ROCK AND READ: This afternoon we ventured out to the Greenwood branch of the Seattle Public Libraries. It's not "our" neighborhood branch, or even particularly close to us, but we wanted to take in one of the Summer Reading Program shows. Specifically, it was singer songwriter Nancy Stewart performing "Hooray for Washington!"
We got there a little early, so we picked up a few books and DVDs to bring home with us, and spent some time sitting on the big ol' rocks they have in the children's reading area. The rocks were surprisingly comfortable.
We'd seen Stewart before - last summer, in fact - at a library program, which the kids enjoyed, so we were looking forward to more. Stewart changed the words to some familiar tunes to make them about Washington, and there were some original songs in the mix, too.
During the 45-minute set, there were a number of trivia questions. and Annabelle got a work out raising her hand, eager to offer up an answer for all of them. The one that surprised me the most was a question (paraphrasing) about a large nesting bird that was more common in Washington state than any other state, save Alaska. Annabelle immediately shouted out, "Bald eagles!" which was the right answer.
Speaking of reading, the kids were thrilled to get their LEGO Club and National Geographic for Kids magazines today.
WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT: The show at the library this afternoon closed with the "Hokey Pokey." I could hardly believe my ears, because this morning, before 7, CJ and I were having an in depth discussion about the Hokey Pokey.
Actually, it wasn't much of a discussion at all. It was CJ lecturing me about its history while I stood there and wondered, "How and why does he know this?"
One of the factoids CJ shared with me is that the title for the song came from an ice cream vendor.
INCOMING!: Tomorrow morning we'll be heading down to The Museum of Flight to see an amazingly odd aircraft deliver extraordinarily rare cargo.
Built by Airbus Industries, the Super Guppy looks a bit like a whale with wings.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Guppy aircraft have been used over the course of several space programs, including Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab, to transport large spacecraft components. Its cargo area is 25 feet tall, 25 feet wide and 111 feet long.
Photo: NASA
The Super Guppy left Texas earlier this week, with the shuttle trainer on board. It's supposed to arrive around 11 a.m. Can't wait to see it for ourselves!
LIVING HISTORY: Though we just went to a Mariners game on Wednesday, on Thursday evening we found ourselves sitting at another baseball game - this time in Tacoma at Cheney Stadium.
Why drive an hour south through rush hour traffic to see a AAA baseball game? Two words: Jamie Moyer. (You can see him in the lower left hand corner of the photo above. He was warming up in the outfield post-start.)
Moyer, a former (and a favorite) pitcher for the Mariners, seems to be doing everything possible with his 49-year old body to forestall retirement from Major League Baseball. After playing for the Ms for 11 years, Moyer went on to play - and earn a World Series ring - with Philadelphia.
Last year Moyer underwent Tommy John surgery, and rehabbed his way back to earn a spot in the starting rotation with the Colorado Rockies this season. There, he became the oldest pitcher to ever win a game in the majors. But the Rockies released him, and Moyer made three AAA starts for the Orioles, but when he wasn't called up to the bigs, he asked for his release. He then signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, which led him to Tacoma - starting for the Las Vegas 51s, the Jays' AAA team.
Hultzen struggled a bit with control and lasted just four innings. And Moyer looked a bit iffy early, but in the end, he gave up seven hits and a walk, three early runs, had six strikeouts and he notched the win.
Cheney Stadium was a nice enough venue - not a bad seat in the place and we happened to hit it on $1 hot dog night. Bonus! The sellout crowd of 7,435 gave Moyer a very rousing welcome and a fond farewell when his work for the evening was done.
As he walked off the field, I couldn't help but think it was the last time I'd ever see Moyer pitch in person.
WATER WORKS: Before the game, we went by Christian's work to pick him up. The kids always enjoy checking out the old (wooden!) section of pipe out front. It has an outside diameter of 7 feet and was buried in 1930. The kids always pretend it's a hamster wheel.
