Outdoor Education 2008

This week is outdoor education. This is our third year going to Olympic Park Institute on Lake Crescent. Check out our blog: http://sgopi.blogspot.com/

Snakes, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails...

I love teaching. Each day is a different challenge with opportunities to build relationship and help kids grow in a really positive way. I'm up for a challenge, and am not afraid to try something new. Each spring the human growth and development curriculum is taught. Boys and girls are separated. Despite the awkward topic, it is one of my favorite teaching moments of the year. For some reason, teaching to a group of just boys really works - the energy, freedom, and space to be boys. I've wondered for awhile about same-sex education. It has some traction in some areas; it also has its detractors and strong opponents. There is some strong evidence that it is beneficial for both sexes, up to a certain age. The New York Times magazone published an interesting article (click post title above). What do you think?

Another 3 years...

Tonight was the last lunar eclipse for three years. It seems lucky that there has been two within one year - last August and tonight. Last August I tried to take pictures through a pair of binoculars - not too successful. Tonight, I put the camera against the telescope eyepiece and the pictures turned out better. Pretty good for the poor man's astro-photography set-up! Some friends and their kids came over and we looked at many cool things. There were a lot of ohhhs and ahhhs as we saw Saturn's rings, Mars, the Pleiades, the Andromeda galaxy, and wrapped it up with the Orion Nebula. As we finished up, the Moon was on its way out of totality. A pretty awesome show! I was even able to notice a bluish area between the dark shadow and the light side. Apparently, this is caused by sunlight passing through the upper ozone layers of Earth's atmosphere.


Click on the slideshow for a bigger photo

Here is a really cool photo (Somebody else took it!):

2008 Presidential Caucus

Today Stephanie and I attended our local democratic caucus. Neither of us had ever attended one before and really didn't know what to expect. I was looking forward to the discussion, and especially the chance to meet others in my neighborhood. There aren't really chances to truly talk and discuss with those living in the same community anymore, today was a rare opportunity.

After everyone had signed in, there were 65 or so people of all ages packed into a small room at the Retsil Veterans Home. There was lengthy discussion about both Senator Clinton and Obama. Questions were posed and concerns were voiced. I spoke briefly. I was impressed at the level of respect that everyone showed for each other. Everyone agreed that both candidates are good, and will certainly be better than the last 7 years of disaster, lies, ignorace. After about an hour of discussion, it was time to choose delegates to move on to the county level. I stood and volunteered, then everyone split into groups representing their chosen candidate.

At that point, each person who was interested in moving on to the county level was asked to speak. Out of 10 delegates available in our precinct, 7 were chosen for Obama, and 3 for Clinton. I am very excited to be representing my precinct at the county level as a delegate for Obama in April.

This was a fantastic experience, and I am looking forward to the next level and participating in this uniquely American experience.

Clear, crisp night. Beautiful Moon.

Taken through the telescope. The photo doesn't do the details justice.

Benjamin Richard Stevens

Michelle and Jeff have a new baby boy! Benjamin was born last night at 6:49.

From Benjamin Stevens

Merry Christmas!

It's snowing on Christmas Day in Seattle!?

The Zep is back

Wow - 30 years since they last gave a concert, and they sound amazing. I wonder how long these videos will stay on youtube. If they go on tour, I sure would like to be there.

Good Times, Bad Times


News Report


Kashmir


Stairway

Date with Orion

It was finally clear and cold last night. I spent almost two hours on the deck with my telescope. It was the first very clear night this winter. Orion was high in the South, Gemini to the East, and Perseus to the West. It took me awhile to reorient myself to the positions of the winter constellations. Castor, in Gemini was easy to split. I saw a few meteors streak out of the Gemini area - the beginnings of the Geminid Shower? Mars was a prominent sight in Gemini. It is growing bigger each evening as Earth's and Mars's orbits become closer. Near the end of the month, Mars will be the biggest of the year. I was not able to discern any surface features on Mars - It was very bright and I think I need a filter. I spotted several wonderful clusters, including the Beehive (M44), and two in Auriga (M36, M37). Orion presented the Orion Nebula and several multiple star systems. After a fair amount of time, and very cold fingers, I noticed that stars were getting tougher to discern. It began to get hazy and overcast, and it was finally time to head inside. I was hoping to watch the Shuttle launch this morning, but it has been postponed until January 2nd because of sensor problems.


