Today was fun and hectic. I’m super busy at work but made time to tour some of my old and new friends from hack club through Beta. This group is going to be riding by train from Vancouver to Montreal on a two week odyssey of inventing.… I’m always very proud to show off the technology. We’re creating at beta.

 

And, wouldn’t you know.. I still had some think this is the 4th time in a week.. is anyone keeping count ?  left over liquid nitrogen.. so we made LN2 ice cream in the parking lot.. .. 

Later in the day I got a call from Diane telling me that our friends Jurgen and Luisa were at our house. I knew they were coming into town, but I didn’t realize it was going to be this afternoon. I was able to finish up my work quickly and get home to see them. You’re gonna is my old friend in collaborator who used to live in Bibb in Germany, then in Burlington and I have seen him at various places in the world since. The two of them now live in Malta. He really is one of my oldest friends.It was so good to see them !  I was able to spend a little time with them today and we made a plan for getting together later in the week

And the old friends kept coming… Our friend Devon dropped by. He’s here in Vermont for a while after living in Montana for a long time. Super great catching up with him.

 

I love his  Sam ink !

I quickly headed back to work.. It was such a hot day… But I decided I’d make liquid nitrogen ice cream (yes again) for my friends at work. It was a perfect day to do it. We gathered right outside the building. Super fun yet again.

 

I think thats five times.. ?  RIght..

After work, I headed home (again) .. And picked up Diane and our young friend Finn, who staying with us for the night. We headed out to Middlesex to try a restaurant called the filling station… Believe it or not it’s a wonderful sushi, etc. restaurant in the middle of a landlocked state. We’ve heard so much about it.It was really delicious.

The place was really cute and funky. THey had soem wild bacon meets star trek art. !

We got home just as the sun was setting. Just enough time to make liquid nitrogen. (yes… I know this is getting repetitive) with thin. Finn.. THats 6 times I think

We also got to show Finn our amazing glow-in-the-dark petunias.… I don’t know if I’ve already written about these, but they are amazing. It’s a genetically engineered hybrid that took some genetic material from a glowing mushroom and spliced  it to a petunia. It’s kind of a subtle effect but at night, it is amazing. Even more amazing when photographed.

here they are with natural light 

Here they are at night.. 

Gotta love science !

nite all, nite sam

-me

Began the day with the pick your own fruit salad.… This is been the best summer I ever ever remember for fruit from the yard

We spent some time working on the basement. We’ve had some serious work done to improve the drainage down there and we’re not yet satisfied, but it’s working. One of the storms that passed through here recently ended up depositing a lot of silt in part of our basement. I was cleaning and vacuuming it up when I came across, a plaque of sorts etched into the poured part of the basement. I knew this part of the house dated from the mid 1970s when the first owner Mel McNeil rescued the building… Here is proof of his handiwork.

 

It was so fun finding that for the first time after living in this house   for 42 years. Last I knoew, Mel was living in New Zealand raising sheep. I’ll try to reach out to him and his family with this blast from the past. 

We did a little other archaeology today. We were preparing for our delivery of wood, and we spent some time leveling the ground and putting up some makeshift platforms to keep the wood off of the ground. We’re using pieces of the old cedar swingset that we bought in 1992. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.… Handling that old wood brought back great memories.

 

Neighbor Carly came over to swim and it reminded me that I still had some leftover liquid nitrogen. So we made LN2 ice cream for the third time. !

I think its getting more delicious as the week goes on !

nite all, noite sam

-me

Today DIane and I drove up to Spruce peak to do a sceince show as part of the Stowe Homgrown festival. Our freinds Julliane and Belinda had helped organize it. >> It wa a beutiful hot day.. We were the first thing in the festival .. so there weren’t many people around. but we were able to rustle up about 15 kids and their adults.. It was a small but apriative crowd. It was really fun workign with Beaker.. she has such great energy !

We did optical illusions were we used spinnign black and white patterned disks to appear colorful, and to make your head expand or squish..  really coo demos and easy to make. 

We did elephant toothpaste.. which went really well
its30%  hydrogen peroxide, dish soap and food coloring.. mixed at the end with a potassium iodide solution 

Then we made liquid niotrogen ice cream.. deliicious and messy !

super fun.. they even fed us ~
we packed up and headed home

Later that evening we went to Chris and Kims to see a comedy show on their ackyard stage. DIane and I served pop corn and snow cones.. 

The comics were great.. the crowd was very appreciative even through a little rain. 

at the end of the show, I made more liquid nitrogen ice cream.. I had so much left over liquid nitrogen.. why not ?!

Really great night !

nite all, nite sam
-me

NIce queit day.. began with furit salad made by picking from all of our fruiting blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries and currants.. So delicious when picked right off the plants !

Mid morning we went up to Jullianes and Belindas to do a quick practive for tomorrows sceince show in Stowe. THere we met ‘Beaker’.. their lovely freind who was goign to do the show with us. We practiced a few sceince tricks.. Elephant toothpaste , spinning disk optical illusions. and smoke ring shooters. 

 

Then home.. look at the gunk in my coffee cup .. Looks like an ‘S” .. (thanks Sam!)

This evening we went up to Tim and Jens to hang out on their beautiful porch.
 

I’m glad we live in such a beutiful place !

nite all. nite sam

-me