And they like turning the valves on the fountain, trying to change the massive gallons-per-minute flow of the water.
SCIENCE TIME: We got a fair amount of science learnin' in on Thursday, as well. First, we watched one of the DVDs from the Disney Imagineering series: "Energy." From the video, we learned the role that energy plays in some popular Disney rides, including Test
Track and the Mad Tea Party. We learned energy is constantly being transferred from
one thing to another and how to identify the difference between
potential and kinetic energy. The kids (and I) always enjoy these Imagineering DVDs.
We also watched a couple of programs on the Science Channel. One was the always entertaining Myth Busters. They were testing the myth that if you're in an elevator that is falling out of control, if you jump just before impact, you'll be spared injury. Spoiler alert: That's not true at all. Despite jumping at just the right time, the poor crash test dummy was dismembered. And we watched an episode of "How it's Made." Products featured included gorgeous carved candles, grandfather clocks, boat pontoons and swords. Neat-o stuff.
DOWN SOUTH: This afternoon we pushed responsibilities to the back burner and set out to catch a Mariners' matinee at Safeco Field. A little after 11 a.m., we caught a bus to the stadium district.
One of the reasons we went a bit early for the 12:40 start was because I wanted to check out the Anubus statue I knew was posted outside historic King Street Station. CJ and Annabelle spotted it right after we stepped off the bus. An impressive statue it was (see top of the post).
I must say, Anubus was much more impressive than the Mariners' offense today. :/
They managed to score ONE run today (here's Annabelle's celebration of that) but that was it.
That being the case, the highlight of the game for our party was CJ and Annabelle being featured on the big screen twice. The first time was when they were dancing (doing the robot) to "Video Killed the Radio Star." Christian managed to capture a still on his cell phone (though it's not exactly conclusive proof that it's CeeJ and Bee!).
The second time, Kennedy joined the antics and the three of them danced to "Great Balls of Fire," which earned another feature on the big screen. Good times! (And so sad that that was the highlight of the game.)
Though there were blue skies, truth be told, it was a bit chilly at the park today. Here, Annabelle warmed herself by the fire out beyond the center field wall.
While she sat by the fire, I couldn't help but think of the photos we've been seeing out of Colorado the last couple of days.
Some pre-game highlights on the big screen were a BIG time blast from the past. They played a video montage letting us know that 13 years ago today was the last game played in the Kingdome. There was an extended video show of fond Kingdome memories. My oh my, so many good times we had in that horrid stadium!
Today we also went out to right center field and paid homage to Dave Niehaus. My oh my, how I still miss him.
I would have liked our visit with Dave a LOT better if there hadn't been a Safeco Field employee standing there, talking LOUDLY with a fan about how Dave was "losing it" before he died, making bad calls. UGH. How about just shutting the hell up? Or walking 10 feet in any direction, away from the statue? Gah.
SOME DAY: It's good to have goals, right? Well, I saw this woman many rows away from us today at the game and I aspire to be her. She was into the game, paying attention but at any break in the action (in between innings, at bats, etc.) she worked her NYTs crossword puzzle. THAT is the LIFE!
It's about 12 baseball-playing brothers - the Acerras, from New Jersey. They played together on a semipro team formed which formed idn 1938 and went on for years. The team changed over time, especially when six of them went off to war in WWII and when one brother lost an eye due to an errant foul ball. But despite the challenges and times, the Acerras stuck together. Cool story!
RAINDROPS ON ROSES: While we were running errands this afternoon, I realized that all the roses in the neighborhood have *finally* started to bloom. So we stopped a moment or two to admire the colorful blossoms - in the rain, of course.
I told the kids I couldn't help but think of the song "These are a Few of My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music," and then I went all Von Trapp on them and started singing, rather loudly, in public. They seemed more amused than mortified.
