AMAZING ENCOUNTER: As I checked my Facebook feed this morning, I saw notice from the folks at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks that a gray whale (!) had been spotted at their site early this morning. Well, well, well, that news immediately changed our planned locale for a morning walk. I was hoping beyond hope the mammoth mammal would still be around by the time we got there. When we were the only car in the parking lot, I figured it was long gone. Fortunately, I was wrong. We knew we were going to see plenty of heron overhead. The colony is back and seemingly bigger than ever, and they don't disappoint.
We kept one eye on them, and one eye on the water, and then lo and behold ... what's that big bump?!
We quickly moved into a better position and the whale partially surfaced right next to where we were standing. I was actually cursing the fact I had a big lens on, as I couldn't capture it from head to tail.
The whale looked to be about 30-ish feet long, and rather slender by whale standards.
We stayed around long enough to see it surface four times. Its surfacing was announced with a spout most of the time. I didn't catch any of those on 'film' because we never knew where it would surface. But the photo below shows the dissipating mist of a spout.
And in the photo below, you can see its tail under the water's surface.
All in all, what an amazing encounter!
You can see a short video of our whale posted to Facebook by KING TV at this link: https://www.facebook.com/KING5News/videos/10153566693076476/?hc_location=ufi GLAM ROCK: So, we found these fabulous boots at Value Village a few weeks back, for a pittance. To us, they screamed Ziggy Stardust, one of David Bowie's alter egos. We had to buy them.
And then we came to find out that the Washington State Spring Fair has an art competition for kids where they can enter a customized item of footwear, with a boot being one category. Fast forward a few sketches, some Magic Markers, vinyl tape and fabulous fake gemstones later, and this is what Annabelle came up with. Naturally, it includes the iconic Ziggy Stardust lightning bolt.
The front platform features graphics that are part of Bowie's parting gift, "Blackstar"
The inside of the leg has graphics also inspired by the Blackstar set, as well as space age influences.
And how 'bout that heel?! Much glam rock bedazzling!
Super fun project. We drop it off at the fairgrounds tomorrow. FROM AFAR: My inbox this morning included a request from across the Atlantic. It read ...
Dear Kristine ...for the Webpage of a new Institute of Leipzig University, Germany,
the "Leipzig Research Center for Early Child Development", we would like
to use your wonderful photo of the girl with the magnifying glass (http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/695781)
as one of our headers. We were wondering if it is ok if we use your
picture and how you would like to be mentioned in the references. Of
course, the webpage is non-commercial and supports research according to
strict ethical rules. Thank you so much!
Yours sincerely,
Marie Kaiser
Of course I said yes. Annabelle is happy to have her face plastered on the web page of a research center in Germany. :)
RUNED: Ever wonder what your name looks like when written in runes? Of course you have!
I asked the kids what they knew about runes, and they said that they knew that runes are the characters used by the Vikings and other Germanic peoples.
On the PBS web site associated with the show The Vikings, we learned runes were used from about the second to the 15th centuries A.D. While some runes rather resemble letters in our own alphabet, others look more like symbols.
Here's CJ's first name (Christian) spelled out in runes ...
GOING UP: We do love us some Space Needle. Today, some recently rediscovered Space Needle construction photos have been making the rounds. We thought it was definitely worth spending a minute to watch. You can do likewise at this link: http://www.king5.com/features/making-of-the-space-needle/121668472
DAZZLING: We've been busy, as always, with projects aplenty. One item on the 'to do' list right now is an art project turning a plain white vinyl boot into a "triboot" (get it, get it?) to David Bowie. We'd had the idea weeks/months ago, and found the perfect boots to transform for fun. Once those were procured, it was a matter of Sharpies, and some blingy fake gemstones.
Aren't they fabulous?
Annabelle used graphics released for non-commercial use by Bowie's Blackstar team for inspiration. On the flipside of the boot's calf is a big Ziggy Stardust lightning bolt.
Speaking of art, look at this fun bug Bee made today in her art class.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, CJ filled pots for his red hot peppers for this season.
Last year, CJ's peppers did so well. It will be fun to see what comes to fruition for 2016.
WALKING ON WATER: On Saturday, we took a field trip to Lake Washington, for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk across the brand new 520 bridge - the longest floating bridge in the world. There was even a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records on hand for the event! Early on, the kids posed for a recreation of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. We all picked up passports to get stamps at stations as we made our way across.
Initially, it was gray and even a bit chilly. But the water was smooth, and it was fun checking out Lake Washington up close.
As you can see, there is still a lot of work-in-progress.
Along the way there were multiple signs detailing various aspects of the $4.6 billion bridge's construction.
Much of the information involved environmental impact considerations.
There were booths with staff on hand to explain various construction elements.
And there were signs along the way to encourage you to keep going.
We met a couple of mascots in our travels.
And we spied a spiffy new street sweeper.
The kids checked out a wall of water (a display to explain how bubble walls help protect fish).
We even checked out a birdie bridge (yes, really). Apparently cormorants would dive for fish, then get trapped, because they lacked enough space to take off after eating. Interesting.
