Thursday night – constructive interference

Greeetings from New York (again).. I drove down today for a meeting tomorrow. First stop was Max and the boat.

Diane had loaded me up with Fall treats for the guys on the boat.. carrot cake, cider., appeles, cheese, honey. pumpkins, squash.. what a nice mom !!!!!  It was all much appreciated !

When I was bringing in the goodies I met one of max’s part time boat mates.. Meet Martina.. a physicist from Australia now turned holographer in Germany. She used to stay on the boat.. now just drops in when she’s here in the US. There’s aren’t that many holographers in the world.. so I started asking her about my friends in that very exotic biz.. I had just mentioned my friends John and Barbara in Burlington.. Martina knew them well.. at that precise moment I got a note on my phone from Barbara.. actually from John masquerading as Barbara.. .. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a note from him/her before .. How weird is that ? .. Must be constructive interference.. (cryptic holography reference)

In exchange for the goodies I dropped off, max gave me some cool Chinese fake meat.. You gotta love the instructions that were on the package.

I also got the potato gun I’d left last week.. Not a bad bargain.

I hugged max goodbye and headed north.. I got almost to Ruchir’s when I found the road blocked by trees brought down in the crazy wind.. I had to detour

I got to Runchirs about 8:30.. for a lovely dinner with Ruchir, Rashi, the kids and Rashi’s parents.. I  see Rashi’s folks so much they are now like old friends to me.  

I tayed up late talking to ruchir about all that was wrong and right in the world and at work.. it was fun

now.. gotta sleep.. more later
nite all. nite sam
-me

Tueday night – Colony II finale

Tonight we celebrated the finale of the Colony Season II. We were honored to have season II  cast members George and Sally.. and Sally’s sister Sheila. up here in Vermont.The fine folks at Mexicali offered to let us meet in the restaurant to watch the show..  It was like a fun repeat of the finale party from last year..

Here are George and Sally and Sheila  at the house before we left.


Our friends Brian and Lisa showed up from Rutland.. Their uncle Bob is the guy that received one of Sam’s donated kidneys. They brought us a wonderful book of pictures of the places they put Samstones on a trip they took to Florida

We gave everyone a tour of the house.. It’s fun seeing this big old place through new eyes every once in a awhile

Around 8:30 we all piled in cars and headed to Mexicali..

It was great seeing all these new people mingling.. We all ate dinner… as always, the food and hospitality were wonderful at Mexicali.

We had about 30 folks all together.. adults at the bar watching one TV.. and kids in the corner watching another.

Sally and George were part of a country wide Chat about the show during and after the episode.. that kept them pretty busy.

It was an interesting mix of folks.. people we knew..

new friends.

Jamie was there..

It was fun watching folks glued to the set..

the Etli’s .. we met them in a taco bell  in New Hampshire last month

Paparazzi !.. It was fun watching George and Sally soak it in..


 it was so great watching the show with the new guys.. we were so happy that they chose to come and visit us ! .

We finished the night with mexicali’s signature habanero tequila shots.. yum.. not much more painful than teargas I understand.

OK.. I can’t keep my eyes open.. I’ve fallen asleep 10 times in 5 min.. more will have to wait for tomorrow.

night folks, nite sam
-me

Monday night – nice retinas

So.. I had the 3rd eye exam of my life this morning.. I just hate wearing glasses.. so I go through them fast.. I can’t see anymore because my eyes have gotten lazier.. and my glasses have gotten scratchier..

The fun thing about the eye exam is getting your eyes dilated.. I looked  like half the people at a grateful dead show.

I asked them to take a picture of my retinas for me to share here.. here they are.. I
m told I have nice retinas.

The day beyond that was uneventful.. it passed mercifully quickly.. then it was time to go see Gabe play soccer.. It was in the 50’s (or 40’s) and raining.. yuck !

Gabe ‘s game finished aroun6 6.. We headed home to find new freind George waiting for us at home. George is co-star of this season’s Colony on Discovery. He’s up here to watch the last episode with us tomorrow night at Mexicaly (Iy you want to come watch with us.. please let me know) It’s been so fun comparing notes on what it was like to be in the colony .. comparing season I from season II.

Man.. I’m sleepy.. gotta catch some rest.   More tomorrow..
nite all, nite sam
-me

ps. Here’s a video of the Tee Kids News segment that was on TV on monday..  let me know what you think

Sunday night – Makersfaire.. and the boat.. and Tuesday Colony watching party

Colony

fans… it’s official.. we’re going to have a small get together to

watch the Colony II season finale this Tuesday at Mexicali’s Mexican

Restaurant (my fave !) in Williston VT at 9PM .. We’ll be watching with

Artist/Inventor George and Motor lady Sally who will be up visiting. Please RSVP to me by

email or FB note if you plan to join us . Thanks

We’re just back from a wonderful family weekend in NY. we went down to see Max and go to the first East Coast Maerfaire. It was a really great time..

Diane and I camped both nights on the roof of the boat.. it was like The Colony all over again.. inventions, crazy conditions. even marauders.. .. and at the same time a peaceful and mysterious oasis in the middle of a busy city.  Here we are in our rooftop camp early yesterday morning.

Here’s the view from the roof

I love that Max likes living  here.. he’s a great, great person.. and he’s learning so much by this experience..   welding, plumbing. wiring , diplomacy

I found soem Sam graffiti in the head..

