Local Purple Playground

We live near the North Laurel Community Center, which features a large purple playground for children. We've visited several times, though the first time was not so fun because the heat of the summer was blasting us. We had as much fun as we could under the conditions (and, as I post this, are in the harsh winter of March 2015!).

The smaller part of the playground

J lost in the bigger part of the playground

Hanging off of the playground was a popular past time, more popular than the usual things J and L enjoy.

L happily hangs out!

J climbs hot plastic rocks!

J tries to swing from bar to bar

Too cool for the swings?

We didn't stay too long, but have gone back several times. One time in particular was a post-dinner visit on August 9th (National Night Out night). Food was sold and a stage was set up (though the band didn't start playing until after we left). Various booths were sponsored by the Girl Scouts (no cookies though), the county parks department, a fitness center, and a handful of others. Everyone but L made a beeline for the playground. The heat of the day was over and the equipment had cooled down from the noonday sun. Fun was had by J, then L.

Full shot of the bigger playground

J goes from one bar to the next!

J, king of the mountain

J climbs only the reds!

Hardest climber yet

Nervous at the top

While J was having all this fun, L was getting her face painted.

A simple slithering snake

As we were playing, a fire truck drove up and parked right by the playground. We went over and had a tour of the truck.

Checking out the front seat

Gauges galore

Plenty of hoses on the back

Sadly, the kids did not get to sit in the truck but they had fun learning about jaws of life and other exotic equipment used by the firefighters.

The next thing to come along was a horse and rider from the park rangers! We went over and chatted with the ranger and petted the horse. L even fed the horse a treat (though it took several attempts since L nervously dropped the treat a few times).

J and L pet the horse

Feeding the horse

That night was one of many fun visits to our local purple playground. We look forward to warm weather and a chance to go back!

Movie Review: Calvary (2014)

Calvary (2014) written and directed by John Michael McDonough

A priest in a small Irish coastal town is hearing confessions when a man comes in and says that he will kill the priest in a week. The man was sexually abused for years as a child by a priest and he wants to make a statement. The priest who abused him is dead but if he killed an innocent priest, that would make a statement. Father James has a week to put his life in order before it ends.

One of the first things he does is report in to his bishop, who encourages him just to report it to the police and get some protection since the guy clearly wasn't confessing (so no seal of confession). Fr. James isn't 100% sure the threat is real (or at least that is what he tells the bishop) or that it is the best way to handle the situation. He goes about his life almost like nothing is about to happen. He ministers to his flock who are often ambivalent or hostile to him even though he is a good man and a good priest (which is probably why he runs afoul of the broken, sinful people who are not repentant). His semi-estranged daughter comes to visit him. She's just tried to commit suicide and is dealing with the grief over losing her mother and the seeming loss of her father to the priesthood after her mom's death. Fr. James has a lot of things to deal with in one week.

Forgiveness is a big theme for this movie, but not in a heavy-handed way. Many different characters deal with wrongs done to them in many different ways. Some ignore the offense or write it off as the cost of living with others. Others want a recompense but do not know how or what to ask for. Answers to tough situations are hard to come by. Father James has the honesty to admit he doesn't always have the answers. He also has the love to recognize that people need answers and reconciliation even if they don't want to admit it to him or themselves. That's why he goes through this personal Calvary, why he goes to the beach to meet the man who wants to kill him.  The movie is very powerful and worth watching.

For a much deeper and insightful discussion of the movie, check out A Good Story is Hard to Find Episode 101.

Maryland Honey Festival 2014

We went to the Maryland Honey Festival in September 2014. The festival was held at the National Wildlife Visitor Center in Laurel, Maryland. The center has plenty of its own exhibits to enjoy.

National Wildlife Visitor Center

Family of timber wolves outside

L and J go for a ride

L gets a bite

Polar bear with arctic buddies inside

The main attraction for us was the honey festival since we love honey. It's great on tea or in oatmeal or in bread recipes or on toast.

Part of the festival

Several informative signs showed us how honey is collected and the impact of honey bees on our shopping choices.

Where honey comes from

How much produce depends on bees

Even better was two women demonstrating the honey extraction process. They had honey combs that they spun in a large cylinder. Then they took the combs out, scraped off the outsides into a special bin where the honey drips out and the wax (which can be used for candles) is retained.

Spin the combs

Scrape the combs

Drain the honey

Face painting was popular. Both J and L took turns getting something nice.

J in the chair

J's paint

L gets started

A butterfly on her face

Outside in a tent, members from the Maryland State Beekeepers Association demonstrated beekeeping, including opening up a hive and looking inside! It was bit hot outside (and a bit scary) so the kids went back to the air conditioned shade while I watched some of the demonstration.

Beekeeper in a tent with his bees

Suiting up for the job

Smoking the hive

Opening the hive

One rack of bees

Close up

A more populated (and honey filled) rack

I think he was pointing out the queen here; I want to point out his bare arms!!

