All's Fair

FALLING FOR THE FAIR: Summer may be officially over, but today was full of sunny skies and state fair fun for us. What a great way to spend the first day of fall.

I told the kids we were going to the fair and since it was sunny and relatively warm and we'd be walking a lot asked the kids to dress in lightweight pants and shirts. They emerged from their rooms looking like this. 

I couldn't help but remark that they looked like they were running off to join the circus, not going to the fair. 

Annabelle decided to change. CJ decided not to. Whatever. The fair was full of colorful characters. 

There were roller coasters to ride, including the Wild Cat.

And the classic old coaster on a big ol' wood framed structure. 

 The kids were in the last occupied car, with Christian just ahead of them.

And then there Rainier Rush, that took CJ and Christian (in the front car) up, down, around, and upside down.

Annabelle passed on that ride!

The kids went 'hang-gliding.' 

And they went on a couple of big swings.

 They're at 7 o'clock in the photo above.

 And Annabelle's at about 3 o'clock in the photo below.

The kids did some sliding ... 

and some "scrambling."

And they even ventured into a not-so-spooky haunted house.

We sampled a little fair food, but not this ...

 or this ...

or this ...

While the kids and Christian were riding, I decided to use my free time by looking at horrifying only-at-the-fair graphics on some of the attractions.

For instance, look at these portraits that adorned the front of the Wild Cat roller coaster.

 What made them even more horrifying is they were about eight by four feet in size. 

And how about this, on the front of a fun house for kids ... 

 Why of COURSE it's a man in a chicken suit  pounding a drink.  Here it is in "context," as if that makes it any more OK. ...

Honestly, the graphics on this giant swing ride looked like fine art compared to the other attractions.

There were random signs that caught my eye. ...

But we decided not to spend $11 to let passersby know they're being barked at by Havanese.

 We also declined to get "FAIR HAIR!"

 We really wanted to peek in the door of this office, but didn't.

 And I couldn't help but think the lost children on this sign look super happy. Hopefully it doesn't make any kids want to go missing.

Predictably, the midway was full of enormous prizes, like this giant pug, to tempt you to throw your money away.

And I suppose you can't go to a fair without seeing a clown or two. 

At least JP Patches is a friendly clown.

 But these body-less heads on the midway were horrifying. 

 And what's with someone randomly writing 'FAT PAT' on the wall below the big clown?

 Fortunately, Annabelle was willing to try to kill the clowns for me. Look at the determination on her face!

We did eventually venture into some of the educational buildings. In one, we saw a giant pumpkin! 

According to the sign beside it, it grew to full size ( pounds) in 81 days, growing 1.5 pounds an hour on average!

We saw some neat displays by Granges in the state. 

We checked out some peppers, but noticed none of the entrants were Trinidad Moruga Scorpions or Ghost chiles or Carolina Reapers, three super hot types CJ is growing.

There were pretty petals to appreciate, too.

All in all, it was a busy, busy day full of big fun!

Tacoma Trip

HOLD THAT TIGER: Monday we spent four busy hours at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, WA. 

It's a huge place with so much to see and do. While you're there you can't help but be thinking about your next trip, so you can see some more.

We spent over a half hour watching a Sumatran tiger and her three year-old cubs.

We listened to a tiger trainer talk about the animals, both general info about the species and specifics about the four tigers we were witnessing. 

We were lucky to get to see them enjoy an afternoon treat of some blood Popsicles. 

 Check out the golden eyes on this gorgeous creature.

 So striking!

We also got to spend some time with a pair of male polar bears, Boris and Blizzard.

Boris, pictured above, was actually rescued from a traveling Mexican circus several years ago. The zoo keeper said he was mistreated and ill. Now, he's nearly 30 years old and relatively healthy.

Blizzard, below, weighs over 1,000 pounds.

 He looks like he's about to sneeze here ...

Not all of the animals were super exotic, but they were all interesting.

For instance, we got to see a beaver up close. 

 And the kids fed some goats.

They also fed some Budgies, better known to most Americans as parakeets.

The attraction also has an amazing aquarium.

It's home to a variety of fascinating jellyfish, including this egg yolk variety ...

 and this showy, glowy one.

There were sharks of all shapes and sizes, and hundreds of different fish. 

This fishy seemed to insist I take its photo.

The kids got to pet stingrays ...

and gently poke sea cucumbers.

 We got a close look at some plankton.

And we saw some coral that looked like mac-n-cheese (next to a wild looking starfish!).

We saw animals roaming grassy hillsides ...

and an enormous walrus wallowing in the water.

We were charmed by some otters.

We felt sorry for this "forever alone" white-cheeked gibbon ... 

and were thoroughly entertained by this clouded leopard cub and its three siblings.

CJ even got to take a spin on a pig.

The day's biggest laugh came when CJ mistook this critter for a dead squirrel. 

Here's what the kids had to say about it, Annabelle's up first.

On September 21, I went to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Portland. The first exhibit I went to at the zoo was the aquarium, where they had a new jellyfish exhibit. My favorite jellyfish from that exhibit was the blubber jellyfish, because of the way their tentacles looked. At the aquarium we also saw sharks, halibut, flounder, stingrays, an octopus, and other marine life. Next, we went to the Asian forest sanctuary, where we saw a demonstration with a Sumatran tiger and cubs, where they set out “popsicles” (blood diluted in water, and then frozen) for them to eat. We also saw an elephant and a siamang among other things. We briefly went down to the main stage to see an animal show that included a clouded leopard, a parrot, and of all things, a dog. Next, we went to the rocky shores on our way to the polar bear habitat, where we saw walruses, sea otters, and seals. When we got to the arctic tundra, we saw arctic foxes and a presentation about the local polar bears- Glacier, Blizzard, and Boris. They were currently storing up fat for the winter as a natural part of their yearly cycle, and thus were a little chubby. The woman giving the presentation said that polar bears are losing more and more ice because of global warming, and encouraged us to not idle our car if we must wait more than 30 seconds, because idling releases unnecessary carbon, (a greenhouse gas) into the air. The last place we visited was the kid’s play area, where they had animals like meerkats and wallabies along with a playground. We also got to touch a giant African millipede, which felt surprisingly rubbery. And the very end of the kid’s area, they had goats you could feed as well. Overall, the trip was fun and I look forward to going to Point Defiance Zoo again.

