I knew it!

The genealogical fun continues this evening as I wander far, far, really far into my past. You know, like a thousand years ago. I'm always hoping to find some gem- like a distinctly Turkish name or something. That would be cool.

Well, this gets pretty good. Bear with me. About a million generations back, we are descended from Archbishop Håkon Thorersson of Oslo (early 1200's). Yesss! (Never mind that he married his sister.) Oh, and his mother, Sigrid Havtoresdatter Eyre-Iceland, was Icelandic of course. I knew I was more Scandinavian than that! He is also the great-great-great-grandson of Cecilie Sigurdsdatter, Princess Of Norway (1153-1185), who is the granddaughter of Malfrid Princess of Russia (1098-1137) (what?! I'm Russian?). This Russian princess gal was married to the Norwgian King Sigurd "The Crusader" (naturally). And he's the son of Magnus III 'the Bare-Footed' King of Norway (1050-1103) who is buried in Ireland- and I'll give you three guesses as to why. Now, Malfrid's heritage is really cool. She is of Russian, English, and Swedish (what?! I'm Swedish, too?) royal blood. Really royal. And her paternal great-grandmother was... wait for it... Maria, Princess of the Byzantine Empire (1018-1067) who married the Duke of Kiev. And, yes, Maria is the daughter of Konstantinos IX, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire (980-1055).

I am content. I can now go to bed.

Oh, and I'm sure you were wondering: all their temple work has been reserved.

4272x2848

I’m considering some goals for the New Year. Nothing drastic, just some ideas for refinement. Some of them are very similar to things I worked on last year with a few minor changes. Some are brand new.

Resolution has several meanings. In medicine, it refers to the solving of a problem or healing of an issue. The base verb comes from the Latin for “loosen” or “release”, and in chemistry it refers to the action of separating into components. In politics, resolution usually means finding a solution, conclusion or settlement.

In photography, resolution refers to the amount of visible detail in an image. I think I will use this meaning as I form my goals for 2010. There’s always room for better detail. My life has a few areas which I could improve on in big ways and some which would benefit from some close-up attention and fine tuning.

I will begin my examination with a long view and move in with a magnifying glass to assess the resolution of the image of my life. Because sometimes life is in the details.

Image made using the LensBaby Composer.

October Vacation: Space Legacy

I am the granddaughter of one of America's first rocket scientists, though I hardly ever act like it. My grandfather was a pioneer in the field of radar guidance systems, rockets, satellites, interplanetary exploration and other things I don't really understand. He was a great man.

A partial quote from his obituary printed in the Washington Post on July 11, 2006:

"Mr. Cummings earned his bachelor's degree in physics at CalTech in 1944 and did his advanced studies at Harvard and MIT Radar Schools. He married Jean McDonald, his high-school sweetheart, in 1944 in Boston while on military assignment. He served as a Radar Officer, 1st Lieutenant, in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1944-1946.... Born and raised in Southern California, Mr. Cummings returned to Pasadena and joined the fledgling Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1946. He was responsible for the development of the Corporal Guided Missile telemetry and radio guidance systems. From 1954-1957, he served as the Corporal Technical Coordinator, Jupiter Project Director, and Chief of the Systems Engineering Division. In advance of the 1958 launching of Explorer I, the first U.S. satellite, Mr. Cummings was sent to Washington, D.C., on special assignment to the Department of Defense and served as JPL's first representative to the newly-created NASA.

Returning to Pasadena as the Lunar Project Director for JPL, Mr. Cummings was responsible for Project Ranger [which he named after the family camper], our nation's first unmanned lunar spacecrafts. Under his leadership, the launches of the initial Ranger crafts provided important feedback needed to ultimately reach and travel beyond the moon in interplanetary exploration."

He did a stint with Electro-Optical Systems of Xerox and some assisting in the Department of Defense before rejoining JPL in 1983 as the Manager of East Coast Technologies and Applications Programs Office. He retired from JPL in 1991 at the age of 68. He loved fishing, had a hearty appreciation for puns, and wore a pearl tie tack for as long as I can remember. I miss his laugh.

••••••••••••••••••••••

While down in Florida, we had the opportunity to visit NASA's Kennedy Space Center twice. It was really great and all of us found something to ooooh and aaaah about. The first day we went was my third child's third birthday. Upon entering the gate there was a real space shuttle and it's enormous solid rocket boosters on display and he exclaimed, "WOW- THAT IS THE BIGGEST ROCKET I HAVE EVER SEEN!" We all concurred and it was certainly enough to get us pretty excited.

