of course every local firefighter available is on the job, as are military personnel, citizen volunteers and even fire managers from New Zealand and Australia. It's all hands on deck.

Here's a video of the smoke arriving in Seattle. 

I couldn't believe weather forecast on my phone on Sunday afternoon. That was a first. 

Rains are in the forecast for later in the week. We can only hope that the forecast is correct. It's a disaster of epic proportions here.