Sand Dunes Robot Challenge

This week's Science Saturday took us to the Great Sand Dunes National Park for the Colorado Robot Challenge (click for more information).

This photo is actually the result of four photos being merged together with the photo-stitch software that came with my old camera. My Canon camera had a cool feature that helped to line up consecutive shots for merging but I decided to try the software with four photos that I lined up as best as I could using my mom's Kodak...I think it worked nicely. (Click on the photo to see larger image.)

Several Colorado colleges were represented in the annual Robot Challenge and each robot was unique. The goal for each team was to develop small autonomous robots of less than three pounds capable of navigating harsh terrain similar to what is found in an area devastated by an earthquake or other natural disaster. The robots had to be designed to move around objects and contend with bad traction and steep slopes as they find a radio beacon. I had three favorites: a "walker" robot (Mesa State College), a "screw-driven" robot (Trinidad State Jr. College) and a powerful little monster truck type robot (Colorado State University). It was an absolutely beautiful morning at the Sand Dunes. The wind even held off until everything was just about finished.

We took Jamie's friend, Cortez, with us and they had fun watching the robots, at least for a while. They actually watched the robots a lot longer than I thought they would. The sand and the other kids were just too much to ignore, though, and they soon were digging, climbing and jumping in the sand.

Justin, Jamie & Cortez

On another note...we took Jamie to Carlucci's today to have him measured for a tux! He's going to be a groomsman in Scott & Corrie's wedding over Memorial Day weekend in Salt Lake City. He is going to be the most handsome groomsman EVER!!!

Happy Birthday Jamie!

Today was Jamie's 8th birthday...our little man is growing up so fast!
I made cupcakes and took them to school for afternoon snack with his class. They were a huge hit!

Grandma drove up from Rio Rancho in time for us to pick Jamie up at Parker's and drive to Dairy Queen in Monte Vista for his birthday dinner. They made him this special cup of chocolate ice cream and the employees all came out and sang "Happy Birthday" to him. I know they do the song and a special treat at most sit down restaurants (Chili's, etc.) but I've never seen it in a fast food place. It was an unexpected, and very nice surprise!

He opened his gifts from Bill & me and Grandma when we got home from Dairy Queen. We gave him a SkyRail Marble Roller Coaster set (like the ones he's been playing with at Science Saturday), the newest Alvin & the Chipmunks DVD, a baseball Wii game and three games for his Gameboy (yay for eBay!). Grandma gave him a container of lemonade packets...not exactly what a kid wants for his birthday BUT...inside the container she also put $20.

All in all...a very good day for an eight year old!

The fun will continue when he has his birthday party on Sunday at the bowling alley.

Happy Easter

Well...I didn't make it to the sunrise service, too early and too cold! Jamie was excited about his Easter basket, he got some wiffle balls, pencils, erasers, baseball cards, math workbooks and chocolate bunnies. Bill came home after the sunrise service and we did the Easter egg hunt. The wind had already started blowing so a lot of my late night, cleverly placed eggs had been blown to the ground. The Easter Bunny didn't think it would be so windy, so early, in the morning! We found all but one egg, we looked everywhere and I don't know where it is...I suppose it'll turn up one of these days.

We went to our regular church service after the egg hunt, where they had an egg hunt for the kids so Jamie got even more candy. We grilled chicken breasts on the grill for lunch...ya know, I don't even know what a "traditional" Easter dinner is. I should research it and think about preparing a big feast one Easter.

Jamie and Bill had last Friday off and also tomorrow...a nice 4-day weekend. Jamie is going to Parker's tomorrow afternoon to play. I've got to print & cut 38 copies of the 2010-2011 P.E.O. yearbook and design a W.E.B. card for Bill, all while watching the Rockies opening game at Milwaukee. Wahoo!! I'm glad that baseball season is here! Tomorrow night is also the NCAA Championship game, pitting Duke against Butler. (College basketball and MLB in the same day...it doesn't get much better!)

Constellations & Stars

Just another Science Saturday...
The subject of today's session was constellations. We met in the Science Activity Center to learn about constellations and draw a constellation chart. We learned about the Orion, Taurus, Canis Major and Canis Minor constellations and their major stars: Betelgeuse, Rigel, Aldebaran, Sirius and Procyon.

Jamie's constellation chart

After drawing our charts, we headed to the planetarium where Dr. Emmons was able to show us what the night sky looks like and how to recognize the constellations & stars we learned about today. I've probably heard this information before but it was nice to get a refresher. I'm excited to take a look at our night sky. We have a really awesome night sky, very little light noise!

Tomorrow is Easter and I'm still deciding if I'm going to get up early for the sunrise service. Bill is helping to set up chairs so, he has to be there extra early. I still have to get Jamie's Easter basket ready and, since I don't know what my plans are for tomorrow morning, will probably go out and hide the eggs tonight.
Jamie is SO excited to hunt for Easter eggs!!

The Colors of Easter

Who doesn't love coloring eggs for Easter? I'm the only person who will eat them, though...guess I'll be eating boiled eggs for a few days!

