The Politician goes to Washington

Ready for the Metro Ride!

All hyped up and ready to go, the Politician and I head out to DC after breakfast on Sunday, April 29th. We drove down to the closest Metro station to take the train into the city. Not only did we avoid a parking but we got to ride "the train" which is always a big treat.

We needed to switch trains and as we got off the first train and headed toward the next platform we met the MC for one of the stages at the USA Science and Engineering Festival where we were headed. If you picture a "mad" scientist in your head, your picture would probably look a little something like this guy. Tall and lanky, long scraggly grayish white hair, glasses and a shaggy goatee (also in grayish white.) Oh, and a white NASA jacket (quite awesome I might add.) He was telling us about the day before at the expo and suggested a few places for us to go first when we got in. It was great to hear someone so excited about it! I knew we were going to have a good time. (We saw the gentlemen at the stage when we got to the Festival and he gave the Politician an enthusiastic wave.)

We got to the convention center about 10 minutes before the Festival opened and there was a line waiting at every entrance to the exhibit hall. So, we picked an entrance closest to the PBS Kids booth inside and waited. After putting on his "CALL MOM" bracelet with my cell number on it (in case we got separated), the Politician checked out the map and peered through the hall windows with excitement!

Soon we were inside and on our way. The PBS Kids booth was first on our list, but we stopped at the Southeastern Lousiana University booth so the Politician could paint a Maggot Monet. They put drops of paint on a piece of paper and then set fly larva into the paint and as they wiggled out they painted for you. They gave him a small pair of tweezers to put the larva back into the paint to make a new trail. Surprisingly it turned out looking pretty neat and he didn't squish any of them!

At the PBS Kids booth, the Politician measured, blew bubbles, and played an online game using a webcam (which I need to look up, so we can play at home,) and saw a few TV friends, the Cat in the Hat, Buddy from the show Dinosaur Train, and Sid the Science Kid was on stage. (This was one of the day highlights for him!)

(You can see the guy we met on the metro in the bottom right.)

We had a few favorite booths:

1. The American Association for the Advancement of Science - The Science of Our Senses
• We tried out touch (trying to pull out a matching item without peeking,) sight (different optical illusions,) and taste/smell (jelly bean challenge.) We skipped the hearing section of the exhibit.
• The Jelly Bean Challenge
• I was so excited by this one that I had the Dad try it when we got home. It works with a lot of different things, you don't need jelly beans. It's just a good excuse to eat some delicious Jelly Bellies.
• Hold your nose, pop in a jelly bean and start chewing. Let go of your nose. That's it. You should taste something different after you let go of your nose. (Let me know in the comments if you tried this!)
• The first Jelly Belly we tried was Buttered Popcorn and as soon as the Politician let go of his nose, he spit the jelly bean out and exclaimed "Ah, this has milk in it!" (He's allergic to milk.) His reaction was so immediate, he definitely did the experiment right!
2. Michigan Tech MIND TREKKERS - Get your GEEK on!
• This booth was full of hands on activities for everyone. The favorite was walking/running across a pool of water mixed with cornstarch (there were lots of activities with this mixture there.)
• He didn't move fast enough the first time and almost did a face plant. Here is a video of his second attempt which went a little bit better. 

• They had a few things with liquid nitrogen and breaking frozen food. Graham crackers dipped in liquid nitrogen were passed around for those who wanted "Dragon Breath" or steam coming out their mouths. The Politician wasn't interested, but wanted me to keep having some. 
• The liquid nitrogen was also used to make some chocolate ice cream, which sadly we couldn't try due to the milk allergy. It did look neat while they were making it though.
3. West Virginia University - Sci ID-The Science of Identification and Discovery


• We explored the possibilities of biometric science with iris scanning technology. Everyone's iris creates a different pattern. It was interesting to see the b/w photos of a few different people and how unique the iris patterns were. 
• The Politician and I booth got and iris scan. Can you tell which eye belongs to me and which is his?

We went to so many different booths and had a really great time. We didn't even make it to one side of the exhibit hall. It was really busy, though I think Saturday had been busier. The guys from Myth Busters and Bill Nye the Science Guy had been there Saturday, which I am sure helped draw the crowds!

Next time, I will bring a lunch instead of spending $8 on a hot dog (I KNOW! Just a hot dog for 8 bucks, not again thank you.) I'm glad we didn't bring the whole family, though people did. I don't think chasing after PT or pushing a stroller around the masses of people would have made anyone happy. 

I think we both learned a few things and we had a great day. Just the two of us. 

Watching an Era End: Discovery Shuttle's New Home

For awhile this morning I couldn't decide if we would drive into DC to try and catch a glimpse of the shuttle Discovery as it made a loop around the capitol. We had heard there was going to be a lot of traffic and traffic is one of my least favorite things. But, the excitement of shuttle flight won out. Watching it on TV wasn't going to be enough for me, especially if I didn't at least try and see it.

We left a little later then I would have liked and there was a few minutes that I was afraid we had missed it!

We were driving along the DC beltway and out of the trees to the left flew, the most gigantic plane have ever seen, very close to the ground. Excitedly, I hollered to the kids in the back to see the plane. I wish I could recreate my excitement for you, it was like seeing a celebrity from far away that you think might be someone important, but then second guess yourself, thinking there is no way that was who you saw, all the while you are freaking out just a little.  At first I wasn't sure that this was the 747 we were hoping to see because it quickly disappeared above the trees to the right of the road. And it was about 9:45, about 15 minutes before the predicted viewing window. All we saw was the underside of the plane, it really flew just over top of us.

As we drove up towards our exit, at the National Harbor, we got a REALLY good look at the shuttle piggy backing on the 747. We were in a nice open space and a little higher up then a few other roads. I pulled the car over to the shoulder behind a line of other spectators with their cameras standing on the side of the beltway.

Now is when my hands were shaking I was so excited. It was an amazing site to see! The kids were still strapped in the back of the van, but had a great view out of the window. The Politician was pointing and exclaiming in delight. It was awesome.

I'm not sure what PT is doing with her tongue out.

After the pair flew over head, we pulled back onto the road and went off the exit. On our way cars lined the exit and when we found a spot we pulled over again, hopping to catch another glance. There were so many people our on their cars with cameras and binoculars. It was so great to be apart of. Felt very American. I reminded me a little of the scene in Armageddon before they fly out and there is the little kid playing with his toy spaceship running around in the grass. The Politician and PT were running around in the grass with two other little boys who were there with their mom. Every so often, a cry would go up "There it is!!" and everyone would turn around frantically until we could find it in the distance. Binoculars in hand, the Politician would stop running and glance up into the blue sky and yell "I see it!" We stayed on the side of the road for awhile with everyone else after the normal flight patterns had resumed and we watched a few flights go in for a landing in DC.

Today was definitely the end of an era and I am happy to say I got to witness it. And so did my kids, though they probably won't remember. The Politician might though, he has one amazing memory for a young guy. PT and the Enforcer will remember the stories for sure. Maybe one day one of them might help get America back in space. Being an astronaut is going to be something different for our kids generation. With so much new, smaller technology just how an astronaut looks will be different. But for now, we'll keep exposing them to new, exciting things as often as we can because who knows what might spark a dream.