DRAMATIC: This evening, our view of Mt. Rainier was replaced by a wide, dramatic rainbow (with a faint secondary rainbow to its right). I could hear neighbors all around us outside on their decks, oohing and aahing over the sight. This cell phone photo doesn't do it justice.
Shortly thereafter, the sky turned all sorts of scary shades of blue gray, and thunder and lightning ensue.
VIRUS HUNTERS: Our 'to do' list was long today, involving the usual Japanese, art, world history, writing, and rock history. We also had a special event this afternoon - an hour with a virus hunter.
While most people right about now are trying to avoid viruses, Dr. Ken Stedman is a full time virus seeker.
Stedman studies viruses found in extreme environments, for instance volcanic acid hot springs.
In addition to being a professor at Portland State University, Stedman also works in laboratories, and in the field, in places like Yellowstone National Park. Some of his work is funded by NASA. No surprise the space agency is interested in learning more about what kinds of life might be encountered in the extreme environments in space.
It was an interesting hour, and while we listened, we even got quite a bit of work done on a jigsaw puzzle.
DOODLING: This morning, I directed the kids to Google's Doodle for the day as a tangential activity for Cinco de Mayo.
The doodle featured the traditional Mexican bingo card game Lotería. The game uses cards, each featuring colorful pictures of various things you’d find in Mexico, like palm trees, corn and musical instruments. The pictures are labeled with the Spanish word for the object, so you can learn a little while you play.
The game is like a combo of a memory game and bingo. A grid of 16 cards is laid out, and when the game starts, you're told what it takes to win (like four cards across in a row, or all four corners).
Cards are flipped from a deck, and if it's a match to one in your grid, you put a bean atop it. The cards are revealed pretty quickly, so it's a fast-paced game.
The kids were quickly hooked. And neither one would quit until they won a round. You can find the game here:
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk00kCh6aBjMZHQRMiyTGf58Zx9A-bg%3A1588712969779&ei=CdaxXsaOL6qw0PEPmP-XwAY&q=today%27s+google+doodle&oq=today%27s+google+doodle&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQAzIECCMQJzIECAAQQzIFCAAQgwEyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAOgQIABBHOgUIABCRAjoHCAAQFBCHAlDtngFYw7ABYM6xAWgAcAR4AIABV4gBzAmSAQIyMZgBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXo&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwiGt9qB0Z3pAhUqGDQIHZj_BWgQ4dUDCAw&uact=5
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