The Orion Nebula - I was able to make out the main structures, not in spectacular color though.

Sump This!

Wet snow and heavy rains have resulted in a major drainage problem at our house. We awoke to several bad signs:

1. A bad smell coming from the bathroom (PS: It wasn't me!)
2. A "waterfall" sound under our bedroom.
3. Inches of water covering the septic tank.
4. Water pouring under our fence from the property behind us.
5. When I checked, a flooded crawl space.

I went to work, wrote quick sub plans, and came home. I dug trenches, but to no avail. I had bought a sump pump on the way home at ACE - talk about a frenzied place! They were out of hose though. One of our neighbors, Leonard, came over and gave me some old hose. With that and other odds and ends, I pieced a drain system together. The pump is working away, but really not keeping up very well. It will work until the power goes out.

Our septic is completely inundated, I guess we just have to wait for it to drain.

Today I also made an important discovery - the limitations of Gore-Tex. I was soaked.

Seattle Half-Marathon

Unofficial Time: 1:59:20

I ran my first 1/2 marathon Sunday with Chad and Melia. IT was a very cold morning, and I agonized right until start time about what to wear. Luckily it wasn't raining, and it turned out to be a beautiful day. The starting area was packed as close to 10,000 people began the 13.1 mile course. My goal was a finish time of 1:45 , which would put me at 8 minute miles. Unfortunately, the crowd was so dense and we started so far back, that I spent the first 3 miles just trying to find an open space to get moving in. Some of the hills were tough, but not to bad. The couse went through Leschi and and some other beautiful neighborhoods along Lake Washington. One cool part was running through the I-90 tunnel. I ran hard the whole race, trying to make up for the first 2 miles, which were 11 minutes apiece. As I neared Memorial Stadium, I realized that I would just barely make it under 2 hours. I pushed it really hard, and crossed the finish line at 1:59:20, according to my watch. Not so bad for my first half-marathon. Maybe I'll be back next year!

Frustrating Discrepancy

I've been using a Nike+ system to help me keep tack of my running. It is a little sensor that is on my shoe, and a receiver on my ipod. The sensor senses each stride taken, and sends the data to the ipod. Nike has a pretty great web site where I have all my run data logged. Today I went for a long run. I was planning on 10 miles, but when I got close to home, the Nike+ system said that I still had two to go. I was feeling pretty good, so I went for another 2 miles. I got home and compared the Nike+ data to the route I actually ran. A big difference. Nike+ says 10.25, Mapmyrun.com says 12.02. I'm not sure which is correct. My pace for 12.02 miles would've been 7:30/mile. I don't think that is right - too fast. So - I ran somewhere between 10 and 12 miles. Sometimes technology is great, sometimes not so much.

John Cornish

John Cornish is a local geologist/paleontologist who gives an inspiring presentation to the 6th graders at outdoor ed. each year. His message is that you can find treasures all around you - just look down. I got in touch with John recently because we are teaching a new science unit on rocks and minerals. he put together a great sample collection for my class, and I drove up to Port Angeles this morning to pick it up. John invited to me have a look at his personal collection too. He has a true passion for his hobby and livelihood that is impossible to miss. He has samples on loan to the Burke Museum, the Smithsonian, and the Carnegie Collection in New York. He and his wife have discovered several new species of prehistoric whale and crab, and have one named after them. He gets out into the field and gets his hands dirty to find natural treasure, and best of all, loves sharing his passion with others.

