A brief interruption

Because this is the coolest machine ever:

 http://www.fi.edu/learn/sci-tech/automaton/automaton.php?cts=instrumentation

Mackinaw-some! (groan)

When Jason learned he had an opportunity to take a seminar held at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, he realized it was a great chance to learn some stuff while giving me a special treat.  Staying at The Grand, you see, has been a pipe dream of mine since my parents brought me to Mackinac Island as a wee thing.  At something like $400 a night, it was going to stay that way ... until the wonder of corporate training dropped a boon on our doorstep.

Liza wasn't sure how much of a boon it was during the car ride up there, though.

We were doubly lucky to have access to a cabin in Mackinaw City that belong's to Jason's sister's husband's family (that makes them, what? my in-laws-squared?).  While we waited for the family to return to the cabin, we killed some time at the ferry dock checking things out in advance of our voyage.  Meanwhile, Jason made a cool discovery ... you don't see to many DeLoreans sitting in parking lots, even in Cleveland.

That afternoon we met with the Hathaways, and Liza especially enjoyed playing on their Lake Huron beach with the youngest of the grandchildren visiting this week.

One branch of the family brought their pet lizard with them - guess it's hard to find a lizard-sitter for weeks at a time - and it was really friendly to everyone but me.  Apparently I'm evil, as far as lizards are concerned.

After dinner we went out to the cabin the Hathaways loaned us, just in time for the sunset.

Liza wasn't about to let a little thing like fading light keep her from checking out the beach.

Meanwhile I was taking advantage of the view from the living room.

The next morning we did some serious shell-hunting (better selection that at our beach on Lake Erie).

We braved the chilly - but very shallow - and super-clear waters of Lake Michigan.

Liza added onto the existing complex of sand castles and giant beach holes with her walled, moated, humpbacked island of awesomeness.

I supervised.

This is my kind of beach - empty, shallow, and cold enough to wear a sweatshirt over my swimsuit.  Perfect!

By lunchtime we were ready to pack up and head for the island, which I'll have to post about tomorrow, as it's getting to be bedtime now.  In the meantime, thanks again to the Hathaways for their stupendous hospitality to virtual strangers.  You guys rock!

"DC" stands for "Da Capitol"

It was about 900,000F and sunny with a chance of thunderstorms - perfect day to go to Washington, DC with Liza for the first time!

It was nice of the President to hop in his helicopter to fly by and wave to us.

 Strangely enough, while the (air conditioned) museums were busy, the outside attractions weren't packed at all.

They check your camera and won't let you leave the park until you take this shot.

Look, Liza!  There's the Lincoln Memorial, and the reflecting ... er, mud pit.

Best landscaping choice ever: the Department of Agriculture beds are planted with edibles, including okra and purple kale.

Look, Mom!  It's a big version of the one they made on Mythbusters!

Not the best self-portrait ever (how could it be, when I'm not in a bathroom?), but not bad for taking it via the skin of SkyLab.

Orville and Wilbur kind of creeped her out.

"Mom, the planes aren't shiny enough." "That's because we're looking at military planes, and sparkly planes would get shot at."  "Now THIS is a proper plane."

"Look, honey!  That's where they make laws for our country that don't actually fix the problems we have!"

The Hope Diamond has a new (temporary) setting that's just stunning.

Personally, I preferred this heart-shaped cut ... check out the refracted light hearts on the display base.

Psychedelic salt structure.

Coolest. Crystal. Ever.

The METRO is hot, smelly, and not all that cheap ... but at least it looks all cool and futuristic and stuff.

Life's a beach

Last week Jason was out of town, so Liza and I high-tailed it to the East Coast to visit family.  One of the highlights was a trip to Ocean City, Maryland, with my in-laws and two of Liza's cousins.  We hit one of the amusement ride places on the boardwalk, which Liza remembered from her visit last year.

Unfortunately, Liza and Chloe were too tall to ride most of the attractions that were open when we first arrived, so we had some time to kill on the (hot, sweaty) boardwalk before the "big kid" rides opened.

After obligatory stops at the baby rollercoaster, the girls decided to go on the "Freak Out," which is sort of a spinning pendulum thingee.  Liza has been dying to go on a similar ride at Cedar Point, but she's not tall enough, so she was thrilled to be big enough for this version.

Not sure if she'd be so thrilled once the ride was in progress ...

Looks like she survived with her spirit intact.

So intact, in fact, that the girls went on it four more times in a row.

Another favorite was the funhouse, which the girls ran through at top speed while the grownups sat in the shade.

I bought a few tickets so I could go on some of the better rides, but got suckered into using some of them to go through my first mirror maze.  Um, yay?

Liza liked the looping, corkscrewing, then-let's-do-it-again-backwards coaster so much that she rode it a second time (without me, in the front seat).  Can you tell she's just barely tall enough for the ride?

Later in the afternoon we stopped for pizza and sodas with curly straws, which were roundly enjoyed by all.

We made it back to my mother-in-law's house before dark, which was excellent for the photographer in the family.  The mosquitoes even gave me a few minutes' peace before they attacked with a vengeance ...

Meanwhile, the cousins and their matching pajamas found the supply of fancy hats and started making up an elaborate story involving maids and artists and a cartoon monkey.

The next day we headed for the beach, stopping along with every other tourist in the state to see the wild ponies on Chincoteague Island.

Despite really high surf and rip tide warnings (stupid hurricane), the girls managed to get in some "surfing."

Best part of the day?  Taking over the deluxe giant hole that some boys had dug in the beach earlier in the day.  It was the size of a hot tub, complete with seats built into the walls.

All in all, a good time was had by all, and we can't wait to do it again.  Maybe next time we can get the cousins to visit us at our beach and go to our amusement park ...

The photographer doesn't fall far from the tree

I let Liza use my camera during our last trip to the zoo.  Don't tell Jason, but I was kind of hoping she'd drop it so I can get a DSLR to play with ... no luck there, but we have proved that she's able to take decent pictures now that she's paying attention to what's in the viewfinder.

"Okay, now you go over there, Mom, and you'll have to crouch down because you're too tall and I don't want to cut anything off."  (You hear that, Grandma?)

"Smile!  No, I said 'Smile!' No, smile pretty!" 

"I'm taking your portrait, Penny!" 

"Okay, I'll take a picture of you while you take a picture of me.  Look, mom!  We're so meta!"  

"Those stupid meercats won't stand still for me, so I'll just take a picture of this."

Of course, they can't all be gems ...

Guess where we went last week

We went to the crystal clear, gently lapping waters of ... Lake Erie.

Laugh all you want, beach snobs.  It was warm, perfect for wading and paddling about, you could see what you were stepping on, and there was hardly any trash on the beach that day.  Take that, Jamaica, with your vast quantities of plastic spoons washing up on shore every day.

 You know, if you go when it's 97F outside, you pretty much have the place to yourself.

Like the chess masters, Liza takes her castling very seriously. 

Home base, or, as I call it, "The only reason I was willing to set foot on a beach when it's that hot outside."  Shade of a giant tree 30 feet from the shoreline? Brilliant idea, nature!