The Great Camera Debate, Part Two

I heard back from my cousin and he recommended the Canon Powershot SX1 IS based on it's CMOS sensor and the ability to record in RAW format. He's still digging into the ISO issue for me.

In the meantime...I figured that since I'd probably be spending $500, I should just look at a few basic DSLR models and compare prices. My first stop, as always, was Consumer Reports magazine and they rated both the Nikon D90 and the Canon EOS Rebel T1i highly. But, down just a few notches and listed as a CR Best Buy is the Pentax K-x. I found several reputable places online with kits that include the camera and two lenses (18-55mm and 55-300mm) for around $700. It is 12.4 MP, records in RAW, has CMOS sensor and, something that wasn't available in DSLR when I was looking in June 2008, ability to record HD video. I just spent over 2 hours reading customer reviews and they all say phenomenal things about this camera. Oh, and that Consumer Reports ISO test...this Pentax rates at 6400!! Yes...I think I'm in LUV!!! I just wasn't getting a good vibe on either of the Canon models but, I'm definitely feeling it with this Pentax!! One thing that I REALLY like about this camera is that it uses AA batteries...very unusual for a DSLR. I have learned that it is so much easier to have spare, charged AA rechargeable batteries (if I remember to actually recharge them!) than to worry about whether the battery pack is charged.

So, now I just need to raise $700 so I can buy this baby!! It comes in a choice of black, red, navy or white...hmmm...which color should I choose?

The Great Camera Debate

I am looking to purchase one, of two, almost identical cameras.

The first one is the Canon Powershot SX20 IS, which is a next generation model of the Canon S5 IS that I bought in July 2008. It is 12.1 MP, has CCD sensor, 20X optical zoom, 720p HD (1,280 x 720 pixels at 30 fps) movie mode and records only JPEG. The best price I can find on this one today is $330.

The second one is the Canon SX1 IS. It is 10 MP, has CMOS sensor, 20X optical zoom, Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels at 30 fps) movie mode and records JPEG and RAW formats. The best price I can find on this one today is $518.

I have devoured the Consumer Reports ratings on both cameras and have read pages & pages of customer reviews...and I still can't make up my mind! I do like the fact that the SX1 IS shoots in RAW but not sure that it is worth the extra $$. Also, the CMOS sensor is supposed to be superior to the CCD as it is the sensor found in all DSLR cameras. The reviews are mixed and I'm mostly concerned about the ISO test that Consumer Reports put each camera through. They test for "maximum ISO with best quality" and, according to CR, the SX1 IS rates at 100 ISO. They rate the SX20 IS at 1600 ISO. That seems pretty significant to me and tells me that the SX1 IS doesn't do well in low light. I generally avoid using flash (don't like the "washed out" look it gives photos and, don't like to call attention to the fact that "hey, I'm taking photos"), so I do not like this bit of information on the SX1 IS. In fact, many of the customer reviews that I've read state that it does not do well in low light situations.

I have sent an email to my cousin, a professional photographer in Los Angeles, to get his expert advice. I know he'll say to buy a DSLR with all of the fancy high tech gadgets. (I think he has a Canon 5D.) I would SO love to have a DSLR but, it's not in my budget at this point.

So, if anyone out in blog land has experience with either of these two cameras, please take the time to leave a comment with your opinion. Thanks!

Building Bridges

This week's Science Saturday had us building bridges using popsicle sticks. And since the theme is "science", the bridges had to be structurally sound and not just pretty.
The specifications were that the bridge had to span a space of 14 inches and had to be made using no more than 45 popsicle sticks.

The first task was designing the bridge on paper and then assembling the popsicle sticks, using LOTS of hot glue. Jamie drew out his design and then helped to modify as we glued it together. To strengthen the joints, small holes were drilled and short pieces of paper clips were inserted.

Jamie's bridge

Civil engineers of the future?

After everyone was finished building their bridge, it was time to test their strength. Two bridges were set up, side by side, and weights were added until one bridge broke. Another bridge was set up with weight equaling the bridge still standing. The final two bridges belonged to Jamie and Parker and Parker's bridge was the strongest. Jamie's bridge came apart at one of the joints, but otherwise held up. Parker kept adding weight to his bridge and it slipped off of the stool but never broke!

and the winner is...

(I took my mom's camera with me to Science Saturday to take pictures but NONE of my batteries were charged...UGH!!! Had to settle for using the camera on my cell phone. It does an OK job but, I really need a new camera!!)

Reality Bites!

Nothing says "welcome home from your warm and sunny Arizona Spring Break" like a spring snow storm...at least 5 inches!

Home Again

We're home from our Spring Break trip to Arizona. I'll miss the warm sunshine but it is good to be home. We had to do the "spring ahead" for daylight savings and lost an hour but at least we got to hang onto that hour for an extra week. (Arizona doesn't do daylight savings.)

