The Silent "I"

Annular Eclipse: May 20, 2012

 

Eclipse Watchers in Redding, California

 We traveled up to Redding, California last weekend to pursue one of our favorite family activities: viewing a solar eclipse.  This time, we didn't need a fancy cruise ship or a trip to the Sahara Desert or even an airplane to get to the site.  We just drove our trusty, dusty Lexus RX300 about four hours north.  

An Annular Eclipse is one in which the moon covers most, but not all, of the sun.  What's left is known as the "Ring of Fire".  You don't get the same twilight effect or the diamond ring of a total eclipse, but it is still a pretty spectacular sight.  The moon moves slowly over the sun, leaving only a golden ring shining through.  The center line of this particular annular eclipse ran through Oregon, Northern California, Nevada, New Mexico, and the Texas Panhandle. It's a once-in-every-forty-years sight at any given location, so it was worth the drive north to see it in all its glory.  The last annular we viewed was in Costa Rica when Alex was 18 months old.  

We headed out on our 2012 eclipse adventure on Saturday, May 19, after a rushed packing job that left us without sunscreen, lawn chairs, or hats.  As much as we travel, you'd think we wouldn't forget essentials, but it happens to the best of us. We made do with what we had, which included a golf umbrella in the car, and even a grocery bag that Frank fashioned into a hat so his head wouldn't roast.  Thankfully, I found an emergency supply of sunscreen in my purse.

Sundial Bridge

We met up with some local friends who are also eclipse buffs the night before for dinner.  We weren't quite sure where the best viewing spots would be, so we debated the various spots that were recommended by the local astronomy club as good bets.  We decided to play it by ear, waiting to see what the weather would be prior to making a decision. 

On Sunday, we woke up to cerulean skies and little cloud cover.  The news reported that it would be hot, so we thought that being near water would be a good bet.  We spent the morning touring Redding, which is a lovely little town with view of Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta off in the distance, surrounded by lakes made from the hydro-electric dam nearby.  The Sundial Bridge over the Sacramento River is something of an architectural marvel, with a tall spire swooping above the river like a tall-masted ship flowing in the wind.  We walked across the glass-tiled bridge and enjoyed the views of the river and hundreds of tiny birds swooping over and under the bridge.

The Anchorage Museum: A Great Place for Kids of All Ages

During our trip to Anchorage last week, we spent an afternoon exploring the Anchorage Museum, a modern, glass and chrome structure in the heart of downtown Anchorage. We had the rare treat of having both of Alex's grandmas along to see what the museum had to offer, along with Alex and myself.  It was a wonderful place for kids and adults alike, with a collection of exhibits on history, science, and art.  It was like MoMA, the Smithsonian, and the Tech Museum all rolled into one. This is one place I highly recommend for visitors to Anchorage.

 
The museum opened in 1968, and expanded through the 1990's with an infusion of oil revenues.  The current incarnation is a sleek, modern building with an impressive array of technology exhibits geared at science education, a terrific collection of Native Alaskan artifacts, a planetarium, upscale fine dining at the Muse Restaurant, and some interesting traveling exhibits as well.  The Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center just opened recently, and is something that should be required viewing for anyone interested in Native Alaskan culture.

Alex particularly enjoyed the Imaginarium Discovery Center, a hands-on science exhibit on the first floor that introduces kids to physics, biology, and technology.  While mostly geared toward school-age children, there is a special section for kids ranging from infants to age 5. It's often hard to find things in museums for very young children, so I thought this was a terrific way to introduce kids to science at the earliest ages.

We started out looking at a Rube Goldberg-like contraption of balls, chutes, and wheels that was mesmerizing. The walls are adorned with inspirational words and quotes from scientists, like Albert Einstein's quote: "Nothing happens until something moves."

Saving the Oceans with Jean-Michel Cousteau

A few weeks ago,  we were invited to hear a lecture by oceanographer and environmentalist, Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the late Jacques Cousteau.  Frank and I grew up enthralled by The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau and are proud owners of several of Jean-Michel's video series on PBS.  We wanted Alex to hear what he had to say, since care of the ocean will largely be left to the next generation. 