About midspan we ran into a bit of a bottleneck. It was caused by Washington state Governor Jay Inslee giving a "hooray for us" speech.
With little trouble, we made our way about 1.5 miles to the bridge's east side, in Bellevue.
Below is the view looking back toward Seattle.
So the above was the good part. Now, the not so good ... The bridge hasn't opened to vehicle traffic yet, and on Saturday, there was only one way to get there: By shuttle. We caught our ridge at the University of Washington. To say it was a disorganized chaos would be putting it mildly. Fortunately, we were there early in the day (about 20 minutes before the all-day event even started), and got on an early shuttle over to the bridge. Hundreds and hundreds and then thousands of others began arriving, and after we walked across, rather than turning around and walking back to catch the shuttle (or original plan), we hopped a bus back to the UW. As we rode, our eyes popped at the number of people now on the bridge, and those waiting in line to walk over kinda tricky metal catwalk bridges over concrete barriers (why didn't they just move a Jersey barrier or two). Once back at UW, we were also floored by the throngs of people waiting a shuttle to get to the bridge. We'd learn later many of them were likely turned away because they shut the event down to new arrivals due to the bridge being so full.
This quite from a KOMO News story was a bit disconcerting: "The huge crowd included 13,500 runners and about 30,000 people who were shuttled in to attend the grand opening events. At one point the crowds were so large, WSDOT had to cut off incoming visitors to help move people off the bridge.
"That many people condensed on a floating bridge, we really wanted to calculate it out and make sure it was completely safe, and it was," said Peer. "That many people weigh more than vehicles going across the bridge."
Yikes.
After we left, people (including elderly and babies) waited 2-3 hours in line for a shuttle back. Everyone was standing on the concrete in the sun, in a mass of humanity, no water, limited porta potties. No good (see the local news photo below).
Following are Annabelle's impressions of the event:
The longest floating bridge in the world spans from Seattle
to Bellevue. I had the rare chance to walk on where the cars are going to
drive! The experience was really unique, and there were definitely high points
and low points. I thought the walk was fun, as there was a lot to look at. They
had fun stations along the way where you can learn about the bridge, its
surroundings, and other things. The stations also offer stamps, which can be
used to get a chance at winning free plane tickets! We didn’t look closely at
the stations, but we got some cool stuff! They also had little outlooks on the
pedestrian side of the bridge, which were pretty. The only part I really didn’t
like was the line before the got on the bridge. When we first got there, there
was already a line. So we got in our place and waited. But the line we were in
didn’t move and it seemed like people were just walking up and getting on a
bus! So we went to the back of the line that was walking on and then we were
stuck FURTHER BACK IN LINE! Meanwhile, the people that were supposed to be
MANAGING this thing were standing around talking to each other! By 10:00 (the
time the event actually started), they had everything in order. But it was
still disappointing they weren’t ready for early people. Otherwise, everything
was fun!
And here is CJ's take:
On April 2nd, the City of Seattle opened a new floating bridge on Highway 520, appropriately named the 520 Bridge, which set a world record for the world's longest floating bridge. The 520 Bridge is in the process of replacing the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, which was already the world's longest floating bridge (according to the WSDOT's website, the new bridge is 132 feet longer than the old one). The old bridge is nearly 53 years old, near the end of its service life, and the new bridge is expected to support traffic for more than 75 years. Both the old bridge and the new one are built using pontoons, which displace the amount of water below the bridge equivalent to the bridge's weight, plus the estimated weight of traffic aboard the bridge. The new bridge's opening event involved walking on the bridge, with several educational stations (run by companies that sponsored the opening) along the way. There were also multiple local food trucks, such as Snout and Co. and Nosh. I noticed that the bridge was very crowded at the event, and it apparently got worse while we were gone. According to The Seattle Times, between 25,000 and 30,000 people showed up at the opening. On the way back, we went on a bus and returned to the UW campus, where we started the trip. Other people did not have the same fortune though, because people waited for as long as an hour to return on one of the 51 buses present. I am glad that I got to go to the grand opening of the 520 Bridge, and especially before it was packed full.
The westbound lanes of the new bridge are scheduled to open next Monday, April 11.Two weeks later, another weekend closure of both bridges is planned. All lanes of the new bridge are scheduled to open by Monday, April 25.
Here's a virtual tour of the bridge, if you're interested.
BACK ON THE MAINLAND: After our hasty escape from the bridge, we hopped off the shuttle and walked through the heart of the University of Washington campus in hopes of catching a bus elsewhere.
It was a nice opportunity to take in some of the beautiful sights at UW, including Drumheller Fountain.
The campus' many cherry trees were just past their prime, but still lovely.
As we walked north on campus from the fountain toward Red Square, we heard what sounded like grand church bells ringing and ringing and ringing. The sound was coming from Gerberding Hall. I've never heard bells ringing during my multiple campus visits before.
Once home, we did a little research and learned they bells were manufactured in Holland and donated by Gordon Stuart Peek. They have been on campus since 2008, and are part of UW's music program. There are eight bells in all, and they are attached to ropes and rung by hand. Lucky for us, we just happened to be there during one of their scheduled ringing times.