When we got home, I told them I thought it would be fun if, for our writing homework today, we treated "These are a Few of My Favorite Things" as a MadLibs-type exercise. So, I blanked out some of the words from the first verse of the song (see below) and the chorus (that seems more like a bridge than a chorus, really) and asked them to fill in the blanks. (I used the colors to denote words that had to rhyme.)
Raindrops on ________ (two syllable noun) and _________ (two
syllable noun) on ____________ (two syllable noun)
_____________ (1-syllabe adjective) __________ (2-syllable adjective)
__________ (3 syllable noun) _______ (1 syllable verb) up with ________ (1 syllable noun)
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the _______ (1 syllable noun) bites When the ________ (1 syllable noun) stings When I'm feeling _________ I simply remember my favorite things And then I don't feel so _________
It was a good exercise. They really had to use their noodles. After a couple of starts and stops, they also figured out that they should choose their nouns BEFORE they choose the adjectives to describe the nouns.
When all was said and done, here's what they came up with, CJ's first ...
JAZZ HANDS!: We've been doing lots of "Just Dance" 'round here, and the kids are getting really good at following other people's steps when it comes to dance. Today, I told them that I wanted them to choreograph their own routine.
First, we had to talk about what "choreograph" means. :)
Then, I told them that for their first dance, they could just pick some of their favorite moves from dances they'd learned, and string those together in a new way. So together we reviewed several numbers off Just Dance 3 and made notes about some moves. Then we talked about timing, transitions, how you make those moves fit different music - all sorts of aspects. It was an hour plus of hard work - and a good workout.
CURIOSITY UPDATE:Exciting news from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Today, four thrusters fired for a total of 40 seconds on the spacecraft carrying Curiosity toward Mars. It was a success, and so the third trajectory correction maneuver is complete. The spacecraft is in "approach phase" for Mars! Landing is set for 10:31 p.m. PT on Aug. 5.
In reading our just-arrived "Aloft" magazine from The Museum of Flight, we learned that the evening of the landing, our favorite museum will be hosting a MarsFest 2012 from 8 to 11:30 p.m. Count us in!
I was telling the kids today that during Curiosity's descent and touch down (a/k/a Seven Minutes of TERROR to the people working on the project), we will probably be holding our breath the whole time, and that I thought we should start training now for that. ;)
Here's a short video about why the approach and landing on the Red Planet are so sketchy for MSL.
ON THE JOB SITE: We spent most of the weekend measuring, cutting and hammering away on the addition. When we weren't doing that, we were at Lowe's. Or Home Depot. We're all weary of going to home improvement centers.
Today, Annabelle happily swept sawdust around the floor of the addition. A clean job site is a happy job site (and a safer job site, might I add).
IN REVIEW: Today, I had the kids write short reports about the Friday night Seattle Science Festival event we attended. Here they are, Annabelle's first ...
Friday we went to The Museum of Flight Space Gallery to go to a lecture called, simply, "Space" which was part of the Seattle Science Festival. We got to see two astronauts named Bonnie Dunbar and George "Pinky" Nelson.
There was also a opera called "The Little Prince", and the play starred a pilot and a Little Prince from another planet. The pilot was just flying along one day when he crashed into the desert and met the Little Prince. The Little Prince told the pilot that the desert on earth was the most beautiful place he had ever seen! Did I mention that it was an opera? It was a very good opera.
Bonnie Dunbar(astronaut) used to live on a ranch when she was young and when she was a year old she rode on a horse for the first time! Bonnie Dunbar is now a astronaut. She went on 5 Space shuttle missions!
George "Pinky" Nelson was one of the space shuttle scientists, so he got to do experiments. He also went on a EVA!
They also talked about a so-called mini space shuttle called the Dream Chaser, which was going to be re-useable vehicle, just like the space shuttle.
We also saw some people on silk (or some other kind of shiny fabric) ribbons (hanging from ceiling) doing lots of poses, and they called the performance "Weightlessness". The whole lecture was interesting, as you can imagine. And also very fun!
