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Cows as you've never seen them.
In non-cow news, I just finished reading a biography of Paul Dirac. He was a famous physicist from back in the heyday of quantum physics. He was colleagues with some of the guys you remember from your high school physics classes - Heisenberg, Schrodinger, and Pauli, as well as many others you probably haven't heard of. He didn't really work with Einstein, although it was Einsteins theory of relativity that first got him interested in physics. It's amazing how smart these guys were - Dirac and Heisenberg became famous (in science circles) in their early 20's, writing significant papers and theories when most people would still be struggling through Calculus II. He won a shared a Nobel prize for his work. It was not what you'd consider a typical summer reading book, but it was very interesting. I'm not sure what my next book will be, but it probably won't be a 440-page biography of a relatively obscure scientist.
Things are quiet here. M and I spent some time last week working on a secret project that he will unveil at the Ann Arbor District Library's LEGO contest. It involves LEDs. M had a great idea for this year's entry, and maybe it will be neat enough for the judges to give him an award for it. We picked out the items we needed for the project at Radio Shack, a store at which no one could possibly have answered any questions for me about LEDs. They do, however, sell a mean cell phone plan.
Jackson Hot Air Jubilee
The boys and I went to the Jackson Airport last night to see the WWII Corsairs do a show, and to watch the balloon glow at dusk. We saw Grandma and Grandpa B and had a fun time.
The Corsairs flew in formation and let out smoke trailers during some of their runs. Someone on the ground set off explosives which were meant to simulate the planes dropping bombs.
You might have recognized the Super Sugar Crisp bear balloon on the right side of the picture. Super Sugar Crisp cereal is now called "Golden Crisp" because it's not wise to have the word "sugar" in a cereal's name. For some reason "Frankenberry" is fine, even though its contents have nothing to do with berries or fruit. Or Frankenstein.
July 16 Update
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Family News
The boys have been at Camp Birkett this week. A bus picks them up in Ann Arbor and drives them to the camp, which is in Dexter. They stayed overnight there last night - they slept in their sleeping bags in the Art Lodge. They had fun, but by the end of the week, they were both pretty exhausted.
Last weekend, we went to the Ann Arbor Observer party at the Top of the Park, and tried food from several Ann Arbor restaurants and markets. It was all great, and the kids even tried some new things. The Bugs Beddow Band was there and they were terrific – we have heard of them before, but had never seen them in person.
The Ann Arbor Art Fairs start on Wednesday of next week. We’ll pick a day to go, depending on the weather. On Monday before the fairs start, there is a “Townie” party in the same mall as the Top of the Park activities, with food, music, and a kid’s art fair. Some kids display their art, and some sell it as well. We have enjoyed seeing the art from the kids, and they expect about 70 entrants this year.
Links
This is an odd website, but the more you look at it, the more neat it gets.
If you're roughly my age, you remember the song "Cars" by Gary Numan. Here he is, playing his song in an odd way.
I really, honestly want one of these. Any flavor. I'm not convinced they exist, but I want one.
Lots of neat maps are at this site. I found this via Edward Tufte’s “Ask E.T.” website.
Fun Simpsons animation guidelines/ideas.
Family News
The boys have been at Camp Birkett this week. A bus picks them up in Ann Arbor and drives them to the camp, which is in Dexter. They stayed overnight there last night - they slept in their sleeping bags in the Art Lodge. They had fun, but by the end of the week, they were both pretty exhausted.
Last weekend, we went to the Ann Arbor Observer party at the Top of the Park, and tried food from several Ann Arbor restaurants and markets. It was all great, and the kids even tried some new things. The Bugs Beddow Band was there and they were terrific – we have heard of them before, but had never seen them in person.
The Ann Arbor Art Fairs start on Wednesday of next week. We’ll pick a day to go, depending on the weather. On Monday before the fairs start, there is a “Townie” party in the same mall as the Top of the Park activities, with food, music, and a kid’s art fair. Some kids display their art, and some sell it as well. We have enjoyed seeing the art from the kids, and they expect about 70 entrants this year.
Links
This is an odd website, but the more you look at it, the more neat it gets.
If you're roughly my age, you remember the song "Cars" by Gary Numan. Here he is, playing his song in an odd way.
I really, honestly want one of these. Any flavor. I'm not convinced they exist, but I want one.
Lots of neat maps are at this site. I found this via Edward Tufte’s “Ask E.T.” website.
Fun Simpsons animation guidelines/ideas.
Lots of Links
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Nothing big going on for us, other than the heat. I'm back at work and the kids are back, well, they're on summer vacation, like J is. I think I'm getting the short end of the stick.
