Friday, July 24, 2009

Lewis River Dixie Videos

Noel recorded much of the Lewis River music at the Marathon, and has loaded some if it on YouTube.

Please, no comments about the hat. The day before the Marathon, I had received a bad sunburn, and was not about to make it worse. You can't tell in the video, but I even had my collar turned up for much of the day. Still, after watching these videos, I'm going to throw the hat away.

The first song is Bill Bailey. As you watch this, please realize that this was literally the first song we played that day. It was 6:45 AM; we were all very tired and very cold. And we had not warmed up our instruments.

Next is Clarinet Marmalade. By now, we had warmed up, so I won't make any more excuses. This is not my favorite song.

Finally, Sweet Georgia Brown. This IS a song I like.

Clarinet Marmalade and Sweet Georgia Brown are the same arrangements that are also played by Mudtown Stompers.

I believe Noel may have recorded more. If he puts them on the 'net, I'll put a link to them on here.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Lewis River Dixie at the Battle Ground 1/2 Marathon

Sunday morning, Lewis River Dixie played at the 1st Annual Battle Ground 1/2 Marathon, and we had a blast . . . it was one of the funnest gigs we've had in a while.




The 13 mile race started at 7AM from Battle Ground Village; we set up in the Town Square and, after sufficient coffee, we began playing around 6:45. Although the weather has been rather hot lately, this was early enough that we actually had trouble playing due to cold. At 7:00 the Mayor of Battle Ground started the race, we played Saints, and . . . 300 runners disappeared. In addition to the band, the only people around were the Mayor, 3 or 4 people serving coffee, and the crew of a hot air balloon that had set up in the field next to us.



We watched as the balloon crew went up and down on their tether, basically to keep the balloon inflated. After some discussion about who is and who is not scared of heights (Noel is terrified, we discovered), Jim, Star, Robin, Carol, and Debbie all walked over to the balloon to get rides. As Carol and Star were ascending, Laura, Bob, Noel and I played 'Just a Closer Walk with Thee' for them. The balloon went up 100 feet or so, hovered for a while, then descended to pick up another pair of people.



Finally, the rest of us walked over to the balloon. Debbie and I were the last pair to go up. I was a little surprised at the construction. The basket is actually wicker, and does not have a door. There is a hole in the wicker that is used as a step, but the only way in or out is to climb over the wall (3 1/2 feet high, perhaps). The floor was plywood. The gondola was just big enough for Debbie and I, the two pilots (one seemed to be in training) and 2 large (10 gallon?) propane bottles.



It was a blast. As the balloon picks up off the ground, there is absolutely no sense of motion or flight. The ground just slowly gets . . . smaller. In the photo, I am partly visible behind the pole.








After everybody had a flight, we took a group photo in and around the gondola. Unfortunately, Bill did not make the gig, so this is not a full band photo.






More photos are available in Noel's Picassa album, here. Many, many, MANY thanks to the Captain Crystal and the rest of the hot air balloon people - they were from Morning Star Hot Air Balloon Company. Check out their website - it's very interesting.



The first runner came back at about 1 hour and 20 minutes, about 10 minutes earlier than we were expecting. We fired the band back up, and played for a couple hours. The crowd grew in numbers as the 300 runners trickled back in and their friends and family came to join them in the post-run celebration. The crowd was very receptive, and we all had a blast.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Alex in the Columbian

Alex is in The Columbian!



Yesterday we watched the Battle Ground Parade, then the Community Band played at the Battle Ground Harvest Days. Afterward, Alex got in the CyberSpin, a large gyroscpic ball that pivots on three axes. Alex was a little short for it to pivot about his Center of Gravity, so he never got more than about 60 degrees from vertical. After a while, he said he wanted off. He was a little scared, and said it wasn't as fun as he thought.



Immediately after he got off, a Columbian reporter approached us and asked Alex, Tiffany, and I some questions. We got a couple paragraphs in the linked story:



County Enjoys a Summerpalooza



The quote attributed to me was in response to a slightly leading question. The reporter asked me what the difference is between Battle Ground's Harvest Days and the Clark County Fair.