And here's what CJ had to say ...
"Space" was a part of the Seattle Science Festival that took place in the Museum of Flight. During "Space," there was a performance by the Seattle Opera, which was called "The Little Prince." Also, in "Space," you could hear the unlikely future of a cowgirl, Bonnie Dunbar.
"The Little Prince" was the Seattle Opera. It talks about how there is a boy that drew a elephant being eaten by a boa constrictor, and the adults think it's a hat. One thing I learned from the little prince is that if you do (attempt) something that might be dangerous, (tomb raid, high plane flying, etc.) it might (or will) result in failure. Another thing I learned from the Little Prince is that if you like (or love) someone, that doesn't mean they like (or love) you.
Bonnie Jeanne Dunbar was a astronaut from August 1981 to January 1998. Sometime in the 1950s, she rode on a horse with her younger brothers. She went on five shuttles, first being STS-61-A Challenger, second being STS-32 Columbia, Third being STS-50 Columbia, fourth being STS-71 Atlantis, and last being STS-89 Endeavor. One thing I learned from Bonnie Jeanne Dunbar was that some people have unlikely futures. Another thing I learned from Bonnie Jeanne Dunbar is that some astronauts work for more then 10 years.
The Dream Chaser is a ship that is currently in development. The Dream Chaser will be able to hold up to 7 people. One thing I learned from the Dream Chaser is that bigger doesn't always mean better. Another thing I learned from the Dream Chaser is that it is small, but that doesn't mean it can hold up to only three or four people. Space Rocks! was a talk about how some asteroids have more platinum than there is on all of Earth. Some asteroids are even made entirely out of platinum. One thing I learned from Space Rocks! is that Earth is not the only place where platinum forms. Another thing I learned from Space Rocks! is that not all asteroids are made entirely out of rocks.
STILL SINGING: During our lumber runs, we take our old beater-ish extend cab Toyota. It has no CD player, so the kids provide the music. Saturday on a trip to Lowe's they sang nearly every track off Lisa Loeb's Silly Sing-Along: The Disappointing Pancake and Other Zany Songs. Here's a video of them performing "Chewing Gum" with gusto.
PRIDEFUL: This weekend there were lots of Pride Week-related activities around Seattle, including a big parade Sunday. We didn't go to the parade (too busy building), but when we came home from the science Friday night, we couldn't help but notice that the arches of Century Link Field was awash in rainbow colors.
I knew the photo I was taking really wasn't going to turn out, because we were in a car going about 50 MPH on the Viaduct, but it's still kinda pretty. ...
EVENING WITH THE ASTRONAUTS: This evening we spent a couple of interesting hours in the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery at The Museum of Flight attending a "Luminaries of Space" event, part of the on-going Seattle Science Festival.
Per the promo on The Museum of Flight's Web site, the evening was meant to illuminate the inspiring topic that we are on the brink of a new era in space exploration, pioneered by spacecraft developed and launched by private companies. It did that and more.
The evening's speakers included two astronauts from the Shuttle era. One was Bonnie Dunbar, a veteran of five space flights, with more than 1,200 hours in space. Her talk was very personal and biographical. She shared she was a second generation immigrant. Her grandparents, of the Dunbar clan, emigrated from Scotland with one way tickets. Dunbar called them great explorers. The Scottish immigrants homesteaded in Condon, Ore. After Bonnie's parents married, they pitched a tent on unimproved land in Outlook, WA., and Bonnie spent her first four years living in a sheep herder's shed.
She talked about growing up on a farm and the sense of responsibility and community. She eventually wound up in the materials engineering program at UW, where even back in the '60s, they were working on engineering the shuttle of the future. Her speech was inspiring in that she came from such humble, small town roots and, thanks to following her dreams and guidance from good mentors, went on to achieve great things.