It was a relatively slow day for the Center; the parking lot was only a quarter full. Our first stop inside was the shuttle Discovery. The little ones and I walked up the ramp and got a great view of the inside of the payload area and control panel, while my husband and the oldest child went on the launch simulation ride which consisted of lots of shaking and loud noises.

Next was the tour bus which took us to a launch pad viewing tower, then on to the spectacular Apollo/Saturn V exhibit. This one had a couple of short movies about some early NASA crafts. After a thrilling short history, we entered a huge room filled with a real Saturn V rocket. It was beautiful. This facility also housed some gallery rooms, a real (tiny) moon rock you can touch, a moon buggy, a Ranger craft, a cafe and a gift shop.

On our way back to the main visitors' complex, we saw two very rare and seemingly unrelated items. First, as we passed by the main vehicle assembly building (the world's tallest one-story building), it's doors were just closing. Inside we could clearly see the shuttle Atlantis, which was going to roll out to its launch pad later that night, and the brand-new Ares I-X rocket right next to it. If I understood correctly, the significance here is that this will be the last space shuttle launch, after which the new Ares and Orion rockets will form a new mission in human space exploration called Constellation which will expand from Low Earth Orbit to the Moon and finally to Mars. There they were, the present and the future side by side. The other rare sight was an enormous nest of a bald eagle in the trees along the road. They put some real effort into making the area a friendly place for all sorts of native wild creatures. Perhaps those two things are not as unrelated as they might seem at first glance.

We had melting kids at this point, so we headed home after making sure to get our tickets validated for a return trip within 7 days. We came back two days later to see the Moon Walk IMAX movie in 3D (awesome), visit the kids' playground, the gift shop, the Robot Scouts exhibit (disappointing- I was hoping for more), and the great rocket garden.

I don't know if I will ever get back there again so it was a great pleasure to be able to see the place where some of my grandfather's work launched. I was inspired again to care about places beyond my own life, to wonder at the technologies mankind has developed, to grieve at the failures and human losses, to stand in awe of the gains, and to hope for amazing discoveries and adventures in the future.

October Vacation: Beachy Keen

Our accommodations were right on the beach: Cocoa Beach. It's the great stretch of sand just south of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Our condo resort included an outdoor pool, exercise room, children's play and craft area, game room, small movie theater, and a shady path right out to the seashore. We took advantage of many of those amenities, but the beach was king, of course. The pool was a close second. In general, the weather was gorgeous, warm, and humid; just right for the end of summer.

On the first morning there I awoke uncharacteristicly early- at 5:30. I went to find milk and juice for the sleeping crowd, then took my camera to the beach where I watched the stars fade and the sky magically move through all the long wavelength colors till it was light and the people started to come. I also brought my camera with me for low tide at noon the next day and high tide on our last evening there... magical light.

There was plenty of sand-digging, some boogie-boarding, frisbee, shells to find, and even a washed-up jelly fish to step over. Everyone loved the beach.

Oh, yes, and Happy Birthday to my favorite three-year-old. I love you.

Rest Stop

As part of the year 'round schedule at our school in Virginia, our kids get two weeks off in October. The school calls it "Inter-session Break" and there are cool half-day classes offered for a fee, which are well attended. However, we took the opportunity to get out of town for 8 days, see some Southern sights and relax at the beach. One last longing gaze at the summer we didn't quite get to finish.

I'm still processing the images and writing the details, but here is a brief preview. The first two days of the trip each contained at least 7 hours of driving. It was challenging, but worth it in the end. We made sure the kids took full advantage of each and every rest stop, i.e. running drills and chasing games. These were taken at the first one we stopped at in Florida (day 2).

To My Aunt Mary Kay

And to all those who are affected by breast cancer.

She had red hair and a southern accent, was fascinated by deep space, wore a rhinestone "JESUS" pin, dealt with more than one serious health challenge, and loved angels.

She will always have my love and respect.

©Pink Bike by Maren Mecham, Savannah Georgia, October 2009

The Teichert Wedding

My cousin, Michelle, married Greg a week and a half ago in the Washington, D.C. Temple. It was a lovely day. Congratulations to a beautiful couple and best wishes for an eternity of joy!

To The World's Greatest Dad

Recently, I had the opportunity to take apart and reassemble my father's mid-1960's photo journal in a new archival album. It was a great pleasure for me, since I knew this album well and spent many hours looking at it as a young girl. It represents the period of time during which he dated my mom in Pasadena, graduated from Cal Tech, and served a mission for our church in Belgium and France.

