Preserved

Keith B. McMullin, Second Councilor in the Presiding Bishopric, spoke in the Saturday morning session of the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He quoted a scripture at the beginning of his talk saying that, despite tribulations, God said "My people will I preserve." Moses 7:61

Preserve: to save by pickling, sweetening, boiling and/or pressurizing at high temperatures, usually in a jar which makes the contents visible to all. It removes bad and dangerous things that can spoil you, and saves you for later.

I'm cool with that. Mason-jar me.

I liked the rest of his talk, too.

Sari Sultanas

... which is roughly translated from Turkish as "What to do with too many golden raisins".

We are in the throes of getting ready to move, and one of the most difficult things is using up as much food as possible before leaving. As we discussed this concept the other night, my husband looked in the cupboard and asked, "How are we going to use all these golden raisins?" Here were my answers. Enjoy!

Turkish Style Chicken (serves 10)

---

Chicken, cut up (about 2 breasts and 3 thighs, skinless and visible fat removed)

2 Tbs olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves, broken in half

1 tsp ground coriander

2 cups (1 lb) long-grain white rice, uncooked

1 or 2 bell peppers, diced

1 large can diced tomatoes, half drained

1/2 tsp ground cumin

pinch of saffron, broken

1/2 cup golden raisins

2 cups chicken stock, boiling

Cook chicken in oil (adding salt and pepper if desired) till browned and cooked through. Remove and keep in a bowl. Add onions to oil in pan and cook over medium heat till soft. Add garlic, bay leaves and coriander. Stir in rice till coated with oil. Add bell peppers and cook a few minutes. Stir in tomatoes, cumin and saffron. Add raisins. Return chicken to pan. Pour in 2 cups boiling stock and cover pan. Turn down heat and simmer 20 minutes. Top with a few drops of Tabasco sauce if desired. Serve hot (although we like it even better reheated the next day).

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (makes about 48)

---

1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups flour

3 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 1/4 cups raisins (soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes and drained if you have time)

Preheat oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and yolk, one at a time beating between each. Mix in vanilla. Add cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Add flour and oats, mixing well. Stir in raisins.

Form into balls the size of a ping-pong ball and set on baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake 12-14 minutes till golden brown and still soft.

We've Been Touring

I neglected to write up our trip to Williamsburg in December, but we had a marvelous time for four days right before Christmas. We saw the Colonial part of town which was terrific as usual, the Jamestown Settlement recreation which was much improved over the last time I visited, stayed in a great little condo (thanks, Janet!), and visited with some dear friends from long ago and far away. A perfect pre-Christmas family vacation. (Photos are on flickr.)

In February, we spent part of a Saturday in Fredericksburg, Virginia, which is about an hour or so south of here. It was about as I remember it, and we enjoyed walking around the historic downtown area. We also made a stop at their lovely library for a break and a few quick stories.

On our walk, we happened upon a unique bakery called Eileen's which was in an old converted church (no pun intended). The goods were very lovely, and some of them were quite delicious. Clockwise from lower left: Raspberry Cheese Danish (good), Cranberry-Walnut Upside Down cake (really good), Almond Bear Claw (awesome), Apple Tart (really good), and Vanilla Cupcake (totally bland: where was the butter- or the vanilla for that matter?). We also drank "Steamed Vanillas" (hot vanilla milk) which were sweet and satisfying on a brisk day.

As we wind up our time here in Virginia, we have a few more places on the "must see" list. Hopefully we can fit it all in. If not, we'll just have to come back soon.

Additional photos and commentary at flickr.

What I Did On My Winter Vacation

The schools have all been closed this week (not to mention part of last week). With Presidents' Day on Monday, that will make a total of three full days of school over an eleven-weekday period. Now, I realize that there's no school during the summer and I have to deal with it and create schedules and such, but it's a whole different animal when we have to check the website each night to see what tomorrow will bring. Planning and expectations become difficult.

Finally, after the first storm was over and we'd gotten out of the neighborhood for a few hours, I felt like I could take control of the situation. And I did; I present my first (and possibly only) foray into homeschool. I made it all up using the resources suggested on the super Arlington County Snow Learning page.

