Our New Train Project

 Desert Boy and I were talking one morning over breakfast, and not surprisingly, the subject of trains came up. He talk about trains usually several times a day, but this particular morning he added in an adjective that gave me an idea and made me want to learn more.

We looked online to see if we could find a map of Amtrak routes that go near national parks. We found AmtraktoParks.com, which had some neat features. But we wanted to do something a little different. So I found an old map of the United States and we taped it to a big piece of cardboard.

 Next I drew all the Amtrak routes on the map in red. It was fascinating seeing where they followed an Interstate, where they followed a secondary highway, and in a very few places, where they followed no road at all. (And probably historically speaking, the railroad tracks were in many of those places before the roads were.)

Then we covered the whole thing with plastic Saran wrap, as Desert Girl was trying to abscond with the markers any chance I wasn't looking and add her own train routes. Desert Boy was pleasantly drawing volcanoes and other things he wanted to see on the excess cardboard around the map.

 We still wanted to do more to the map, such as add in some of the destinations, but before we got to that, it was time for a break. Desert Boy got out a couple little train cars and started chugging them around the train routes. He doesn't know many of the state names, but I think he might start picking up a few as time goes on, especially when the trains crash into each other. ("Caution, train crash in Texas. Please take alternate route.")

This is definitely a work in progress. It's been quite fun for all of us (except Desert Girl when the markers were taken away). It's also made me think about some possible vacations that could include the words "All Aboard!"

Winter Bike Riding

 It's been such a mild winter that we've gotten in a fair bit of bike riding. Desert Boy can really roll.

 Since the only paved roads in town are state highways and we don't have any sidewalks, it's nice to have an option where we don't have to worry about traffic so much. (I really think a sidewalk/bike path from one end of town to the other would be awesome!)

 Desert Boy is often off-kilter and I wonder if he's going to manage to stay upright, but somehow he manages to pull it off. He's got a really good sense of balance.

 Even the mountains don't have much snow on them! I'm supposed to help with a snow survey tomorrow, and we'll measure just how much snow there is.

Desert Boy's learned that one extra item is useful for winter riding: gloves. It might not be too cold, but it's cold enough to want a little protection!

Moon, Venus, and Jupiter

This was the sight to the west just a little while ago: a crescent moon with Venus hanging out a little below, with Jupiter looking down on them. It was noteworthy because all three are so bright! Tomorrow night (Sunday), Jupiter will be about even with the moon soon after sunset. You can learn more about what's coming in the night sky here.

And although I tried various camera settings I didn't get a very good photo. Fortunately Sky & Telescope offers a free astrophotography primer. Here's hoping for some warm nights to try out various settings!

Four-Year Old Attitudes

The other day we were fortunate to have Ava and Isaac come over for a play date. I get a kick out of watching the kids' interactions. At lunch time Desert Boy and Ava were delighted to have their own little table and they had quite the conversation.

First Ava got to say her piece.

It looks like Desert Boy had a different opinion.

I think he thought if he stared hard enough, he could get Ava to change her mind. Somehow, I don't think that would work. They're both stubborn kids!


It all ended well and they moved on to the next point of discussion.


Meanwhile the little kids were just peachy-happy eating their lunch. They don't have such long conversations--yet!

Then it was time to go play on the gravel pile in our driveway. Again there were some serious discussions and battles over who's in charge.

Ava finally decided she had more important things to do.

 We went over to Jenny's and the kids still had lots of energy, so we headed to the trampoline to wear them out. Jenny showed off some of her trampoline tricks. Cool!

Wow, those kids sure have a lot of energy! It was a fun day, and it's nice to try and have them wear each other out, because they do a much better job of it than I do!

Train Cafe--Nephi, UT

 We had so much fun at a train cafe a few weeks ago. When we were coming home from the city and my husband mentioned that there was a train cafe on the way, we jumped at the opportunity. It's J.C. Mickleson's in Nephi, Utah. We've been through Nephi quite a few times, but with the restaurant at the other end of town, I had just never been there. (Plus they don't say anything about the trains on their website--they should!)

As soon as we walked in, we knew that we were in the right place. We immediately saw lots of trains, some elevated above our heads. (I was trying out a new gizmo with a camera, hence the somewhat fuzzy photos.)

 We could watch the trains the entire time we were eating. (Or in Desert Girl's case, the entire time she was applying spaghetti to her face and clothes.)

 This was the view from our table of the very long freight train.

 We tried to get Desert Boy to count the cars, but he lost interest somewhere in the twenties.

The freight train even had construction equipment and tractors. It made a big impression!

I'm thinking we will be back to the Train Cafe sooner rather than later!

Maze Madness

Ready to do some shopping for President's Day? If you have kids (or know some), this is something you might be interested in. Desert Boy has been trying out some mazes, and this has been a great book for him:

The book is 108 pages long, which will give a young'un plenty to do! There are four mazes per letter of the alphabet, so it's a fun way to learn letters.