 And here's CJ's take:

On September 21st, 2015, we went to Tacoma to visit Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, a fun area with all sorts of animals on display. At PDZ, one of the first areas we went to was the aquarium. PDZ's aquarium featured a large tank featuring multiple fish and shark species, which you could look at from above and from the side. The tank also had two split pieces of a fake shipwreck in there, which would be a common feature in Puget Sound. Eventually, we saw aquarium employees feeding the sharks in the tank. Later, in the aquarium (in a different, much smaller tank), we were given the opportunity to see and touch on the sides of certain rays.

Later, we went to a section of the zoo known as the Asian Forest Sanctuary, where you could see various different Asian animals, including siamangs and two different subspecies of Panthera tigris. In the Asian Forest Sanctuary, we saw one lone Malayan tiger, looking at the passerby from its cliff. It probably thinks "Lunch" any time it sees a human through its glass. Later, in the Asian Forest Sanctuary, we saw a presentation about a Sumatran tiger mother, and her three cubs (Sumatran tigers are critically endangered, even more threatened than Malayan tigers). They fed the mother and her cubs "blood popsicles," which are frozen treats made from diluted blood.

Lastly, there was this small, but fun part of the zoo called "Budgie Buddies." In Budgie Buddies, you could purchase a stick with seeds on it, and bring the stick into a special room with several budgies, which are brightly colored Australian birds. Although it takes a little bit, a budgie eventually came to my stick and started eating the seeds. At Budgie Buddies, I learned that budgies are very aggressive, as the bird that was currently eating the seeds on my stick would often get pushed off by another budgie.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit at Point Defiance Zoo, and hope to go there again.

Fun and Games

SO GROSS:  On Saturday, we headed to Pacific Science Center for the chance to see the special exhibit "Grossology," as well as meet Sylvia Branzei, the creator of the popular body-function-centric Grossolgy books and more of the same name. 

Above, CJ and Annabelle work together to make this big guy belch.  Wonder if that's a can of Mountain Dew CJ's standing by!

We entered the exhibit through this wide open mouth.

 Here, CJ takes skin crawling quite literally. 

Naturally, the display showing the mechanical process behind barfing was a big hit.

 CJ took advantage of the opportunity to craw through an ear tube.

 There was a neat-o pinball machine that was all about how gas is formed in our bodies.

 Talk about a toothy grin on the pig atop the pinball machine!

After we toured the exhibit, we were lucky enough to get to meet "Her Grossness" who was there for a special lecture for which I scored tickets.

We got there early and sat in the front row. CJ was lucky enough to be called up to assist with the first experiment, making edible barf. (All together now ... Ewwwwwwwwww!)

 Here he is, taking a bow after his successful assistant gig.

And here's what the end result looked like. ...

After the lecture, we bought one of Branzie's Grossology books, and had the author sign it!

In other PSC news, I'll let Annabelle tell you a bit more about the Grossology experience. 

On September  19, I went to a presentation at the Pacific Science Ccenter about “Grossology”, a best-selling book by Sylvia Branzei. Before the presentation, we went through the exhibit briefly. It included a lot of facts about “gross” things. It also included a lot of interactive things such as a mechanism you could use to simulate vomiting (which used colored water, a pump, and a tube representing and esophagus). During the presentation, We learned how to make fake edible barf (using Jell-O, candied fruit pieces, and other things), fake wounds (using petroleum jelly, food coloring, parchment paper, and cocoa powder), and more facts about gross things like that. Did you know that cows eat grass, then throw it up later to fully chew it? This is so they can make a quick getaway if a predator interrupts them while they’re feeding. The presentation was interesting and I’d like to learn more. I would suggest both the exhibit and presentation to anyone who doesn’t mind talking about the “gross” parts of life.

In other Pacific Science Center news, when we arrived on Saturday, we were happily surprised to see the high ride bike was still open.  I guess it *is* still technically summer!

Annabelle is happy she's tall enough to ride it this year. 

 At this point, CJ is a grizzled old veteran of the ride. 

We were happy to see this informational sign alongside the attraction, explaining the laws of physics behind it.

GAME ON: Sunday, we spent part of our day at the Living Computer Museum, which was host to the Seattle Retro Gaming Expo. 

Here's a short recap of the event from CJ. 

On September 20th, 2015, we went to the annual Seattle Retro Gaming Expo in the Living Computer Museum, a frequent location we visit. The primary theme of the expo was retro video games, which usually means games made prior to the sixth generation of consoles, which included the GameCube, Xbox, and PlayStation 2, and Dreamcast.

At SRGE, there were thousands of different games, including these things known as "reproduction carts". Reproduction carts are cartridges with a customized ROM on them, usually a rom hack of a game made available on the internet. One particularly interesting game was Steel Battalion for the Xbox, which had several large controllers and took up a lot of space.

There was also a station where you could rent a game from the person running the stand, and bring it into one of the two rooms with multiple consoles in them to play it. Lastly, there was a marketplace, where you could buy retro games and bring them home.

Overall, I had a good time at SRGE 2015.