Day 1

9:20 am: Morning meeting. The three-year-old chose "On Top of Spaghetti" for our morning song. We sang all three verses. He was then given a huge pile of coloring pages to work through at his leisure.

9:25: Science. I printed out two items for each girl from the Library of Congress's Everyday Mysteries page. The first-grader read about and presented a report on "How The Grapefruit Got Its Name" and "Fun Facts About Squash". The fifth-grader read about and reported on "Is a Coconut a Nut, a Fruit, or a Seed?" and "How Does Sunscreen Work?" Everyone learned something new. Next they were given the first half of a standardized science test for grades 3 and 5 respectively. (And they did very respectably.)

10:15: Art. The three older kids were given floam and the older two were asked to create a gallery of sculpted animals native to Australia and New Zealand. The three-year-old spent a long time making a perfect sphere.

10:50: Silent reading

11:30: snack

11:45: Music. The fifth-grader practiced her clarinet in one room while the first-grader was supposed to be doing one of two assignments on the keyboard. I was putting the one-year-old down for a nap and came back to a pouty and uncooperative young girl. Hmm. More musical guidance and instruction needed there, I guess. Half a concert followed.

12:20 pm: Physical Education: Yoga with Denise Austin. Lots of participation, even by the three-year-old. He does a funky tree-pose.

1:00: Writing. The girls were given the same writing prompt with 20 minutes to write and a recitation following. Today's prompt came from the 2006 Virginia Department of Education Standards of Learning Test for 5th graders. It read: "Imagine that you are suddenly able to fly whenever you want. Where would you go? What would you do? Write to explain your new talent and how you would use it." Interesting answers- too involved to go into here.

1:45: lunch, followed by recess

2:15: Math: I printed several first-grade worksheets and also half of the 2006 VA. D.O.E. S.O.L. math test for 6th graders. Just about right.

3:00: dismissal

They were very excited about the whole thing (or we wouldn't have tried to do so much!) and gave their reports to Dad that evening.

Day 2 was slightly different. Most of the first hour was spent on geography. The first-grader did a map study worksheet and some state shape-matching (from the same website as her math worksheets) and the fifth-grader did some online research and a report on Yemen. (Her conclusion was that she didn't think it was a very interesting place and didn't want to go there. Hilarious.) Next was Art and we spent a very long time making Valentine's Day cards for family and friends since I was pretty sure they wouldn't be having any class parties. I had them finish the rest of their science tests and more above-level math.

Finally, there was writing. The older one was assigned the first 2 sections of the 2006 VA. D.O.E. S.O.L "End of Course" writing test and she did pretty well. The younger one was assigned the 8th grade writing prompt: "Imagine you have a time machine and you are able to transport one person from the past to the present for one day. Whom would you choose? Write about why you chose this person and your visit with this person." She wrote about Betsy Ross (whom she mistakenly called "Betty Crocker" in her first draft) and how she wanted learn how to sew as well as Betsy did. This came complete with a drawing of a time machine. Now, it just so happened that Dad was watching the 1960's film adaptation of H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" last night, so she had some idea what one might look like. (The kids didn't watch the whole film, just enough to get their imaginations going without scaring them.) Good times.

Overall, this was a very productive experiment. The kids appreciated having structure, brain food, and fun. Yes, flying by the seat of my pants was a lot of work- maybe more than real homeschooling is since normally one would make up lesson plans way ahead and could order helpful kits, etc. Tomorrow will be a light afternoon version since we're spending the morning with Grandma. But Monday will not be a "school holiday" here at our house... three day weekends may never be the same again (cue evil laugh).

Enjoy the pictures of snow and school.

My path for the garbage bins and other backyard access.

We both did a fair amount of upper-body/lower-back strengthening exercise over the last week.

One kid even helped!

Highlighted in blue is the path I shoveled for the little guys. Two feet is too deep to be fun when you're 3.

Monday was "Indoor Fort Day" and it was used as a Native American tent- mostly.

Snow Output Analysis

As if I needed to hear more about the storms... here's a good article that came out of The Capital Weather Gang (Washington Post) for the Feb 3-6 storm. (So it doesn't include the amount we got today.) Fun to see all the images, anyway. I find forecasting fascinating.

Darn Those Southern Winters!