Please don't buy me Handerpants for Christmas.
You've heard of the famous "riders" that touring bands and artists provide to venues? Demands for special kinds of bottled water and bowls of M&Ms (but no brown ones.) Here is Steve Martin's rider.
These look OK, but they will get messy if you want syrup.
A neat "tree of life". Note “You are here” in the upper left-hand corner - that's people.
A fun tutorial about making your own gears.
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Nothing big going on for us, other than the heat. I'm back at work and the kids are back, well, they're on summer vacation, like J is. I think I'm getting the short end of the stick.
Please don't buy me Handerpants for Christmas.
You've heard of the famous "riders" that touring bands and artists provide to venues? Demands for special kinds of bottled water and bowls of M&Ms (but no brown ones.) Here is Steve Martin's rider.
These look OK, but they will get messy if you want syrup.
A neat "tree of life". Note “You are here” in the upper left-hand corner - that's people.
A fun tutorial about making your own gears.
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Happy Independence Day!
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K and M showing their red, white, and blue at the DSO concert at Greenfield Village
We've been pretty busy lately. Here's an update:
Wednesday, June 23: The four of us went to the Ann Arbor Civic Band concert at Burns Park. There was a threat of big rain that night, and for a while, it looked like we might get lucky. But about 20 minutes into the concert, the two bassoon players got up and started heading to the parking lot because the rain was starting (bassoons are made out of sugar, I guess.) The show was over, and later that night we had a family reunion in the basement to celebrate a tornado warning. Maybe celebrate isn't the right word...
Last Weekend: We went to play some tennis (also at Burns Park.) The boys recently got new rackets and wanted to try them out for real. They and their friends have been playing "neighborhood rules" tennis in a few of the driveways. It was the first time in many years I've played. It was a lot of fun.
Wednesday, June 30: We went to Top of the Park for the first time this year. There were a few country music bands there that night. We tend to pick our Top of the Park nights based more on weather than the type of music. We had a relaxing time and saw a few friends and neighbors.
Thursday, July 1: There was a fund-raiser for the 3-day breast cancer walk in downtown Saline, including appearances by Detroit Tigers Brandon Inge and Austin Jackson. There was also live music. We had hamburgers from the grill and cotton candy, then watched our old acquaintance Brian Vander Ark do a set on the music stage. It's been a while since we've seen him, and we enjoyed the show from across the street, under a shady tree. Brian's wikipedia entry is here.
Friday, July 2: We had a great time at the Greenfield Village Annual Salute To America. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra played a number of great patriotic tunes, complete with booming cannons during The 1812 Overture. After the main show was over, the DSO continued playing July 4th staples to accompany a fireworks show. We had perfect weather, not too hot, not too cold, no bugs, and a great, enthusiastic crowd of about 8500 people. The strawberry shortcake cups were both colorful and tasty.
Saturday, July 3: Grandmas and Grandpas from both sides visited us in Ann Arbor, and we cooked hamburgers and ate watermelon. It was fun to see everyone. We organized the chairs to be in the shade in the backyard and took advantage of the cool breeze while we all got some fresh air.
Happy July 4th to everyone!
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K and M showing their red, white, and blue at the DSO concert at Greenfield Village
We've been pretty busy lately. Here's an update:
Wednesday, June 23: The four of us went to the Ann Arbor Civic Band concert at Burns Park. There was a threat of big rain that night, and for a while, it looked like we might get lucky. But about 20 minutes into the concert, the two bassoon players got up and started heading to the parking lot because the rain was starting (bassoons are made out of sugar, I guess.) The show was over, and later that night we had a family reunion in the basement to celebrate a tornado warning. Maybe celebrate isn't the right word...
Last Weekend: We went to play some tennis (also at Burns Park.) The boys recently got new rackets and wanted to try them out for real. They and their friends have been playing "neighborhood rules" tennis in a few of the driveways. It was the first time in many years I've played. It was a lot of fun.
Wednesday, June 30: We went to Top of the Park for the first time this year. There were a few country music bands there that night. We tend to pick our Top of the Park nights based more on weather than the type of music. We had a relaxing time and saw a few friends and neighbors.
Thursday, July 1: There was a fund-raiser for the 3-day breast cancer walk in downtown Saline, including appearances by Detroit Tigers Brandon Inge and Austin Jackson. There was also live music. We had hamburgers from the grill and cotton candy, then watched our old acquaintance Brian Vander Ark do a set on the music stage. It's been a while since we've seen him, and we enjoyed the show from across the street, under a shady tree. Brian's wikipedia entry is here.
