Sunny Sunday

OUT AND ABOUT: Yesterday afternoon, we carefully venture away from the self isolation of the MPA campus, and headed 30 miles northbound. During that jaunt, I discovered perhaps the only good thing about this pandemic so far: While driving through the heart of the city and I thought to myself, "Wow, this is the clearest, prettiest Seattle I've seen since the '70s."

About 30 seconds later, from the back seat, CJ chimes in with, "Wow, the skyline looks really good today!"

The emissions are all way down from people not hardly going anywhere, so it makes for beautiful vistas. So yay for that. 

The destination for our drive yesterday was Mukilteo, where my parents are. We were actually having a pandemic supplies swap, if you can believe that. Obviously, we didn't go to their home. Instead, we met at the big park by the lighthouse.

The expansive parking lot was nearly full when we pulled in! Guess we weren't the only ones who had the idea to get out and into the sunshine (despite the cool temps and moderate wind). Fortunately, the park was big enough for us to still 'social distance.' 

We saw this sign in the park. Maybe taking this walking tour can be one of our healthy distractions while riding out the pandemic. 

Below, Christian and my dad discuss some NASA stuff. They shouldn't have been standing so close together!

Daffodils are still blooming up a storm. They looked even better next to this pretty pink tree's blossoms.

On our way back from Mukilteo, we stopped to pick up some to go food. (In restaurant dining is over for the foreseeable future.) I couldn't help but notice how many businesses were closed. It hurt my heart to see the marquee on the Neptune Theater.  No shows until who knows when. And, of course, this scene is repeated all over the nation and world. 

SCHOOL'S IN SESSION: One small bright spot in the midst of pandemic hell is that so many have offered their services to help families whose school-aged children are now suddenly without their familiar school. 

This morning we checked out a live drawing and watercolor lesson from an Ohio-based art supply and class company, McHarper Manor, via their Facebook page.  

The project involved drawing a bird on a turtle on an elephant. 

Annabelle had no trouble keeping up. 

Her finished drawing is super cute!

Right after that, we joined an 11 a.m. drawing session with author and illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka. CJ was able to sit in on this one.

One of the activities was cooperative. One artist would draw a doodle, and the other person had to finish it. In the doodle below, CJ first drew the green shape, and then Annabelle finished it off in blue.

It was a fun activity that would work for most any age student - including adults!

Here's a link to JJK's session.


After the art lessons, I happened upon a live stream from The Museum of Flight, one of our favorite places. The museum's curator was talking about the B-17 Flying Fortress. A couple of fast facts that I learned were that people had to wear a blue bunny suit while on board the B-17 because it had no heat (brrr!). The jumpsuit was like a full-body electric blanket.  

I also learned that there are 394,484 rivets on a B-17 G. A whole lot of Rosies were needed to get that done! 
https://www.facebook.com/museumofflight/videos/2887146897990525/

SCREEN TIME: One other thing the pandemic has 'allowed' us to do is watch programming we likely otherwise would not have viewed. You see, we hardly ever watch movies or series in our household. If the TV's on, it's likely the NASA channel or some sportsball game. 

So now that sports are canceled for months, what are we to do? Well, one thing we can do is check out some of those things we never watch.

For instance, on Sunday night we finished "The Mandalorian." What a terrific series! 

Monday night, I didn't feel like watching something long or anything that required a lot of thought, and I happened to remember the "Drunk History" series. I'll have Annabelle tell you a bit more about that. 

Drunk History is a comedy TV show that features one-on-one interviews with various historians and field experts, while (as the title suggests) nearly blackout drunk. They’re asked to tell the story of or talk about various important historical events and people, frequently rather exaggerated and comedic due to the drunken storytelling. Drunk History makes the show entertaining beyond just watching intoxicated people by having actual actors (and sometimes celebrities) act out the situation in costume and lip-synch to the voice over of the interviewee.

Last night, my family watched a few different Drunk History episodes. Each episode contains about three different interview clips, usually very cut down to fit within the span of a 20-minute episode. My favorite story from last night was probably the one focused on Lewis and Clark’s journey, told by two women who were obviously just barely conscious enough to speak. They made plenty of hilarious observations and misnomers about the journey and the people encountered on it, which makes for plenty of comedy whenever something obviously untrue happens, such as using modern day slang. If you don’t mind the occasional cringing or disgust that is typically expected from dealing with drunk people, Drunk History is a much-watch.

Turns out there are a whole bunch of Drunk History episodes on YouTube, including the Lewis and Clark one. Check it out, if you're so inclined.