Another Day, Another Year, Another Pi

Actually, it's the same old Pi. Looks like I have been gone quite a while. Yes, we all seem to get busier and busier. Nevertheless, Pi keeps on going. Literally, it keeps on going.

Enjoy one of the most important days on our calendar and as always, enjoy a slice of pie.

3.1415

I haven't been paying close enough attention today. Yes, of course it's Pi Day. But for goodness sakes, March 14 of 2015 is 3.1415! It doesn't get much better than that. It almost makes me want to memorize the Value of Pi out past 3.14159.

Once you have finished watching all the documentaries and academy award winning movies, and listened to all the songs about Pi, well then it is time to dwell on the Value of Pie. Both Pi and Pie are important. I wish I had one of those Pies to help me celebrate Pi.

Here's one cute little link about Pi in case you haven't seen this before.

Snopes on Pi

Now go have a delicious piece of pie and celebrate.

Duck Duck Goose Blanket

I have been making some blankets from a nice Moda flannel fabric called Duck Duck Goose. They are not really quilts because they don't have batting on the inside, although I did use various different rectangles sewed together in mostly random order, so it looks like the photo is of a quilt.

I love the fabric. It is a really nice soft flannel. It has some thickness to it so it will be warmer than you might think. Some of the flannels available out in the fabric stores are quite thin and flimsy, so I was glad to find such a nice fabric.

Anyway, here is a photo of one of the recent ones I sewed. I have already made six and have one more and maybe two more that I'm planning on making. They are all for babies born within the last year or year and a half. Perhaps in twenty years all these kids can get together and bring the blankets.

This is the front of the blanket. It's about 90 cm by 100 cm.

This is the fabric that is the back of the blanket.

12-12-12

Yes, that's the date today. I couldn't let today go by without at least mentioning it. And I apologize to all my millions (approximate number) of daily readers for not updating here on a more regular basis. I've been busy and I do have some other blogs that I also write. Not a good excuse, but what can I say?

Anyway, it's the 12th day, 12th month of 2012, so a neat number. There is a concert going on today, The Concert for Sandy Relief. It's a good idea and I hope they raise lots of money for all the victims.

We won't have another opportunity this century to have a date like today, mostly because we don't have a 13th month. With enough effort, that could be changed, but nah, that's not going to happen. We will have to wait for 2101 on January 1 for a neat date again. Let me know how it goes, I won't be here to celebrate that date.

And even though it is a special date, it doesn't really mean anything special. Yesterday was a good day and I expect tomorrow will be great too. It's what you make of it. So celebrate today, but celebrate tomorrow and next week also.

Pi Day, Pi Day

I wish I could take credit for the title, but actually I Googled pi day and then looked at Images and saw that. Figured it was cute and so I put it here.

So, Happy Pi Day. I celebrated by going to our local Pizza Pi place and buying a pizza for $3.14! It was delicious, even if it was not perfectly round.

For those who have been waiting for the next installment of the value of Pi, here is an update from last year.

3.1415926535897932384626433

And if you want a little bit more information about Pi, head over to Wikipedia.

11:11, 11-11-11

I like numbers, mostly because they are so important in math. There is a neat pattern today and since I posted this morning I was able to get the time stamp for 11:11, so that's ten times that the number 1 can be used in writing the time and date today.

It's also Veterans Day.

Here are a few resources to look at for more information:

United States Department of Veterans Affairs - History of Veterans Day

United States Department of Veterans Affairs - Poster Gallery

United States Department of Veterans Affairs

Wikipedia Veterans Day

This is a day to remember and honor all veterans.

Minnesota State Fair Photos

We went to the Minnesota State Fair yesterday. Take a look at some of the fun photos I took in the following posts. Here in this post is a short video that shows just a few of the fun rides that we were much too chicken to go on. But perhaps you'd enjoy going round and round and round or upside down or round and round while you are also upside down and maybe going backwards too, just for the fun of it.

Minnesota State Fair Photos

Chainsaw Art. I'm quite sure that's how this statue was done. It does seem to have been at the Fair for more than one year, it sure looks weathered to me. He's a cute little guy playing a concertina. If you want to see him, he is in the north part of the Fairgrounds, near the large gray newer building that has the dogs on display, pet toys to purchase, and Canine Cops information.