Friday and Saturday were both fairly laid back days. We gave Jamie a few choices for activities to do on Friday. He must have been as tired as the rest of us because he passed up going to an amusement park and a chocolate factory tour for Toys R Us and hanging out at grandma's house. Bill & Jamie went to the Mesa swap meet and then to Toys R Us to spend Jamie's gift card from Christmas. When they were finished, mom & I met them and we went to Joe's BBQ for lunch.

YUM!!! I love that place!! We stopped at Saver's on the way home but, other than that, just relaxed around the house all day. I was watching the NCAA basketball tournament most of the day and Bill & Jamie played catch or bowling outside. I also did laundry.

Saturday morning we got up and packed and took our time getting ready to leave. We were worried about travel conditions because NM had a big snowstorm on Friday but the roads were clear & dry. We drove straight to Gallup, NM and stopped at Applebee's to watch UNM play Washington in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament. UNM lost! We got into Albuquerque about 7:30 and drove to Billy's house to pick up the van. (Bill had stayed there & Billy took him to the airport). By the time we got to Rio Rancho it was almost 9:00 and we all went straight to bed.

We met Esteban at Satellite Coffee on Sunday morning. He was in town for a few days (visiting from Los Angeles) so it was a special treat that our paths crossed long enough to meet up. Afterwards, I was so tired from our busy week that I decided to just head to Alamosa and since we had two vehicles, Bill decided to stay longer and have lunch with Billy. Jamie rode with me and we were home by 3:00...he was so excited that it was still daylight when we got home!! (We usually don't get home from out of town trips until after dark) We unloaded the car and he started in playing his new NBA Wii game. I, of course, watched basketball.

Today we're getting back into the daily routine...Jamie & Bill are at school and I'm recuperating. I have scrapbooking tonight and I'm so tired, I don't really feel like going. I don't have anything prepared to work on, although I do need to do my swap cards for next month's stamp club and prep for the workshop I have on Thursday. My new Cricut arrived while I was gone, too, so I also want to play with that & figure out how to use it.

I'm starting the camera research process...again! When I went through this in June 2008, I assumed that that camera purchase would take me through at least 5 or 6 years...but, here I am, less than two years later and needing to buy another camera. I'm so frustrated!! I really, REALLY liked the Canon and am considering another one, but want it to last more than 2 years. Jamie is going to be a groomsman in his cousin's wedding (Scott & Corrie) over Memorial Day weekend so my goal is to find, purchase and figure out a new camera by then.

Day Eight

...it's all...

...about the snacks...

Group photo: Linda, Chris, Bill, Jamie, Julie
(yes, Jamie is crossing his eyes & making a silly face!)

Rockies WIN!!

Our final baseball outing of this Spring Break took us to Peoria to watch the Rockies vs. Mariners. Peoria is approximately 57 miles from where my mom lives in Mesa...it took us about 50 minutes to drive to the exit and then another HOUR to go one mile from the exit to the stadium!!! There was NO traffic control in place...un-freakin-believable!
Then, when we finally got to the stadium, the parking lots were all full. UGH! I was driving so, I dropped Bill & Jamie off and drove around until I found a parking space at a strip mall about a mile away from the stadium. I was so aggravated!!! I will probably avoid this stadium in the future due to this one horrible experience!
But, it was good to see our friends, Chris & Linda, who live in Payson and come down every Spring Break to meet us for a baseball game.
So, I just have to say that my team won every game that we went to this week...maybe an omen for the regular season?

Hi Corbett Field

So, Pat called on Wednesday morning & said they were a couple of hours from Tucson so we headed down to meet them. Google Maps said it would take us 2 hours and 45 minutes to go the "scenic route" but we figured we had time and decided to do it. It only took us an hour and a half, which put us on the same time-table as Pat & Cathy...we arrived at Hi Corbett Field at almost the same time and parked next to each other.

This is the last year that the Rockies will have their Spring Training in Tucson. Next year, they will share a brand new facility with the D'backs in North Scottsdale. It will be much more convenient for us but, we felt like we needed to go to one last game at Hi Corbett.

Rockies warming up
(Todd Helton #17)

Rockies WIN!! And...it was a toasty 84 degrees!

Group photo: Cathy, Pat, Julie, Jamie & Bill
(Thanks, Joni, for being the photographer!)

Wednesday also happened to be St. Patrick's Day. Since Pat(rick) & Cathy McDermott are Irish, it was a no-brainer that they'd be decked out in their holiday green!
We saw other Alamosans at the game, too, including the Bilderbecks.

After the game, Pat pulled out his wiffle ball stuff and he, Jamie & Bill had fun playing while Cathy & I watched and chatted. I'm definitely going to have to arrange more play-dates for Pat & Jamie!!

We all went to dinner at Olive Garden, then we headed back to Mesa while Pat & Cathy went to stake out their camp-site for the night. They were going to explore Tucson on Thursday and then go to the Rockies game at Hi Corbett today.

I was feeling tired from all of this weeks activities and almost backed out of the Tucson trip but I'm glad I didn't...we had a great day!