Happy Saint Patrick’s Day
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Jellies
The Monterey Aquarium has probably the best collection of jellyfish around. Pictured are two examples, on the right you have the wispy strands of a purple-lipped jelly and on the left is a stopped-motion animation of a microscopic umbrella jelly. An aquarium technician captured it on his workstation’s display screen and helped me to get this shot. Other jellies include the classic sea nettles and a whole new wing of deep, deep-sea creatures, the kind that sport their own running lights. I was able to capture picture of many of these creatures and plan on rationing them out over time. That was in Monterey, but now I am in Boston.
I left living the lifestyle of the rich and fabulous for that of grandpa. Today is a daycare day. I still had to get up at six AM, but once the wee ones were shoveled off to school, I could fall back to sleep. I slept to almost noon this way. I guess after only two days, I needed the break. With the kids away, Maren can travel to San Francisco and Dave can actually work from home. Tomorrow is a daycare holiday. They call it a professional development day. It is also St. Patrick’s Day, which is a big deal in Boston. It looks like we will take Declan to the zoo, if the weather is nice enough, or the library if it is not. Stay tuned.
Zhenjiang Boats
Baby’s First Waterboarding
Beware the Ides of March! Today was not a good day for grandchildren. First mommy (Maren) left on her business trip. This caused Declan to begin crying as she drove away. Later, he ended up face planting, after falling down the front steps. He and Anne were holding onto Puck’s leash, when Puck bolted, like she always does, while going down the steps. Cuts and abrasions accompanied some more Declan tears. Not to be left out, Wyatt entered today’s tale of tragedy and woe when Anne and I took him to very his first swimming lesson at the YMCA. Declan had taken these classes when he was Wyatt’s age. He has graduated to gymnastics, albeit at another YMCA. While we took Wyatt to swim lessons, Declan had fun with David jumping up-and-down on the trampoline.
Somehow, I drew the short straw and was chosen to get into the pool with Wyatt. In the family locker-room, Anne changed him, while I put my swimsuit on. We were late, class had already begun, when we got into the pool. Wyatt was holding onto me for dear life, like I might drop him into the water, as if. Anytime I tried to pull him off me, he would begin crying. So, I let him hug me, while we walked around the pool. This worked for a while, but his patience with this torture eventually grew short and we had to bail. Getting out of the pool, Anne was nowhere to be seen and she had the towels. Wyatt and I were getting colder on the deck in our wet swimwear.
Eventually, she returned from the bathroom, and we could towel him off. Back in the locker-room, we changed back into our dry clothes and left. Across the street we got a snack, some coffee and a bottle for Wyatt. He fell asleep on the drive home. I hope that this gets easier, else this will be a long visit. We’ll try swimming again next weekend, hopefully with more success.
Globe Daises
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Fear of Flying
We got to the airport extra early this morning, not knowing what to expect with unpaid TSA agent’s lines, but everything was hunky-dory. Instead of five-hour long lines, manned by the few remaining, but extra disgruntle agents, we got the five-minute courteous, kind and extra respectful type of security checkpoint. However, we spent the next two-hours waiting at the gate for our flight to board.
The flight was uneventful until about halfway to Boston. I got up to use the toilet. I was closer to the front, so I headed forward. I was waiting my turn, when a disturbance erupted nearby. A couple of unruly passengers got into an argument that quickly escalated into a full fledge fight that spilled into the aisle. The pilot hit the fasten seatbelt light, which seemed like trying to close the barn door after the horses had escaped. My restroom became available and I quickly ducked into it. Coming out again, the fight had gotten much worse. Now there were about a dozen guys going at it, including the flight crew, pilot and copilot. They had left the plane on autopilot and cockpit door wide open. Seeing an opportunity that would never come again, I entered the cockpit, closing the door behind me. I have never flown an airplane for real, but I have cut my teeth on Boeing flight simulators. First fighter jets, but later twin-engine bombers, not too dissimilar to this aircraft. I took it off autopilot and began with some gentle banks back and forth, just to get my feel for the jet. Then remembering what Boeing test pilot Tex Johnson did on the maiden flight of the 707, Boeing’s first commercial jet. I slammed the throttle forward and executed a perfect barrel roll, if I do say so myself. Leveling the aircraft, I reengaged the auto pilot and slipped out of the cockpit. The roll had broken up the fight in the cabin. Stepping over the fallen bodies I returned to my seat. The crew went back to doing their jobs.
Alternatively, our flight was uneventful and while deplaning I asked a flight attendant for permission to photograph the cockpit. I like the first story better. Dave arrived and whisked us away. By then police had swarmed the airport.
At home, Declan was napping and Wyatt was well on his way there too. This gave us ample opportunity to speak with Maren and Dave. Later, the boys awoke and chaos quickly ensued. Sort of like doing continuous barrel rolls in the sky.