Well, the great Nor'Easter of February 2010 has come and gone. It lasted about 30 hours and dumped roughly 24 inches in Arlington, VA, which is equivalent to 3 inches of rain.

Dr. Jeff Masters posted this description on Weather Underground:

"Today's blizzard is the second major snowstorm of 16+ inches to affect the Washington D.C./Baltimore region this winter--the other being the 16.4" storm of December 19 - 20. According to the National Climatic Data Center, the expected return period in the Washington D.C./Baltimore region for snowstorms with more than 16 inches of snow is about once every 25 years. Thus, a one-two punch of two major Mid-Atlantic Nor'easters with 16+ inches of snow in one winter is something that should happen only once every 625 years. Such an event has not happened since the beginning of the historical record in 1870. The numbers are even more impressive for Philadelphia, which has had two snowstorms exceeding 23" this winter. According to the National Climactic Data Center, the return period for a 22+ inch snow storm is once every 100 years--and we've had two 100-year snow storms in Philadelphia this winter. That should happen only once every 10,000 years. Of course, the last ice age was just ending around 12,000 years ago, so this probability number has to be viewed with a some skepticism. Still, the two huge snowstorms this winter in the Mid-Atlantic are definitely a very rare event one should see only once every few hundred years."

Nice. School closed before the snow even began on Friday which was a great disappointment because school was also closed on Wednesday for a little bit of snow. It's very likely that school will also be cancelled on Monday because the plows are not expected to reach residential streets until 48 hours after the snow stops. What?? GIVE ME A BREAK! I am missing Vermont more than ever. Somebody please take me home where they don't let this sort of thing paralyze the entire region for days on end!

More snow and rain is expected Tuesday. Please, please, please let my kids go back to school! Or at least let me get out of my driveway so I can take them to the library, Grandma's house or out to lunch.

Maybe I'm just not cut out for Southern winters.

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.

Old McDonalds

I've been trying to tie up some loose ends in my family history, and this week it's been the McDonald line. My aunt gave me some copied pages from the McDonald Family Record, a book by George F. MacDonald and compiled by Mrs. R. H. Shriver in 1960. It's been enormously helpful and occasionally gives bits of interesting stories. Here's one favorite from page 35:

"Of the above, Eliza died when a young girl; Mary was engaged to a young man who was killed in the Civil War; and Martha yielded to family influence and broke her engagement to a young man of whom her parents did not approve. Capt. Oliver A. Douds, also, was the victim of a blighted romance. The three (Mary, Martha, and Oliver) lived in the old homestead until the property was purchased by the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation. Then they removed to Beaver [Pennsylvania].

Mary and Martha were always daintily dressed; and the white kid gloves they wore to church (in a day when such gloves were rarely seen) were reverently admired by their youthful kinswomen."

Most reverently, I'm sure.

Make Way For... Spring?

It's January. JAN-U-ARY. The bulbs in my yard are a little confused and, frankly, I don't blame them. It was 71º at my house yesterday. Today it's 42º. We've had snow, ice, rain, fog, sleet, wind and a few really nice days. I guess some of these eager little plants are ready to let go of winter's icy hand and I applaud them... but cautiously.

A Brief Hiatus

For the next two weeks, all my coherent thoughts will be channeled into another blog. I will be a guest blogger at Times and Seasons, a blog of Mormon thought. I might even post some images in their feature called "A Mormon Image". So stop by, enjoy, and comment if you like! See you 'round the bloggernacle.

The New Year's Day Walk

It used to be a hike, long ago, before there were children. I'm not positive when it began, either. Perhaps its origins can be traced back to our engagement on New Year's Day fifteen years ago whilst walking the trail around Walden Pond in Massachusetts. All I know is that now it's a solid tradition.

Every year we take a New Year's Day walk to shake out the previous year's dust and regain the clarity of our vision, assess the past and hope for the future. We've taken these walks in a number of places. Walden has been on the list twice. There were many memorable NYDWs in the foothills above Stanford in Palo Alto, one in Ankara, and a few scattered across the US as we have celebrated with family. The Robert Frost Trail in Vermont is a perennial favorite when we're there, although one year it was too snowy and we simply walked a path around our property in the moonlight after the kids were in bed. This year we went for two: one with just the 6 of us around Bon Air Park in Arlington and one combined with my sister's family in the woods and neighborhood near my folks' house in Fairfax.