I love my dad and am very grateful for the unique perspective he has brought to my life. He taught us to think. It's not often a deliberate course of instruction from parent to child, but it was in our family. His positive influence over his posterity is unmistakable, and so with love I say: Happy Father's Day, Dad! 

The Last First Birthday

Happy First Birthday to the baby of the family, who loves:

walking, singing in the car, pushing the little wagon, climbing the stairs, 

story time, laughing along with the family, sticks, cats and birds, 

swinging in the hammock, any beans but especially jelly beans, 

and snuggles.

Baby 2.0

The parental units have now updated their operating systems to comply with the new version of Baby 2.0.

Meaning, of course, that the baby has learned to crawl and it's a whole new ball game- again. We're on the next level, so to speak, as we readjust our expectations. He gets faster every day at reaching, pulling up on things, crossing rooms and generally exploring the world at his level. I can't seem to keep the floor clean enough, it will be a long time before the bookshelves are in order again, and his siblings' toys are no longer out of reach... it's one of the most exciting times of babyhood!

Not The Luckiest Day

This boy is 2 years and 4 months old today. While he was supposed to be taking a nap, he found a big jar of Vaseline and smeared it all over his wall, his clothes, his face and his hair. He worked it in pretty well and I'm not sure when it will all be gone, from his hair especially. The clothes may never recover... we'll see. Fortunately, his mother still loves him.

Happy Friday the 13th.

16 Things My Brother Probably Already Knows

My brother tagged me in a post and this is my response. Sorry, Dave, you know most of these and the rest aren't going to be any big shockers. Buyurun.

1. I dislike anything flavored like passion fruit. I’ve never tasted the real fruit.

2. I never drive without my seatbelt.

3. When I was a kid, I wanted my future husband to have an easy, straighforward last name (that everyone can spell) like Applegate. If you know my maiden name, you understand.

4. I got my first pair of bifocals when I was 18.

5. I would really like to see the Northern Lights.

6. When I was little, my doctor told me that my projected growth chart estimated I would be 5 feet 8 inches tall. I still feel a little bit cheated that I’m only 5 feet 5 and a half inches.

7. I organize my shirts by color: black, grey, white, yellow, green, blue, purple, red, brown.

8. My favorite fruits are apples. Best three: freshly picked ripe Ginger Gold, Buckeye Gala, and a good, crisp Braeburn.

9. When I was in elementary school, I was in a music group that made a record. I played the xylophone.

10. I can count to ten in six languages: English, Spanish, German, Norwegian, Arabic, and Turkish.

11. I collect little boxes that I keep on my dresser.

12. I have synesthesia. (Link fixed) So does my mother and at least one of my daughters. Letters, words and numbers have distinct colors.

13. I don't have many pet peeves, but one is when we don't sing ALL the printed verses to the hymns at church- i.e. stopping after verse 3 just because verses 4 and 5 didn't fit between the lines of music!

14. Once I stayed up all night to watch the midnight sun in Norway. I read a book outside at 11pm.

15. I’m terrible at spelling and rely heavily on my Mac’s dictionary widget.

16. I have never had the chicken pox, just the vaccine.


Ok, I tag Michelle L, and Jennifer D and Jen A, oh, and Dorothy, Lynette and Christine, too! Write down 16 things you think most people don't know about you and post them either on your blog or on facebook. Go ahead, it's fun!

Hee Hee

From the Dec 4th edition of The Middlebury Campus, Middlebury's student newspaper.





(Click on the pictures to see them enlarged.)

Shameless Plug

I know one of the best graphic designers around, and this is his website! Check it out- I bet he does Christmas cards, too.

To The Nines

My oldest child turned 9 today. Nine! Wasn't she in preschool just last year?

That means she was born in nineteen ninety-nine. My mother pointed out to her that this is her last year of single digits. I pointed out that it would be a very, very long time until she hit triple digits. She wrinkled her nose and said she wasn't sure she wanted to live that long. We lit nine candles on her angel food cake and sang "Happy Birthday" in the high key of nine-year-old girls. They played in the backyard, she and her friends. Who taught her to throw a frisbee? I was impressed.

Nine is not a little girl. It is not a tween, nor a young lady, just yet. It's more child than lady, yet more knowledgeable than a child. It's all cart-wheels and fairies and puns and climbing trees. It's real math homework and finding books you can't put down and games of backyard hide-and-seek. It's discovering that there's both unfairness and generosity in the world and writing to pen-pals and field trips to the state capitol.

Eight is great. And nine? Well, nine is... living life to the nines.