Friday, July 2: We had a great time at the Greenfield Village Annual Salute To America. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra played a number of great patriotic tunes, complete with booming cannons during The 1812 Overture. After the main show was over, the DSO continued playing July 4th staples to accompany a fireworks show. We had perfect weather, not too hot, not too cold, no bugs, and a great, enthusiastic crowd of about 8500 people. The strawberry shortcake cups were both colorful and tasty.
Saturday, July 3: Grandmas and Grandpas from both sides visited us in Ann Arbor, and we cooked hamburgers and ate watermelon. It was fun to see everyone. We organized the chairs to be in the shade in the backyard and took advantage of the cool breeze while we all got some fresh air.
Happy July 4th to everyone!
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Father's Day Party in Williamston
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A fun time was had by all at the Father's Day party in Williamston. The boys chased chickens around, waded through the corn field, and played in the barn between servings of tacos and angel food cake and "Dance Dance Revolution" competitions.
Click on the pictures to see larger versions.
M, Jeff, K, and Daniel show how to get around the Lawton estate in style
M, Daniel, and K demonstrate "mad skillz" as they dismantle a rototiller engine with Jeff's help.
M and K are outstanding in the field.
A fun time was had by all at the Father's Day party in Williamston. The boys chased chickens around, waded through the corn field, and played in the barn between servings of tacos and angel food cake and "Dance Dance Revolution" competitions.
Click on the pictures to see larger versions.
M, Jeff, K, and Daniel show how to get around the Lawton estate in style
M, Daniel, and K demonstrate "mad skillz" as they dismantle a rototiller engine with Jeff's help.
M and K are outstanding in the field.
A Hippo Ate My Deck Storage Box
The tulip tree in our front yard. I thought it was named that because of the tulip-shaped leaves, but it has little flowers, too.
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A lot of good, fun, ugly, and yummy things happened in the last week. Here’s a rundown, with some pictures.
I got a new battery for the old grass trimmer, and it’s running great. The old battery, despite my initial successes, didn’t last. I bought a replacement online and wired it up to the trimmer’s switches, and it was off and running. Maybe I can use it instead of the lawnmower to save gas?
Saturday night, J and I shipped the kids off to Aunt Laurie’s house, and went with our friends, Jeff and Ann, to see Kathy Griffin at the Fox in Detroit. She’s an actress and comedian. She is not exactly known for family-friendly comedy, and what we saw was considerably more, er, adult than the TV versions of her stand-up. Before the show, we went to a restaurant nearby called Small Plates, which was wonderful and delicious. There was a Tigers game that night, which started after we arrived for dinner, and ended after the show was over, so driving in and out was a breeze. It was fun to walk near the stadium at night on our way out of the Fox, with the lights and the cheering crowd.
On Sunday, the boys had a party at their piano teacher’s house, then we went to Grillin’, which is Food Gatherers’ annual fundraiser picnic at the fairgrounds. We had great weather, and we saw several other families we knew. They have live music, a silent auction, and lots of food, including food donated by a lot of local restaurants. There are also activities for the kids, inside and outside. I ran into someone I knew who was dressed as a carrot (which is the Food Gatherers’ mascot of sorts) and I asked her how she came to be a carrot. She said there was a big sign-up sheet for volunteers, and “Carrot” was a choice. I don’t know why everyone wouldn’t want to be a carrot – I know I would. Her job was to be a goodwill ambassador and say “Hello” to people coming in and “Thank You” to people leaving, as well as smile a lot. I think I could handle that.
Images of Destruction
What animal do you suppose is biting chunks of plastic off our deck box? At first I thought it might be a deer, but we have narrowed our choices to chipmunk, red squirrel, or hippopotamus. (We have had chipmunk and red squirrel problems in the past, and I’m really hoping the hippo thing doesn’t turn out to be the answer.)
We may not know who is eating our deck box, but we do know a deer has been munching on the hostas in our back garden. We noticed one a few days ago at our neighbor’s garden, looking at us with a big mouthful of hasta leaves and stems sticking out of its mouth.
Lots of links
A very interesting article about science education and careers – is there truly a “shortage” of graduates in science and engineering in the US? I don’t know this magazine or any political agenda it may have, but it’s an interesting article.
A couple of things I’d like to build in the parallel universe where I have infinite time available to me - a Gear Ring and a bicycle sidecar.
A few space travel-related links
The first is spacecraft made from plywood. These are great, and are in full scale.
The second is a picture of an F-15 at a recent shuttle launch. Incredible picture – you should have seen the ladder the photographer was using.
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