I'm not much of an artist. I've only done some clay, a little bit of glass blowing, and maybe one drawing that looked like anything special. But I do think sculpture of any kind would be harder than drawing, throwing pots, or painting. You have to look at a log or a large piece of stone or marble and somehow see the finished work of art inside the material you are working with. How much do you take off so that you still have the ears? How do you decide how much to take off for his neck? If you make a mistake while painting, you can add more paint and cover it up. If you make a mistake while throwing a pot, you can just make the pot shorter, or slap the clay together and start over. With sculpture, if you aren't careful, you'll have one ear too far down on his head, or you'll take off too much and his legs will be wobbly.

That being said, Chainsaw Art is noisy and loud!

Minnesota State Fair Photos

I wish we had see the tractors on our way in to the Fair instead of from the Skyride on our way out. I would have spend some time looking at all of them. I think there must have been at least30, maybe 50 tractors, each one different and all of them really neat. These obviously were up on Machinery Hill which is in the north part of the Fairgrounds. Next year we'll be sure to see the tractors.

Minnesota State Fair Photos

Here's another photo I took while on the Ferris Wheel. We went Friday and the Midway was not very crowded yet. It will probably have three times as many people on Saturday, Sunday and Labor Day. Maybe even ten times as many people.

Minnesota State Fair Photos

We go to the Minnesota State Fair nearly every year. When I was younger, I would go a few times each year, so I probably have been there about 50 times so far. Therefore, we don't try to see everything each year. This year, we did go to the Midway and go on a ride - the Ferris Wheel. I was able to get some nice photos while riding the Ferris Wheel. Maybe next year we should try the Double Ferris Wheel.

Minnesota State Fair Photos

We went on the Sky Ride. (I think I got the name right. There's two rides that are similar. We went in the ride where you have to be ready for the seat to come up behind you and get on while it keeps moving. Also, your feet dangle down, so keep those flip flops on tight or you'll lose them.)

Anyway, people do drop stuff. They should be more careful. We saw this little fellow on a roof. Somewhere a little kid is sad and lonely. But not to worry. Little Green Frog had a soft landing. He is after all Plush. And now he is waving to everyone as they pass over the brown roof on their journey.

Minnesota State Fair Photos

We found this place to relax and have some French Fries and a Coke. It's called Netherfield's and has all the things that make it a great place to eat at the Fair. It was clean and had good food, more than just the French Fries and Coke that we had. There were tables to sit at, many of them in shade. It had lots of condiments that were easy to get at and even three
places to use hand sanitizer and paper towels before eating.

Good food, a place to sit and shade are valuable commodities at the Fair!

Minnesota State Fair Photos

This photo shows something that I haven't seen before at the Fair. That doesn't mean it wasn't there last year, but it seems like a fun idea. And it's free.

It's a Giant Sing Along. Just join the crowd and sing along.

Minnesota State Fair

Go to the Minnesota State Fair. It's going on now! August 25 through Labor Day, Sept 5, 2011.

Visit the Minnesota State Fair Website. Find out about all the delicious food on a stick. And much much more.

Today is National Train Day

It's a special day today. Did you even realize that it's National Train Day? Good thing I reminded you. If you haven't been on a train lately, it's about time you get in gear. Read all about National Train Day here and then get moving.

Whooo whooo. All aboard!

World Festival Parade at Mayo High School

I had the opportunity this past weekend to go to the Rochester International Association's 36th Annual World Festival at Mayo High School. I could only stay for a few minutes, but I did get a chance to look at the various booths from all the different countries and talk with some of the people there. I also was lucky to be there (with my camera) for the Parade.

Here (at bottom of this post) is the first part of the parade. For the middle and end of the parade, scroll down to the next post. I have learned that I can't put a video up on the blog that is too long or too big. It just won't work. So, the easiest thing was for me to start and stop my camera and have a few short videos. Not the best, but a quick solution for now. When I get the time, I'll read the manual and find out how to edit my videos to make them just the right size.

The parade starts with someone, perhaps from Scotland, playing the bagpipes. I wish the video was all in one posting so that you could hear all of the song, but perhaps you will recognize it anyway. Many people are playing drums and it is interesting to see the different drums from the different countries.

I did have the opportunity also to see some young dancers from Ireland. That was interesting and very impressive. One can only imagine how much they practice to get to be that good! On Friday night there was the talent show which would have been really fun to attend, but alas, I was not able to make it to that portion this year. Next year I will have to save the date on my calendar for sure!

World Festival Parade - Second Part

Here is the middle portion of the parade.

World Festival Parade - Third Part

This shows the last part of the parade and is a little bit longer than the first two videos.

World Festival France

I was only at the World Festival at Mayo High School for a very brief time, but I took a few photos of the table about France. Scroll down for another photo and then also a short video of the whole display about France.