Day 81 – Mind Over Matter

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. – Mark Twain

How is it that it seems only yesterday I was just a kid and today I’ve got one of my own? I was reminded of just how fast time flies at the end of our week’s vacation. Didn’t we just get there?!?

Last night, for the first time, I attempted some time lapse photography capturing star trails. Want to talk about fast? Yes, the Earth rotates pretty darned fast as evidenced by the streaking star trails after a 12-minute exposure. One day soon I’ll post one of those images!

As for today, your mystery “what is it?!?” picture is ready. I was inspired by not only the function but the form of this subject. Can you tell? Do you know?

What Is It?!?

What Was That?!? Yesterday’s Picture (Day 80)

Yesterday was a fun one, all of the guesses this one garnered. Let’s tell you what it wasn’t first: a sweet potato, brick, or bark of some kind. Is it stucco or plaster? Close. Was it a red stepping stone with the top part peeling off? No. Not rust either. Nor oxidized steel. Not a planter pot or terra cotta. It wasn’t a peat moss or other container with the color tweaked. And it wasn’t carpet padding. Guess who finally got it right? Yes, Gail, finally honed in on painted plaster, which was close enough.

That image was actually part of the exterior of the Owens Thomas historical house in Savannah, Georgia; specifically, it’s the ochre wash that was applied when the house was built in 1819. The house itself is an example of ingenuity as it had running water at that time. The house had three cisterns that used gravity to provide running water and other indoor plumbing. Pretty impressive considering it wouldn’t be until the 1840’s when a second (and subsequent) house in Savannah would have indoor plumbing, too. Even the White House wouldn’t acquire indoor plumbing for several decades after.

So there’s your history lesson for today! 😉

Day 31 – It’s Simply Magnetizing!

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. – Albert Einstein

Yesterday I attended my son’s fifth-grade class field trip to the Mag Lab (the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory) for a tour. Carlos Villa, Mag Lab employee extraordinaire, was our host; he started our exploration with an experiment using a mixture of magnesium sulfate, a magnet, and two pieces of copper, attached to a 9-volt battery. The copper changed colors, reacting with the magnesium sulfate. That much I understood. I thought, “if my science teachers had been like Carlos, I would have paid attention!” The rest of the tour was just as enlightening. Did you know that helium is not replaceable? Those balloons just float off into space with the helium, never to return again. Now my son feels guilty for releasing so many balloons.

I was enthralled by the ingenuity and pure genius of those Mag Lab employees. I learned about the “Bitter Plate,” which is a round plate (think doughnut), with lots of tiny holes all around that help to cool magnets. Then we were shown the “Florida plate,” developed right here in Tallahassee, Florida, at the Mag Lab. This plate is also round, but instead of holes, it contains slits, which helps to cool the magnet faster. These Florida plates were the subject of yesterday’s picture. The Mag Lab has used some of these plates (both the Bitter and Florida) as decorations throughout the facility. I was inspired by the patterns. How cool!

I’m far from a scientist, but I certainly can appreciate these geniuses applying their knowledge, curiosity, and experimentation. And I learned you can find the beauty in science. You just have to look!

Ready for today’s mystery “what is it?!?” picture? I promise this one was not taken at the Mag Lab. 😉

What Is It?!?

What Was That?!? Yesterday’s Picture (Day 30)

As explained above, yesterday’s photograph was inspired by my trip to the Mag Lab, and the patterns of the Florida Plates caught my attention. The picture was of the Florida Plates on a spool. I loved the Bitter Plates, too. Here’s a couple of different perspectives.

The top picture shows the Bitter Plate on the outside and the Florida Plate on the inside. Both are used to help cool magnets.

Many of these plates (both Bitter and Florida), such as the ones in the bottom image, are used as decorative pieces in the Mag Lab. Apparently I wasn’t the first one to notice their beauty. 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 21 – Got My Toes in the Sand …

If you can dream it, you can do it. – Walt Disney

If ever there was a person who truly embraced creativity, that would be Walt Disney. He epitomized living outside the box, ingenuity, and making dreams come true. He brought out the child that still lives in each of us – even us “grown ups.”  🙂

Ready for today’s mystery what is it?!? picture? Take a guess and I’ll let you know if you’re correct or not.

What Is It?!?

What Was That?!? Yesterday’s Picture

Is it a tablecloth? Nope. Bagel? Nope. Cheerio? Nope. Scoop of vanilla ice cream? Nope. Sea rock or shell? Nope. Starfish? SO CLOSE! Yesterday’s picture was of a sand dollar. Amazing what details you can see close up! And what funny guesses!