There was a lot more to write about this weekend - I'll probably get around to writing it in the next few days.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Alex’s Overnight Camp Mailing Address

I just got information for Alex's Cub World 3-day overnight camp, and found out that anyone can send him mail while he's there; if the mail arrives before or during his camp, they pass it out during the 2nd and 3rd days of camp. If it arrives after he leaves camp, they return it to the sender. They say their mail service is slow, so any mail should be sent "ages before" camp begins.

I'm not going to be telling him that there may be mail for him . . . I'll just let him be surprised and excited when he gets some.

Alex will be at Cub World July 31 - August 2.

The address to send him mail is:

Alex Kennedy, Pack 402
July 31 – August 2
Cub World at Scouters' Mountain, BSA
11288 SE 147th AVE
Happy Valley, OR 97086

Make sure you include his Pack number and camp dates, as shown.

Monday, July 13, 2009

OMSI ‘s Shuttle launch

We had lots of fun this weekend trying to watch the Shuttle Launch at OMSI.

Endeavor was scheduled to launch on Saturday afternoon as ST-127, the 8th to the last shuttle mission ever. Seven astronauts on board the shuttle will meet up with 6 astronauts already on the IST, making this group of 13 the largest rendezvous ever in space. This is the first visit to the IST since the crew size increased to 6. Endeavor will be installing a laboratory 'patio' to the IST.

OMSI had planned to show the launch in the Planetarium, free of charge. The plan was for them to project NASA TV. Although we could watch the launch at home on NASA TV, Alex has never been in the Planetarium, and he said he'd like to watch there. In addition, because this is the 8th to the last shuttle mission, I want him to be able to remember seeing a shuttle launch . . . watching in the Planetarium would be much more memorable than watching at home.

Saturday afternoon upon arrival at OMSI, we discovered that the launch had been postponed due to thunderstorms near the Shuttle's emergency landing facility in Florida. This is where the shuttle would have to land if something went wrong early in the flight. Later on, the thunderstorms reached the launch pad. It was reported that there were 11 lightning strikes within ½ mile of the launch pad, and one bolt actually struck the launch tower itself.

We mulled about the OMSI lobby for a while, spending quite a bit of time watching the large marble track and looking at the IST model; we then went home.

The launch was rescheduled for Sunday afternoon, and Alex said that he'd still like to see it at OMSI; we loaded up the van and headed out once again.

This time, we got into the planetarium and took our seats. It is fortunate that we arrived early, because the seats filled, and there were people standing and sitting around the perimeter of the room. OMSI was streaming NASA TV over the internet, and projecting it onto the dome in two places. In addition to the NASA TV, there was a Planetarium employee narrating. About 5 minutes into this, the video froze. We sat patiently as the OMSI computer was rebooted over . . . and over . . . and over . . . I asked Tiffany to stop counting on the 10th reboot. Finally, at about 2 minutes to launch time, OMSI announced that they were not going to be able to get the connection back, but that the launch had also been delayed once again. Once again, the delay was due to thunderstorms within 20 miles of the launch pad, and would be a 24 hour delay.

Although Alex did not get to see a launch in the Planetarium, he did get to see the Planetarium, and he did learn a good lesson about the shuttle . . . it NEVER launches on time.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Chicken Tractor vs Chicken Coop

Tiffany has asked why I'm calling it a chicken tractor instead of a chicken coop. A chicken coop is a house that chickens live in, and generally does not refer to the yard that they run in. A chicken tractor, on the other hand, is a small, light enclosure containing both a coop and a small yard for the chickens to run in. It is designed to be easily moved so the chickens can weed and fertilize a large area, but are still protected from predators. In Europe, Chicken Tractors are called Arks, and I believe the idea may be of European origin.

Chicken Tractor Finished!