Dunbar ended her presentation with a quote from Robert Goddard, who she said is a hero of hers. Goddard, an American, dreamed of building a spacecraft to fly to Mars, and he is credited with having built the world's first liquid-fueled rocket. A visionary, Goddard was often ostracized, once by a scathing New York Times editorial in 1920. The day after the launch of Apollo 11 - and 49 years after its editorial mocking Goddard, the NYT published an apology, admitting its 1920 editorial was wrong.
Goddard's quote Dunbar used to conclude was, "It has often proved true that the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."
Also on the bill was George "Pinky" Nelson. With a background in astronomy, Nelson is a veteran of three Shuttle missions, totaling 411 hours in space, 10 hours of which were spent doing extra-vehicular activities (space walking!). He was an engaging speaker, sharing his lift off, touch down, space walking and other experiences with the crowd, who soaked up every word. These days, Nelson is program director for Western Washington University's Science, Math & Technology education department.
Nelson led the group in a mind boggling math exercise that helped make it clear just how many solar systems containing Earth like planets might be out there. He also reminded us that "those nations that stop exploring disappear," and ended his presentation with a quote from an e.e. cummings poem (1x1): "Listen, there's a hell of a good universe next door. Let's go!"
We also heard from Mark Sirangelo, an executive from Sierra Nevada Space Systems, a private company currently developing a winged and piloted orbital commercial spacecraft. Their Dream Chaser launches vertically and lands horizontally (like Shuttle). It's set to be operational by 2015.
Chris Lewicki of Planetary Resources (you know, that well-funded company that is planning to mine the asteroids) was the night's emcee. He did a fine job, and he also gave a 10-minute talk largely about the intriguing asteroids and why "Space Rocks!" Lewicki told us that there will be a Curiosity landing party at the Museum of Flight come August. We'll be staying tuned for more details on that, to be sure!
In addition to the speakers, there was some live entertainment. We got to hear three numbers from "The Little Prince" performed by a talented baritone from Seattle Opera.
We were also treated to a performance by Seattle Aerial Arts. Their aerialists dangled in air with the greatest of ease.
All in all, it was a FABULOUS evening.
POLKA DOT, POLKA DOT, POLKA DOT, AFRO: We finally got around to seeing "the number one movie in the world" (at least that's what an ad on Fandango says). That movie being "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted."
To be honest, I don't think I've seen the first two "Madagascar" movies (or if I did see them, they weren't memorable). It wasn't that hard to follow the storyline, amazingly. ;) The first 20 minutes or so of the 1.5 hour movie was a chase scene. After that, things just got weird. How weird? Well, hmm, there was the lemur's love affair with a giant brown bear wearing a tutu and riding a trike. And then there was the scene with the villain, Captain Chantelle DuBois (who looked a little like a cartoonized version of Susan Sarandon) singing in French to four hospitalized police officers whom she tranquilized to arouse them from a coma. Yeah, that was weird.
But who cares what I thought? The seat was comfortable, the popcorn was good and the kids liked it. So there.
In care you're wondering, that pony keg CJ is holding is NOT filled with soda. It's water. I swear.
Oh, and in case you have somehow managed to avoid the earworm up until now, the reason for the heading on this section is this ...
BRICKYARD: After the movie we went to Alderwood Mall. That's right. We went MALLING two days in a row. Ugh. I think we've exceeded our mall total for all of last year in the last 48 hours.
After wandering around a bit (tortuous to me) through the mall, we found the spot where the big LEGO build we learned about yesterday was going on. Mercifully, it was well organized. We checked in with a young man who directed us to a table (one of a dozen plus) where there were bins of LEGOs and instructions for what we were to assemble. Because we were there early on Day 1 of the big build, we were working on the base upon which LEGO Yoda will eventually stand. So, we each had a khaki colored brick to build.