For slightly older kids, here's a more difficult maze book:

And for age 10 to adults, here's an extremely cool looking maze book:

Click on any of the images above to be connected to the Amazon page. If you're interested in learning more about how they were created and a special coupon code to buy them from Create Space, click here.

Great Backyard Bird Count Starts Today

Some friends reminded me that the Great Backyard Bird Count starts today. Fortunately it's a four-day event, so there's still plenty more time to be looking for birds. This is a great citizen scientist project, because you can do it right in your backyard. Or you can go on a special outing (read--good excuse to get out of the house!) to go find some birds.

Then you submit them on the GBBC website and scientists will look for trends. What birds are where and how does that differ from other years? Are certain species more predominant (like those blasted Eurasian collared doves that have nearly overtaken the mourning doves around here?)? What differences are there between cities, suburbs, and rural areas?

Despite the cold weather, there are birds nearly everywhere. Today I've seen mountain bluebirds (like the one in the photo above). I love the vibrant blue of their feathers. I've also seen a couple northern flickers, the most plentiful woodpecker around here, and with a conspicuous white rump easy to identify as it flies in its undulating pattern. I've seen dark-eyed juncos flitting in the trees and showing their tails with the white on the edges. A golden eagle was on the pole on the way to work. They are so much bigger than the other raptors around here (other than bald eagles) that it's easy to identify them.

Happy Birding! 
Let me know what you see.

Fun in the Snow

 Winter has finally come! We sure were excited to see some snow on the ground. Henry enjoyed munching on some big bones. What do you think they were from?

 From a dinosaur, of course!

 Desert Girl and Desert Boy got to try out the snow shoes. The footprint ones were a lot more fun than the regular ones.






Then it was time to go sledding down the pile of gravel in our driveway. Some day it may be spread around so we don't track so much dirt and mud into our house, but I'm guessing that day may still be months away. In the meantime, we might as well make the best of it!

Desert Boy really wanted to make a snowman, but the snow had gotten a little crusty and we had to settle for a miniature snow man.

It was small, but cute!

Henry kept chomping on the bones. Then the kids decided they had to chomp on something, too.

Fortunately they didn't need bones--snow did the trick.

Yum, what a treat.

Finally it was time to go inside and get some hot chocolate. But first we had to find a suitable spot for the snowman--on top of Henry's doghouse.

We're hoping we have some more time to play in the snow before the warm days melt it all away. We might have to head to higher ground. And keep our fingers crossed that we really do get another snow storm this weekend!

Leap Second--Don't Wait Up For It!

11:59:60

So I was listening to an astronomy podcast and they talked about the leap second. What?!? That got my attention. 

This is a leap year, so I know that we have a February 29 this year. That's because the earth's orbit is 365.242199 days, so we have to add an extra day every four years. (Like how I have those extra decimal places? Let me tell ya, I'm feeling like a mighty proud geek right now!)

But I sure haven't heard of a leap second before. Apparently the earth's rotation isn't exactly the same all the time. Earthquakes, melting of ice sheets, and unknown factors can cause the earth to rotate at slightly different speeds. Our time system was based on measuring the amount of time from the sun's zenith (high point) one day to the sun's zenith the next. That time is 24 hours, which is divided into 60 minutes per hour and 60 seconds per hour. 

Then along came some people who needed (or wanted?) to measure time more exactly, hence the atomic clock, which uses atoms and measures wavelengths to determine time. So now we have a problem with this ultra precise time measuring system not jiving with what the earth is actually doing. 

Some super-smart people decided that the thing to do would be to add (or subtract) a second when necessary. This year, we need to add a second. So at the end of June, instead of the clock going from 11:59:59 to 12:00:00, it will go from 11:59:59 to 11:59:60 to 12:00:00. 

Of course something like changing time is a little controversial, which you can read about here, along with a whole lot more info about leap seconds. It will take a little longer than a second to read, so you'll have to decide if it's worth the time we'll be gaining.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We haven't had any elaborate preparations for Valentine's Day, but with a rainy afternoon yesterday, it was the perfect time to pull out the construction paper, glue, scissors, and crayons so the kids could make valentines for their preschool friends.

Oh yes, we also had to get out the paleta sticks. (Paleta means popsicle in Spanish, and the kids learned the word first in Spanish, so that's how they remember it, kind of cute.) Desert Boy was so excited to use the paleta sticks for a project. Desert Girl was delighted to play with glue. She didn't really produce anything except a mess, but she was happy.

Hope you have Feliz Dia de San Valentin!

Central Great Basin Running Races

Ready to stretch your legs? Then it's time to head to the Central Great Basin for some running races!

Saturday, February 25 is the Wild Goose Chase in Delta, Utah. It's part of the annual Snow Goose Festival, which celebrates the migrating snow geese that enjoy the fields around Delta and then often overnight on the reservoir. The race is a 5K and 10K run or walk that goes right along the reservoir for part of the route. Sign up by February 24 for discounted price.

Sunday, June 17 is the Snake Valley Slither, a 5K race with beautiful views of Great Basin National Park and the surrounding area. You can enjoy some of the Snake Valley Festival before the race. The website still has info from 2011, but the 2012 version should be up soon.