Nice Box

Today at Target we found a great looking box for sale - Perfect size, color, everything! As far as boxes go, this one is the best. We decided that even though it was a little pricey, it would certainly be appreciated by our cat, Mr. Sophie. Your welcome Mr. Sophie, I hope you have a more restful sleep.

Tube of Rot

As part of my ongoing Masters in Education, K-8 Science Instruction program, I am now taking a course on ecology. As part of the course I need to study decomposition. This "Tube of Rot" will be with me for weeks. Inside these cut apart pop bottles are pieces of tomato, banana, lettuce, spinach, potato, oatmeal, pumpkin (from the jack-o-lantern featured previously), soil, and a starter mixture of bacteria. Yum! This may make a nice centerpiece around Thanksgiving (just kidding honey!).

Happy Halloween!

Comet Sighting

So, unexpectedly a comet got really bright over the last day or so. It is the talk of the astronomy web sites, and I had to check it out. There was a lucky break in the rain and clouds tonight, so I headed outside. Sure enough, there was an "extra" star in Perseus. I aimed and got a great view. It wasn't a typical comet with a tail. It has a solid white middle with a haze all around it - like a pulled apart cotton ball. It is between Mars and Jupiter - so quite far! It is incredible that something so small can be bright enough to be seen over millions of miles. It has increased in brightness almost 1 million times in the past 24 hours according to some web sites.



It can be seen with the naked eye very easily - if the clouds give you a break!

Telescope success

So far, in just three nights of viewing, I've been able to get the hang of my new scope. I've been able to spot:

- Jupiter's moons, and cloud bands on the surface of Jupiter.
- Several star clusters
- The Dumbbell Nebula
- The Ring Nebula
- The "Coathanger" Cluster
- Andromeda Galaxy
- Several pairs of binary stars

I've given up trying to use astronomical coordinates to find objects, and taken the advice of many - I "star hop" from a well know, easily found star, to other, more difficult to find locations. It is still very difficult, but getting easier. Finding the faint Ring Nebula tonight is the highlight so far. It was nothing like the thrilling Hubble images everyone is so familiar with. Most objects are just gray smudges in a certain shape. The Ring Nebula was definitely a ring shape though.

Dirt Work

My parents' backyard is undergoing a remodel - it has been going on for awhile, but a major step was completed this weekend. My dad used a rototiller to churn up the soil on Saturday. It is clay and very rocky. I went over on Sunday and helped level and smooth the dirt in prep for a new lawn that will be sown soon. As a kid, I dug many holes in the backyard just for the pure joy of digging. The soil was always very hard. I was surprised at how easy the job of leveling was - I guess the rototiller really helped. As we were clearing an area up by the shed, we found a cement slab. When I was 12, my dad built us a treehouse - this slab was at the foot of the stairs. Dad cleaned it up, and handprints, along with the date, 6/89, were very clear. Dad is going to leave it in the ground and include it as part of a new walkway. Pretty cool!

Looking Up

In 1986 I did a school project on Halley's Comet. I had a start chart that my dad and I used when we were camping to identify the constellations. The tragedy of Space Shuttle Challenger is one of my clearest memories from elementary school because we were watching the launch live. The stars and space have always held a fascination for me. Hubble telescope images are incredible, but nothing is like seeing faint objects with your own eye. This summer my wife and I went to a "Star Party" while visiting some friends in Oregon. It was the first time I've been able to put my eye to a telescope and really see things in space. That was all I needed. I now own an Orion 130 mm Newtonian reflector. It arrived and I spent a fair amount of time assembling it. The same night I took it outside and was able to see Jupiter and its four largest moons. After a lot of fiddling around, I was finally able to find the Andromeda galaxy too! I still have a lot to learn and many late nights ahead, but it is very exciting! I'm looking forward to this winter when Mars will approach very close, maybe I'll be able to see the ice caps! Orion will also begin to climb higher up into the sky, and I'll be able to see the gigantic nebulas.