The location isn't as important as the conversations, and neither is as important as the quality of the company. It's just so nice to be moving forward together and discuss a few family highlights, some rough spots, and touch on several items for the year ahead.

2010- may it hold many pleasant surprises for you and those you love. Happy New Year!

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.

More Santa Fun

Comedian David Sedaris and fifteen minutes of a good Santa story.

Found via the Times and Seasons "Notes From All Over" sidebar.

Weighing the Value of Santa Claus

The Jolly Old Elf and I have been at odds for years now. We used to get along fine so long as we left each other alone. But then something changed.

My first child was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the late 1990’s and I was inclined to absorb the prevalent local culture of parenting. That culture questioned the need to blithely pass on traditions of any kind without scrutinizing them first. So I checked my lists twice before allowing things into her world and Santa just didn’t make the cut. I felt deeply responsible for creating an environment in which a fresh new soul could grow unencumbered by popular culture. I made a promise to her (and thus to her subsequent siblings) that I would try to be honest about everything. I wanted her to believe me when I told her stories about Jesus Christ, so I figured I’d have to be truthful about the reality of Santa Claus- and anything else she wanted to know. That’s a rather idealistic viewpoint, I know. I believed in Santa for a few years myself and yet have a deep testimony of the reality of my Savior, so the logic might be faulty. But I felt strongly about it and kept my word as best I could.

When she was almost four years old, we moved to Ohio. Our new home had a little fireplace. That winter, the question came. “Mom, how does Santa get in? He can’t fit down our chimney and I know you lock the doors at night. Is he real?” I asked her what she thought and let her work it out herself. I didn’t give a direct “no” because I knew part of her wanted to believe, but I supported her conclusion that maybe the story wasn’t all true.

And yet, part of it was true. When that same daughter was two, we lived in Turkey for ten months. Turkey is known for lots of interesting things, Saint Nicholas among them. He was the Bishop in Myra in the 4th century and that area of Lycia has not forgotten him. As I was exposed to the history, my heart softened some. Maybe there was a place for part of this tradition in the lives of my children. But how does one balance it?

Daughter number two asked the question a few years ago. This time my answer was, “Yes, he was real.” A simple explanation followed that revealed the truth about Saint Nicholas and his example as one of the believers. I also explained that Santa Claus, as portrayed in Clement Moore’s poem, is a character in a story.

You might guess that I’ve never taken my kids to the mall to sit on Santa’s lap, and you’d be right. In fact, my favorite mall Santa was the one at AnkaMall in Turkey; he stood inside the entrance and sold lottery tickets. It seemed so appropriate.

I no longer wince every time I see this icon of the holiday season. I’ve made my peace with him by allowing him a small supporting role in our celebration of this most Christian of Holy Days.

And he’s stopped putting coal in my stocking.

Having Repented...

... I can now get into the Christmas spirit. No, it's not wintery, but I'm not going to let that get in the way. I heard you playing "My Heart Bleeds For You" on the world's smallest violin, so I'll not complain about the weather anymore.

I've been listening to Christmas music shamelessly since early November, but it wasn't until we got out all the Christmas books last night that things changed. (See here for a great post on Christmas books.) We also put up some of the decorations we brought with us, and NOW we feel more holiday cheer. Part of it was watching the kids get really excited about their favorite books, sit down and pour over them until their eyes were all sparkly.

Magic.

The Purpose of Winter

Does winter matter? Is the coldest season important? What is gained by it?

I once lived where winter was wet and green, where the smell of freshly cut grass meant only one thing: Christmas. And yet, it was the coldest season Palo Alto had and so it sufficed. However, most of the time my winters have been truly frosty.

As a child, Virginia winters were plenty cold. There was ice to scrape off the windshield in the morning, it snowed a few times each year, and I knew how to wear a scarf and hat. Next came Utah winters with blowing, powdery snow and a real need for boots. The snow on the mountains stayed from October till summer. Good times.

My stretch of California winters was interrupted by one in Boston and one in Ankara- and the two were remarkably similar. Then came the Cleveland winter- brrrrr. Lake-effect snow was compounded by loneliness and insufficient insulation. (Cleveland and I didn't really get along.)