Ready to try something longer? Head over to Cave Lake for Ely, Nevada's first half-marathon, Take It To The Lake Half Marathon. Run 13.1 miles in a beautiful setting. A kids' one-mile run will also be part of the event.

Know of any other Central Great Basin races? I'd like to know!

Night Skies

A number of events have recently converged to make me want to be more of a night owl. Not because I want to go chasing mice or go swooping through the air (although that certainly does hold appeal from time to time), but because I want to spend more time gazing up at our wonderful night skies.

I've always appreciated the wonderful night skies out in the middle of the Great Basin. Driving for over an hour to get anywhere means we don't have much light pollution, and since our elevation is nearly a mile high, the atmosphere is thinner and the stars that much clearer. But appreciation is a little different than understanding, and I'm finding that now I really want to understand what's out there in that big, black abyss.

Maybe it's partly due to listening to Douglas Adams' A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a book I remember reading in my teenage years. Listening to it recently made me roll with laughter and applaud his creative genius. Perhaps I'm more interested in the night skies because I've been finding out more about the nearby Astronomy Festival at Great Basin National Park this summer June 14-16 (which happens to coincide with the Snake Valley Festival June 15-17--a good time visit the area). Or maybe my curiosity is piqued by some Astronomy magazines I found, which show some outstanding photographs. They also contain some fascinating language that make me scratch my head:

black holes (are there red holes? blue holes? red holes? white holes?)
light years (are there heavy years? sound years?)
dark matter (what about light matter? obscure matter? transparent matter?)
extragalactic (would you like some fries with that? how about supergalactic?)
spiral galaxy (which way does it circle? Is it like toilets spiralling in different directions in the northern and southern hemispheres?)
white dwarf (okay, this isn't discrimination, right?)

Now that I have all you who actually know something about astronomy shaking your heads and hoping that I switch hobbies immediately, let me tell you, no, you can't get rid of me that easily. I think I'm going to try to wrap my head around this. After all, it's just a little creepy to look out at all those points of light in the night sky and think about someone on some other planet orbiting one of those little lights looking back at us. A good kind of creepy. A kind of creepy that puts me in my place and makes my worries seem pretty miniscule. And the huge dimensions of the universe are making my head want to bulge out until it has to be contained in an ever-enlarging galaxy. (Okay, astronomers, how many other basic principles did I just mix up in this paragraph?)

So in addition to the magazines and a couple of books, another place I've been gathering some astronomy information is from podcasts. One I particularly like is 365 Days of Astronomy. They have a podcast every day, usually about 10-15 minutes long (which is great for my attention span). The podcasts began in 2009, which was designated as the Year of Astronomy (you remember that, right?), and has continued since then. They're slowly running out of material, which means that they are replaying the best podcasts again, calling them encores. That's good for me! Two podcasts I particularly liked were on February 3, about what to look at in the night sky, and February 5, about space travel in science fiction (remember The Millenium Falcon or "Beam Me Up, Scotty?")

 Listening to the podcasts has made me go out and find Mars, which is in the photo above to the left of the moon. My night photography skills have a long way to go, but you can expect to see more night sky photos--and little bits of astronomy added to this blog from time to time. I won't become an astronomer over night--or even over several nights as I rarely am able to stay awake past 9 p.m., but hopefully little by little I can start understanding what exists beyond our rotating blue orb.

Feel free to share other good astronomy links, your thoughts on the night skies, or what star you'd like to visit in the comments.

Newcomers

 Desert Girl isn't the only one celebrating a birthday in recent days. We've been welcoming lots of new calves on the ranch. These calves are born to heifers, first-time mama cows. And they are absolutely darling!

The ones in these photos are a few days old. They've been moved from the circle field, where they were born, to a different meadow, which I drive through twice a day. That means there's lots of time for oohing and aahing.

 It looks like this calf and heifer are sniffing each other to make sure they've found each other okay.

 This heifer and calf are giving me a dirty stare. I guess they wanted a little more privacy.

The calves love to play and go running all over. I can just imagine these heifers trying to figure out where their little one has run off to.

We've had a really mild winter so far, so that's making these new calves have an easy welcome into the world. We're hoping they continue to do well. If you want to see more about cows on the ranch, just click on the cows label below, and you'll see lots more posts.

Totally Two

Desert Girl recently turned two, and although she didn't quite understand all the anticipation of a birthday, her big brother sure did. And Mom was excited about it, too, so we got to celebrate several times. The first was with cousins on our trip. Everyone was excited about the yummy chocolate cupcakes.

We made it back in time for an improptu birthday celebration at preschool.

I like how the boys are all working so diligently.

Desert Girl has that impish grin down pat!

Desert Girl pays good attention to her Teacher.

Later we had a family celebration at home where Desert Girl dressed up in a pretty new dress and ate more cake.

She's not only good at eating the cake, she's also good at wearing the cake!
We've already seen some early indications of how she's going to be as a two-year old. Fun times are ahead!