Shadow . of morning hair

We got up and out by 10.. and headed to Makerfaire with max’s gf Jack

It was at the NY hall of science..I’ve done shows here 4 times myself.. it’s a great old building.. part of the 1964 worlds fair.. 

Makersfaire was unbelievably and indescribably wonderful.. stuff for all ages and types. from geeky electronics to eclectic crafts.. stuff for geezers and kids .. really something for everyone creative.. a wonderful wonderful vibe. I come away fro these events knowing that something very good is happening in the world I have such admiration for my friend Dale and his cohorts who started this movement and are helping it spread to the corners of the earth.. !

First stop was swimming citites.. a movign art piece of 7 interlocking boats from some freinds of max’s

There we ran into our Vermont friend Cody.. (we kept running in to people we knew down there.. very small world in geeky circles)

They had guns that shot hotdogs.. cool.. no ?

THere were lots of mutant vehicles.. including this one that looked like something out of this year’s colony

Then we checked out the geekcraft.. like the shopbot exhibit (I have one of these.. just not set up)

and the 3d printer booth

one even printed in food.. including in cookie dough.. and in cheese !

I ran into my freind Ale’xs boss and colleagues from ENgland.. Alex and I were office mates in 1985 (!!!) .. these gys are doing cool snesor work for microsoft in Cambridge England.

tis guy had a cool ‘scratch’ music station that used a bike wheel and mag tape.

here’s a guy from the patent office.. a freind of a friend.. i stopped by to suopport patent reform in the US.

I ran into my good friends Bob and Peter  (and their friend.)

yikes.. electric haircuts!

we spent a good portion of the day over in the craft section. they had several exhibits from this cool women’s mag called ‘BUST” .. very creative and funny stuff.. Jack is a big fan.

gabe found soem very cool shirts over there..

the craft stuff was as cool and creatve as the nerd stuff.

we took a break to watch the parade and the chariot races..

and checked out the utility kilts… almost thought about getting one out.. by skinny legs would look wierd in a kilt.. don’t you think ?

then we toured around the maker exhibits.. one of my favorites was this dutiful kelvin generator.. generates sparks from just falling water.. !

here’s maxs freind dr. adventure.. he’d stayed up 36 hours painting his armor..

one guy had all metal calabi-yao manifolds (some folks think this is the hape of our universe).

they had some cool resin casting folks there.. masks, bricks that weighed nothing.. cool stuff

a grass covered car

a robotic red bull vending machine

then we went into the hall of science .. there were some makerfaire stuff.. and some hall of science stuff. it’s a cool hands on place.. here is some dry ice simulating galaxies..

cool gizmos everywhere !

marshmallow firing squad

the mentos and coke guys (I have a movie which  I’ll upload later)

then max and cody got a chane to ride the rocket pones.. a wild carousel with two propane powered pulsjets dressed as ponie.s.. very cool.. !..   and the burning man montra ‘safety third !’

Here’s a video of max’s ride !

I just gotta make one of those !

we fond our good frinds ruchir and rashi and their kids and rashi’s parents whom we now know well. It was a real treat seeing them all !

all day long I had people coming up to me and either recognizing us from the colony .. or staring at us and telling me they knew me from somewhere..sometimes I tell folks .. sometime I don’t/ this women figured out who we were..

around 6 we headed home.. it had been an awesome visit !

we walked back to the buses through the worlds fair site.. remember these from ‘men in black’ ?

we got back to the boat.. and max started dinner.. .. colored potatoes (I had to make a flag) , squid salad.. and vegie chicken wings.. yum !

After dinner, Marion took us out on the speed boat.. we cruised up the canal and out on the east river.. then up the west side of manhattan. this is NYC the way few folks get to see it ! It was magical !!!!

I loved what the waves did to my  photography !

then back to the oat for more hanging out I did a little tesla coil show since I had my big coil with me..

diane and I slept out on the roof again.. the night before it had been hot an muggy.. last night it was cold and windy..

not too cold fro a little early morning swim.. kinda cool that even though we were in the middle of town I could swim without.. uh.. oh forget it..

one last task befor eleving. abe and I helped max get some underwater picctures of the boat for his thesis project. we used gabes underwater camera and a gimble mount that max made htis morning. Gage and I paddled the raft out into the canal so max could get the shots he needed.

diane and jack laughed and gave us encouragement from the mothership.

we left the boat and headed to bergen bagels.. where.. we ran into our frind Dan .. ex of vermont.. Max and I went to burning man with him.. At this point in my life.. I no longer get freaked out at weird coincidences like running into someone I know in  an unlikely place. it was great seeing him !

then we said goodbye to lovely jack.. and headed out for one more visit.

last stop was liam, jj’s aaron and max d.s .. all max’s old roommates. They’re all graduated and living in an upscale place in greenpoint. .. Diane just had to see or granddog, reptar.

the place wsa covererd with all of their art.. here’s soem of liam’s.. I love his style

here’s max d with reptar

we all ate our begels..

played with reptar..

then went and ran around on the roof for a while.. great view up there !

then it was time to go.. We piled n the car.. and diane, gabe and I took turns on the 6 hour trip home

great weekend.. nice to be home..
now to sleep..

night all.. nite sam
-me