I finished mine post haste, and Annabelle finished shortly thereafter. CJ was a little frustrated. Why? I have no reason - it was a simple, straightforward build and much easier than the builds he did in LEGO class all year long. A LEGO Master Builder (yes, there is such a thing) came over and gave him some words of encouragement, telling him there was no time limit and not to fret. CJ settled down and got his block done.
Here the kids are with their contribution to the project and a mini version of what's being built. The big build one will be about 8-feet tall. For their efforts, CJ and Annabelle were given a slip which we had to take to the new LEGO store in the mall to get a certificate. However, we couldn't set foot in the store as it was so busy they were assigning entrance times and the wait was 2 hours when we were there. I told the kids the LEGOs would certainly still be good next week, after the grand opening hubbub is over.
BREAKFAST WITH THE BIRDS: Via the good ol' Facebook feed, about the first thing I saw today was news of a live Web cam on an osprey nest in Sandpoint, Idaho. Well at that, I pretty much had to cancel all the day's plans. ...
Just kidding - I wasn't quite that obsessed, but I will cop to spending waaay too much time watching osprey today.
The nest is on a light stanchion at War Memorial Field. From time to time, you can catch glimpses of the baseball field and players below.
According to the Web site hosting the camera (The Sandpoint Osprey Cam), the nest was relocated to the top of the new lighting standard in autumn of 2011. It's just one of two nests at the field and in early spring, the ospreys return following their migration from Central and South America. They'll head south again in the fall.
Today we learned that osprey are the only raptors that eat fish exclusively, and they do not regurgitate their food for their young. Rather, they rip off chunks and offer it to the wee one(s).
While CJ and Annabelle were eating breakfast, we watched the parental raptors feed the two day old bird in their nest. We also noticed an unhatched egg. In reading the comments on the site, it's believed it might not be viable, but they're still hoping and waiting (and so are we!)
PITCHING IN: Though their classes are still officially over, today the kids and I headed up to their Shoreline science classroom to help clean up. We cleaned tabletops, the kids used a vacuum for the first time (hey, we have hardwood floors!) and Annabelle even dusted the flag (patriotically and politely, I assure you).
FEELING BLUE: We went to (gasp, choke) a MALL today. Annabelle was so excited. Hope she enjoyed her 12 minutes there. ;) Our reason for going was to hit a GameStop store in hopes of finding some second hand used Just Dance titles. Just Dance for Wii is probably CeeJ and Bee's favorite form of exercise, so I have to support that habit, right?
GameStop had had 'em all, but we only got one - the original Just Dance 1. Oh, and we picked up the Smurfs Dance Party, which is in the same genre. It's not as challenging or sophisticated as the Just Dance titles, but the kids like it - and it was only $8!
So, this afternoon, we got Smurfy and danced along with Smurfette, Papa Smurf, Gutsy, Brainy, Clumsy, and the gang. I have to say, the Smurfs' arms and legs are so stumpy that it's kind of hard to follow their moves sometimes.
BTW, while we were at the mall today, we saw a sign featuring a LEGO Yoda. Seems Alderwood Mall is adding a new LEGO store (it opens tomorrow) and to celebrate, they're having some LEGO Master Builder come and build a big (8-foot tall) brick Yoda. The public can get in on the action, and building helpers will receive a certificate of achievement for their efforts. We might just have to go check it out. You can see how thrilled the kids look at the prospect!!!
SILLY SONGS: Our soundtrack for the car today was a CD accompanying a book. The songs featured Lisa Loeb (of "Stay" fame, for early 90s music fans). Silly Sing-Along: The Disappointing Pancake and Other Zany Songs
Based on the number of re-play requests, I'd say "Fried Ham" was CeeJ and Bee's favorite song in the CD. Here's Loeb performing it awhile back. ...
Another of the songs on the CD was a total blast from the past for me: "Found a Peanut." I hadn't heard it in 40 plus years, but remembered every word when Loeb started singing it. A macabre song, in a way. I'm probably going to have nightmares.