The festival included speakers, a children's story time, and a live auction but we didn't have the stamina to stay. We did buy some local honeys which we have been enjoying immensely for months and months. Our supply is almost gone, so we are ready for another honey festival!

Book Review: The Cartoon Introduction to Economics Vol. 1: Microeconomics by Grady Klein et al.

The Cartoon Introduction to Economics Volume 1: Microeconomics by Grady Klein and Yoram Bauman, Ph.D.

This book is a fun and informative guide to the basics of economics, covering the economic activity of individuals, small groups of people, and markets. Various terms like the Invisible Hand, marginal analysis, sunk cost, etc. are explained clearly with entertaining examples. Recurring characters help to tie the confusing terminology and ideas together more easily. The running gag about Nobel-Prize winning economists is fun.

I have not studied economics so I am not sure how comprehensive the book is. It does seem comprehensive. There is a section on economic policies that can reduce carbon emissions which strikes me as a too specific application in a general overview of economics. The cartoon economist says "The way to get people to pollute less...is to make polluting expensive!" (bold in origin, p. 189) The king of Sweden (who has been handing out Nobel Prizes throughout the book) says, "Wow, now that's an idea worthy of a Nobel Prize!" Dr. Bauman is an environmental economist, so I suppose his bias is showing (or maybe he thinks he should get a Nobel Prize). That makes me interested in reading another economics primer to compare.

The Walking Dead Ep. 512, Remember

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 12: Remember

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Offensive content

Less than the usual number of zombie kills; human-on-human violence that's pretty mild by this show's standards; some rough language; Daryl kills a possum, carries it around with him, and eventually guts it; some blatant lies.

Synopsis & Review

Rick and company go into Alexandria, a walled town that was a posh suburb designed before the zombie outbreak to be a self-sustaining community. U.S. Representative from Ohio Deanna Monroe got stuck there during the outbreak and she's been leading the community since. He husband (who is curiously absent from the episode) was an architect and used material from a nearby construction site to build the massive walls around the community. The people have been living with electricity and running water for a long time.

At first, Rick's people are cautiously optimistic. Rick is cautiously pessimistic, being reluctant to share information and having everyone stay in the same house (even though they've been offered two). As they all go for an interview with Deanna they start to settle in more. She is giving jobs to everyone based on their previous lives and what they have been doing since. Glenn, Tara, and Noah get assigned to the supply run crew, which is run by Deanna's son who is a bit stuck on himself. Things don't go well for them. Rick has better experiences, leading him to think they should stay, and take over if they need to.

Interesting new possibilities are opening up. Deanna appreciates how Rick has taken care of his group like family and hopes that he will do the same for Alexandria. Several of Rick's people are worried about "getting weak" by living there, another issue that has potential to play out well in the next episodes. I am cautiously optimistic about the rest of the season.

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

The Goddard Space Flight Center has a nice, not very large, visitor center where we spent a fun afternoon. What kid doesn't love space? The center includes all sorts of displays, about planets and galaxies, artificial satellites, space ships, and they even have some rockets outside.

Goddard's Visitor Center

J and L enjoyed posing in front of informational displays more than reading them. They have a nice one on the planets and another on galaxies.

The sun's natural satellites

L in the galaxy

Models of various scientific satellites are on display. Probably the most famous is the Hubble Space Telescope, which lets astronomers sees the far reaches of the universe in visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light. It was launch in 1990 and is still working today.

Hubble Telescope model

A model for seeing into the Hubble (L was not impressed)

Detailed view of the model

A less famous telescope is the James Webb Space Telescope planned to launch in 2018. It will replace the Hubble Telescope and provide imagery in the visual and infrared ranges.

James Webb Space Telescope

Another display shows the International Space Station along with a scale model of the space shuttle. The first bits of the station were launched in 1998. Now it is earth's largest artificial satellite and can be seen with the naked eye on a good night.

International Space Station

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is a spacecraft launched in 2009 to map the moon in preparation for further exploratory missions.

LRO model

Orbiter details

The Center also has a moon rock, which was much cooler to me than to the children.

Moon rock

A more fun interactive exhibit is one on solar panels, demonstrating how the proper angle gives more power.

Working the solar panels

By far the most popular exhibit is the life-size replica of a Gemini capsule. The Gemini Program ran from 1961 to 1966 and put crews of two astronauts into earth orbit. L and J were happy to try out the capsule.

J boards the capsule

J pilots the capsule

Capsule controls

Another control panel

The crew of two with plenty of space

L wants out!

Outside are several rockets and missiles along with a planetary rover.

Third stage engine of a Delta Rocket

Rocket

Tomahawk missiles

Planetary rover

In case you were wondering, Dr. Robert Goddard was a pioneer in rocketry. He made the first successful liquid propelled rocket and developed multi-stage rockets. He died in 1945 just days before the Hiroshima bombing.

Bust of Goddard