They're called Change Ringing Tower Bells and their inaugural ceremony and ring took place on May 31, 2008. We've learned they're the only set of Changing Ringing Tower Bells on the West Coast of the United States. These new bells were installed at on the campus of the University of Washington through a donation by the Gordon Stuart Peek Foundation.
Below is a clip from part of a show about the bells that aired on SCAN TV in Seattle in 2008. (https://youtu.be/ciZjHNKOozg)
Once past the bells, we made our way to Red Square. Can you spot the kids under the purple banner? And how about the woman with a selfie stick who took approximately 300 photos of herself in the five minutes we were around her?
BALLIN': Sunday afternoon we watched the Final Four competition of the NCAA women's Div. 1 basketball championships. Christian's OSU Beavers were playing UConn, and the UW Huskies were playing Syracuse.
We whipped up some basketball and purple-and-gold (Huskies' colors) treats for the occasion.
Unfortunately, the Beavers and the Huskies each lost. Oh well, there's always next year ...
We're all about baseball season now! Today was opening day!
FOOLS RUSH IN: April 1: For whatever reason* (*we will research it later, promise), it's a day of trickery and playing jokes. Christian and I worked late last night to get a jump start on the 'holiday.' As a family, we'd gone to Lowe's to buy seeds yesterday. Last night, we added a pack of "Doughnut Seeds" into the mix. A graphic was affixed to an envelope filled with Cheerios. The kids loved it.
Perhaps the best April Fool's Day example of hitting them where they live was taping a troll face over the infrared part of their computers' mouse. They were flummoxed by their mouses (mice?) not working, but once they flipped them over, they knew they'd been trolled.
Annabelle woke up to a spilled bottle of nail polish on her laptop. She also realized she needed to dust her keyboard/screen. Ick.
And then there was this little surprise waiting for Christian in our mailbox today. (Yes, we made sure the mail person had already been by before planting this scare.)
CLOWNING AROUND: This morning, after planting a half dozen additions to our massive rock wall/garden, we cleaned up and headed downtown for a special occasion - a celebration of JP Patches' birthday. Anyone who knows me knows I am like SUPER DUPER terrified of clowns. (And rightfully so. They are horrifying.) However, there is one and ONLY one exception: JP Patches. Actor Chris Weddes created the character and it played out on a local Seattle station for 23 years. (1958-1981). JP was a good clown. A rare breed. :)
JP Patches' birthday is on April 1, and to celebrate, there was a party at the flagship Top Pot Doughnuts store on Fifth Avenue from 10 to 1 today. We headed out shortly after 10. Fortunately, we weren't able to park on Fifth, and so we wound our way around a block or two and accidentally/fortuitously parked next to the construction site of Amazon's Biodome! It was so interesting listening to and watching the welding on this one-of-a-kind structure.
We walked our way to the JP celebration. The kids each participated in a JP Patches trivia contest and won themselves mugs. They took a moment to pose with a cardboard JP and then collected complimentary Top Pot doughnuts.
CARD SHARKS: We love playing games, especially games that involve multiple nuances and multi faceted strategy. Munchkin is one such game. Recently, Annabelle came loaded for bear, and brought her own (pony) player instead of accepting one of the game issued playing pieces. It was an epic battle. Look at all the cards in front of each of us. So many things to be considered on each and every turn.
In the end, we were all just one square away from victory, but it was pony ueber alles. Congratulations, Annabelle.
PUBLIC BROADCASTING FTW: Last night, we watched two terrific shows on PBS. The first was "The Great Math Mystery." The hour-long show contemplated the question: "Is math invented by humans, or is it the language of the universe?" The journey contemplated everything from a sunflower's spiral to the swirl of a shell to the Higgs boson discoveries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ocq8OR4OydQ
During the show, when the Platonic solids were being introduced, a super interested Annabelle implored, "Can you write this down?"Fortunately for me, many others have already written it down, including Wikipedia. The documentary showed the Higgs boson folks receiving their Nobel Prize. I laughed out loud when Annabelle said, "You make a prediction about the stuff that holds the universe together and it works? Goddamn right you get a Nobel Prize."
All in all, a wonderful 60 minutes of math fun. Highly recommended. After that was over, a new-to-PBS series premiered based on TED talks. This episode was filmed in 2015 in Manhattan. Presenters included Pixar's director of photography Danielle Feinberg; genomics expert Juan Enriquez; cancer researcher Paula Hammond; artist Zaria Forman; and Radiolab director of research Latif Nasser. Also: three short films, including "Bridge to the Future," "Our Place in Space" and "The Rapture." Check out the episode here: http://www.pbs.org/video/2365700379/
SOILED: This afternoon, we spent 1.5 hours starting to get the garden plot prepped for this growing season.
There were So. Many.Worms. That's a good thing, right?
Whilst digging, we found some of the leftovers from last season.
HOOPLA: March is nearly over, but the madness continues. The University of Washington Huskies have - for the first time in history - made it to the Final Four! CJ and Annabelle have been basketball fans since we attended the Pac 12 tournament a couple of weeks ago. Today, they worked up a sweat playing on the hoop we picked up for free and took to their school a few months back.