Cousteau was speaking at the Northern California regional convention of Rotary International.  We were invited to the dinner as guests of District Governor Loren Harper.  The Rotary Club has a longstanding tradition of community service and involvement in important issues, and it was an honor to be among this distinguished group of community leaders.

Jean Michel Cousteau's passion for the deep blue see was evident in his remarks, probably a result of his taking his first dive below the surface at age 4.  He showed video clips of amazing animals and underwater habitats, along with startling scenes of plastic debris washed up on the shores of one of the uninhabited islands of the Pacific.

Cousteau runs the Ocean Futures Society, which runs educational programs on conservation of the world's oceans and how people can get involved.  The Ocean Futures Society runs an annual family camp on Catalina Island, where families spend a week in August learning about the ocean.

During his remarks, Cousteau urged everyone to consider the environmental impact of throwing trash into the ocean and into landfills.  Millions of tons of plastic garbage are floating in the Northern Pacific Gyre, in a mass the size of the state of Texas.  Cousteau's group and others are working toward cleaning up the mess, but in the meantime, wildlife ingest bits of plastic debris and die from it. 

He spoke about the practice of shark finning and showed a video of Chinese fishing boats capturing sharks, cutting off the fins and throwing the shark back into the sea to die.  The fins are used in Shark Fin Soup and other delicacies in China and other parts of the world, without regard for the impact on the shark populations. Cousteau noted that sharks have a particularly bad rap, mainly due to Hollywood's portrayal of Great Whites and human-hungry predators.  He showed footage of himself diving and catching a ride on the dorsal fin of a Great White.

Osaka, Japan: Sharks, Soccer & Pokemon (or One Boy's Dream World)

Our final full day of our vacation, we met up again with our friends, the Watanabe family, for a day touring Osaka.  It was raining in the morning, so we opted for indoor activities, which led us to the Pokemon Center and the the fantastic Osaka Aquarium.  Later that night, we went to see the Gamba Osaka professional soccer team play at Osaka Stadium.  It was as if all of Alex's dreams came true in one day.

The Watanabes picked us up and drove us to the nearby Pokemon Center, which was not far from our hotel.  The place was jammed with parents and kids, and looked like a Pokemon lover's paradise. Pokemon snacks, toys, cards, t-shirts, and all forms of merchandising were on sale. Hisashi-san said that when something new is introduced, the line to get in goes outside and around the block.  It was quite a mob scene on just a regular day, so I was glad to miss that action.

We hopped into the Watanabe's spacious Toyota Minivan for our next destination:  The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.  Frank was particularly fascinated with the GPS system in the car, which included traffic information on the map.  If a road was congested, the map lit up in red and suggested alternate routes. He told Hisashi-san, "In ten years, we might have this, too."  The system also kept track of tolls and told you how much each toll crossing cost. 

It was cloudy and raining on and off, so Hisashi-san dropped us off in front of the Aquarium complex to go look for parking.  The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is part of a larger complex that includes a giant ferris wheel and the Suntory Museum.  The Suntory Museum is shaped like a giant rice bowl and is famous for its IMAX 3D theatre.  I didn't get a picture of it because we were busy trying to get out of the rain. The attractions are connected by a complex of shops and restaurants, and make for an interesting way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon.  The giant ferris wheel did not seem to be working.  This was a good thing, since I think Frank would prefer being eaten by a whale shark then ever boarding a ferris wheel this big.

We made our way up the ramp toward the Aquarium, a huge, colorful building that looked like it was made out of Legos.  I wasn't too thrilled about seeing yet another Aquarium, but this is what Frank and Alex wanted to do, so I went along for the ride.  I was glad I did.

The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is one of the largest public aquariums in the world, and is unlike any other I have ever seen.  Living near the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we are kind of spoiled, and no other aquarium we've visited has ever lived up to it. Until now. To say that Osaka knocked my socks off would be an understatement.