April 2012 Journal Photos

Andrea took this photo of me with the shed on March 31^st.

Andrea took this photo of the back side of the shed later on April Fools Day.

Andrea setting stones for the storm drain sump.

The beautiful sump area for the front yard.

Andrea riding up the escalator at Inspiration where we bought our new bed, Tuesday, April 3^rd.

Tuesday evening Lenore treated us to dinner at Gyo Taku.

Gyo Taku is a Japanese style restaurant. I had sushi and tempura.

On Wednesday, Andrea resumed designing the kitchen remodel.

Later we went to the beach and saw that the hau tree pruning we noticed the day before was continuing.

Teaching the watershed session to the seventh graders.

Kimo talks to the 100 students from Kamehameha School with Koko Crater and Koko Head in the distance.

50 of the students go into the water to pull the invasive mudweed.

There were a couple of weddings on the beach that morning. The public restroom exhibits the distinctive palm tree style.

Andrea and I stayed at the Kahala Hilton (left) on our honeymoon 31 years ago.

Andrea helped teach the four watershed student sessions.

Another of the four watershed teaching sessions.

Tegan taught the four limu biology sessions.

Tegan teaches both the scientific and Hawaiian names of the various alga.

Afterward the students sang a Hawaiian song with the wedding setup in the background.

On the way home, we stopped at City Mill to get more sand and compost for the landscaping work.

As part of the fascia board replacement work, the kitchen entryway roof is being enhanced.

Pleasant conversation, artichokes, and Boursin with toasted baguette.

Carol, Andrea, and Lenore arrive at the theater.

Andrea looks fine at intermission with her necklace and earrings.

Afterwards we joined Lynn, Flo, and Walter at the Golden Duck restaurant for some Chinese food.

Another view of the round table.

Lynn didn't want to cooperate with the camera.

Monday we went to Ross to buy sheets and pillows for the new bed being delivered Tuesday.

The white enameled aluminum gutters are cut to length and have downspouts attached.

The Akamai Rain Gutters crew was fast and efficient. Akamai means smart and they were done with everything in about three hours.

The front gutter was the last to go on.

The house looks great and we tested them that night with fifteen hudredths of an inch of rain.

The back steps with their downspout.

Andrea got this photo of me the day before installing the sandpipers sculpture on the wall.

The Inspiration worker assembles the bed.

Nearly done assembling the bed.

I check out the adjustable back rests for sitting up and reading in bed.

Complete with bedspread, night tables, and pineapple lamps.

I reinstalled the glass diffusers for the lights and polished the faucets. We are done!

On Thursday we returned left over tile and grout to International Tile and on the way back took this photo of the unusual
Occidental building. International Tile sent us a check for $111 for the leftover material. I highly recommend them.

On Friday the 13^th I created this which I call "But is it Art Number One," wood, metal, and glass.

Lots of people attended.

Behind the aquarium, moi (fish) were returned to the ocean.

There was even a mermaid!

Another view of the mermaid.

Bryan Silver with the manager, Glenn the owner, and two freshmen. Five freshmen helped at the Aina Haina McDonald's.

Students took the robot around the inside to show the people and get donations.

At the Kahala McDonald's: Bryan Silver, owner Glenn, City Councilmember Stanley Chang, and Kalani High School students.

We started hanging up pictures. We need to find a place to hang these two California Legislature Assembly Resolutions
presented to us by California Assemblymember Ted Lieu upon our departure to Hawaii.

Andrea resumed landscaping while I mowed the lawn on Monday.

The requisite photo at dinner Tuesday.

On our morning walk on Wednesday we saw this heron in the stream from the Kalanianaole Highway bridge.

The requisite Wednesday breakfast photo.

Wednesday afternoon we went to the beach. Michael took photos of fish underwater.

Thursday afternoon Andrea and I went to the beach again, after a Kalani Robotics travel meeting at the school library. They were setting
up some kind of tent event at the Waikiki Aquarium.

That evening Jan treated us to dinner at Gyotaku.

Friday the 20^th we went to the beach and spotted a number of what appear to be papier maché marine mammals on the lawn of
the Waikiki Aquarium.

Later, when I went to the Aquarium while doing my bar dips and pullups at the Natatorium, I took this shot of the marine mammals.

Friday evening, the 20^th, we had some friends and relatives over for a party.

Andrea talks in our new office with Libby who grew up next door.

Carl Young lives up on Hind Iuka Drive now, but he grew up next door.

Mike and Zack assembled a bristlebot.

Cousin Kim had a good time.

Mrs. Young with daughter Libby.

Group photo taken by Carl's son Zack. Carl, Walter Rick. Pete, Kim, Lenore, Andrea, Betty. Mike, Jan, Lynn, Libby. We had good food,
good drink, and good conversations.

Saturday evening, the 21^st, Andrea and I went to Waikiki on a "date night out." We saw the sand moving equipment in action.

At the Banyan Court at the Moana Hotel.