Vermont was next: cold outside but warm inside. Yes, I had to seal up a few windows for the season and it was two years before we had heating vents upstairs, but somehow the fact that I was finally home made all the difference. We were still wet behind the ears and giddy about being Vermonters. We relished the snow and making our kids don so much gear each school day morning. Shoveling massive amounts of snow from the roof and the driveway made us feel hardy and tough. Learning the wintery ropes of Northerners was a challenge made enjoyable by doing it together.

And so, is it any wonder that my "easy" winter here in Virginia has thus far failed to inspire me at all? Yes, I brought my bin of Christmas decorations, but I don't really feel like putting them up (I will, though). My good sweaters are nearly useless so far. The children balk at wearing their coats because they know it's just "not that cold".

Without truly feeling the need to button up, snuggle up or find my down slippers, preparing for Christmastime feels like the marking of just another annual event. Somehow, for me, real Christmas is much more difficult and that makes it more meaningful. The joy of the Grace given at Christ's birth is sweeter when life around you is unbearably frozen. The warmth of celebration and light is cozier when the alternative is so very dark and cold. Winter and Christmas are the great opposites, each a foil for the other.

My husband is on his way to Australia today. I am trying to get my mind around Christmas traditions that include the beach and BBQ's. If I had to celebrate Christmas in shorts, I would lack a certain element of gratitude and appreciation. Not that it can't be done, mind you, but it would be hard for me. In fact, it is hard for me to feel seasonally cheery as I sit here in a house that's 65º... without the heat on.

Fortunately, I have 24 more days to get my act together and find a way to achieve that powerful, deep joy that only comes once a year at this great season.

Maybe it will snow....

Good Night

As I was tucking the 3 year old into bed tonight, I said, "Have a good sleep. I hope you wake up all happy in the morning."

He giggled and said, "Goodnight, Mom. I hope you have a good sleep and wake up with a happy mess inside."

Sounds about right, I guess, if you're three.

The Annual Hurdle

Whew! It's a challenge every year, but we did it. The family Christmas picture is done. Hooray!

October Vacation: Charleston

Ah, yes. I know what you're thinking. It is November and I am still rambling on about our 8-day family vacation way back in the first part of October. But things move slower the father south you go and Charleston, South Carolina, is about culturally Southern as you can get.

After our first day of driving back from Florida, we checked in to a brand-spanking new Springhill Suites hotel in North Charleston. It was very modern in its decor and really sleek. Q was going to use some saved-up points to pay for the room, but they offered to let him have it for $40 instead so he agreed. I'm not sure how they made any money off us at all because we ate nearly that at the complimentary breakfast, I think. Did I mention the free lollipops at the front desk?

In the morning, we headed downtown to the Visitors' Center. It's in a refurbished old brick train station just on the border between a nice part of town and a scary one. Q stood in line to talk to the folks there about a good walking tour while the rest of us gathered too many brochures from the displays. There were no fewer than thirteen art galleries or museums listed and I was intrigued.

Our walk was indeed lovely, winding past shops, churches, galleries, restaurants, and boutique hotels. It led through the old City Market which was full of local baskets, trinkets, imported jewelry from Eastern Europe, cheap hand-decorated sweatshirts, beautiful carved wooden bowls, pashmina scarves, and more jewelry. We paused at the waterfront, which the children enjoyed very much, before meandering back. We passed an artist waiting for his painting to dry. There were horse-drawn carriages (tours, with guides) and way too many interesting gated alleys to peer down.

The city has done an admirable job restoring many old buildings and the Greek Revival, Classic Revival and Georgian styles are everywhere. Apparently, the whole downtown is a National Historic Landmark and more than 3,000 buildings there are labeled as "historic". One could spend days just looking at the architecture and then weeks getting to know the local art scene.

There's a very chic shopping street- the main shopping avenue of years ago- and we took that way back. Rejuvenated by Five Guys, we arrived at the Visitors' Center ready. Ready for the last day of vacation before the clock struck midnight, so to speak, and we all turned into pumpkins.

It was a wonderful October vacation.

See flickr for all the images.

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.