Last night, we finally finished the chicken tractor! All three birds are in it, and seem to be doing fine. The chickens and duck had never been introduced, so we were a little scared of putting them together. The duck is a little larger than half the size of the chickens, and things were not going well for it at first. The chickens mostly ignored the duck, and the duck kept pushing itself into a corner head-first out of fear.

Occasionally, a chicken would wander near the duck and peck at it out of curiosity. The duck would then run crazy laps around the enclosure, and the chickens would follow for a few steps. After about an hour of this, the duck started sitting in a corner facing the inside of the enclosure. Later in the evening, the duck began walking around calmly, but still on the side opposite the chickens.

Because the ground is uneven, there are some 2-3 inch gaps under the enclosure in a couple places. Scared of opossums or raccoons, we put bricks in those holes. Between our motion light and Jake, I don’t think we’ll have any opossums or raccoons, but we’d rather be overly cautious than find a dead chicken.

All three birds spent their first night in the enclosure; this morning, they all seemed fine. The chickens were lying on the ground, and the duck was walking around calmly . . . even walking right by the chickens a few times. We have not seen any of the birds go upstairs to the enclosed coop and perches, and this morning the upstairs floor was still clean. I wonder if the chickens can’t negotiate the ladder, of if they just aren’t curious enough to go exploring.

Of course, Jake has been very curious about the whole deal. Still this morning, he has been sniffing around the enclosure.

The enclosure is about 8' X 5'6", and seems to have plenty of room for the birds. It will also be very easy to drag around the yard so the chickens don't tear up any one spot too badly.

The first photo below is Alex and Jake investigating the nest box. (Hopefully) this is where the birds will lay eggs, and this is where Alex will collect them daily. The second photo is of me doing some last minute adjustments. After putting the birds in, I remembered a small task I needed to do on the underside of the enclosure . . . to do it, I either had to turn the enclosure upside down (my original plan) or turn myself upside down. Because the birds were already in, it was me that went topsy-turvy.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Another Green Slime Logo

Here's another logo. I think this is Alex's favorite so far. This is Green Slime Blob.


Sunday, July 5, 2009

Green Slime Logo



Alex and I are working on a logo for the Soap Box Derby. Here are a few we've done up in SolidWorks. Comments?





Thursday, July 2, 2009

Soap Box Trailer and Chicken Tractor

We now have a way to haul Alex's Soap Box Derby car in style. Grandpa Kennedy found an enclosed trailer special-made for hauling a Soap Box Derby car and all the necessary equipment, including a large toolbox and upper shelf for lawn chairs, fold-up canopies, etc. He bought it for Alex. It's in really good shape, but we're going to do some work on weatherproofing the seams, and perhaps customize the inside just a little more. We also ordered some large All American Soap Box Derby decals to put on the outside.

Sometime soon (this weekend, perhaps) I'll be working with Alex to design a 'Green Slime' logo, then sending it off to Tykite in Battle Ground to quote a couple decals for the car (http://www.tykite.com/). Perhaps I'll also ask for a couple larger ones for the trailer. Of course, we also need to get Alex's name on the car and trailer.

That's all work for next week, though. Hopefully I'll get a good start on building the chicken tractor on Friday . . . Saturday is a big Fourth of July barbecue . . . and Sunday is Hayden's birthday party at Horseshoe Lake. (We'll be taking the canoe to the birthday party).

Here's a couple screen shots of the Chicken Tractor I've modeled. The thing standing next to the tractor is a person the same size as Alex, to give you some perspective. The base of the tractor is 4 X 8. The two chickens shown inside are large chickens . . . about a foot and a half tall.

In the first shot, everything is closed up. All of the open sides will have chicken wire. The protruding boards on the left will eventually be supports for an axle and wheels. The two protruding boards on the right are handles.

In the second shot, all the doors are open. On the left end there is a small door into the nesting box for collecting eggs. On the right end is a larger door for feeding and watering. One side of the roof also hinges up for access to the coop for cleaning. In the open photo, you can see the second-story coop, the ladder, and two roosts. Of course, there will be a hole in the nest box wall; I just have not decided how big it will be yet.