Andrea with Diamond Head in the background.

This is the square portrait I made of Andrea from the photo above.

The Hawaiian music duo came on at 6:00 PM as we drank their classic mai tais.

The hula dancer performed too.

It was prom night so we took photos in the lobby of the Moana of students having their special night out.

Waiting for the Saint Louis airplane (an Embraer 145) in Chicago.

After we dropped our things off in our rooms, we took a walk outside and found we were across the street from the Busch
Stadium, home of the Saint Louis Cardinals. We got tickets for the Friday night game.

We walked up to the America's Center venue for the Championship event and saw this head along the way.

Across Washington, an east-west street, from the America's Center.

On the way back we went to Gateway Park to look at the arch. Leaving America's Center for the Gateway Arch.

Getting closer to the arch.

At Gateway park.

Andrea got a group photo by the pond near the arch.

This is Andrea's photo of the group by the arch.

It's pretty impressive when you get close to it.

ZJ, Jennifer, Andrea, and I went up in the same capsule. This is the souvenir photo taken by the National Park Service there.

ZJ and Jennifer get into the capsule first.

We all went up to the top. Andrea took this photo of the Mississippi River from the top of the arch.

Looking out the windows at the top of the arch. Wildstang, FRC 111, was there too.

Here's the view of the stadium and our hotel.

Here's the view of the Edward Jones Dome at America's Center where the competition was held (far right).

Students with the statue of Thomas Jefferson in the history museum at the arch.

Outside the arch museum, heading back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel: mentors Tyron, Andrea, Brian, and Rick. Photo by Madi.

The next day, Wednesday, the 25^th, we got up early and met down in the lobby to go exploring.

We walked to the City Museum, just off Washington, west of the America's Center venue.

The City Museum could be called the weird museum because of all the weird stuff inside, with lots of weird things to crawl through.

Here are some weird displays in the museum.

The weird ray gun collection.

The museum collection has many salvaged architectural features, like this weird flying pineapple with crossed lightning bolts.

Andrea poses with a Sphinx.

Saint Louis presenting the crown.

It's a real conglomeration of odd objects.

Where did they get this stuff? It must have all been in the city at one time. Preservation of the past.

A neoclassical BS frieze.

An angel.

The outdoor climbing apparatus was a real jumble. Photo by Andrea.

Andrea and I climbed in some of the play equipment.

Andrea waits at the bottom of the long slide.

Waiting to return from the City Museum. Photo by Madi.

Egyptian motif on the exterior of the museum building.

There is lots of public art in Saint Louis.

The team had lunch at Hardee's.

Waiting in the lobby with Andrea on Thursday. Photo by Madi.

Thursday morning we walked around the pits. Two students look at a very low number legacy team's robot.

On Thursday, Glenn Lee of FRC 359, Waialua High School, Hawaii, gave a conference session on tips for a successful team.

Qualifying matches began on Thursday. Here are the Archimedes and Newton fields. We were in the Archimedes Division.

We had a very nice looking pit.

The Space Cookies work on their robot.

The Robonauts always have a really cool (and beautifully engineered) robot. They made it to Einstein field, but the robot was
mysteriously dead in both matches.

Another view of the Robonaut machine. Photo by Andrea.

The Beachbots (FRC 330) split off from Beach Cities Robotics (FRC 294) back in 1998. The Beachbots, World Champions in 2005,
were in the Newton Division, but didn't make it to finals.

The Metalcrafters (FRC 207) is the other team that split off from Beach Cities Robotics. They did make it to Einstein field, but were
eliminated in the semifinal.

Our robot takes the field at Archimedes.

3008 robot action on Archimedes.

3008 participating in a triple balance on Archimedes.

Thursday evening Hawaii's ROC held a second reception for the six Hawaii teams with lots of good food.

Opening ceremonies on Friday.

Friday's Deans List Awards ceremony.

Using the Kinect to control the robot during hybrid period.

Good results during hybrid period. Our robot usually sunk two six pointers during hybrid.

Madi with Mark Leon. Photo by Madi.

Madi made lots of friends in the pits. Photo by Madi.

The engineering model of the Curiosity Mars rover was on display.

Andrea at the 3008 pit.

Team photo in our pit.

Friday evening we saw the Saint Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers. Brian, with his enforcement bat souvenir, and I waiting
for the straglers.

The score was 12 to 1 after the fifth inning when we left to get a good night's rest.

Getting ready for the final elimination matches.

Naturally, Dean Kamen made some great inspiring speeches with homework.

Receiving the Judge's Award trophy.

The students pose with their Judge's Award trophy.

After the finals (Bomb Squad was the winning alliance captain), Andrea and I ate in the Westin restaurant. The food was great.

We got up at 3:00 AM to return Sunday morning and gathered in the lobby to wait for the shuttle bus to the airport.

The Chicago O'Hare Airport has this large dinosaur fossile skeleton. Its toe bones are bigger than my arms.