SOLAR PLANES AND FRISBEE GOLF

  Solar-powered plane ready for first international flight

Solar Impulse is on standby for its first international flight this week. Brussels has been chosen as the destination for the first venture outside Swiss borders, which follows the solar powered aircraft's maiden flight and first overnight flight last year and will mark another important step towards the goal of flying around the world in 2012.

Yesterday was cold and windy in the morning and rained hard most of the afternoon. We decided to tuck in, watch a movie and for me, catch up on e-mails, some small housekeeping chores and play on the computer. Some trivia I saved for a rainy day:
There have been so many earthquakes and storms of late. But, the deadliest earthquake occurred on Jan. 23, 1556 in central China. In that area, most people lived in caves carved from soft rock. In fact, when I visited China in 2007, we viewed a cave residence. Cave dwelling is still popular in some parts of China. But, that earthquake killed an estimated 830,000 people as the mountain crumbled.

Did you know the term sarcophagus means flesh eater? I didn't either. It is the name Greeks gave a special marble found in Asia Minor near ancient Troy and was used in caskets. The marble, so goes the lore, had the power to destroy the entire body except the teeth within a few weeks. Makes you wonder who "determined" that bit of nonsense. I have a ceramic sarcophagus in my living room that I dearly love. Of course, its a work of art.

Before porcelain teeth were perfected in the 19th century, dentures were commonly made with teeth pulled from the mouths of dead soldiers. After the U.S. Civil War, teeth were shipped to dentists in England by the barrel full. I didn't know that. Yuk!I thought false teeth were made of wood.

On a more fun note, the Brooklyn Dodgers were named the Dodgers after the local folks ability to dodge trolley cars. They were called trolley dodgers.

 Late, about five, we finally got out for a walk to stretch our legs and breathe the fresh, clean air.

This park has Frisbee golf, something I'd never seen nor heard of.

This is what a "hole" looks like. It also looks like fun. Jim said he used to have a frisbee but he doesn't know what happened to it.

Horse tail was poking up between the rocks on the bank of a creek.

Liatris is a water lover and grows lush here. I have it at home and it struggles on woody stems and crawls tight to the soil in our hot sun. Even so, its beautiful.
We had a nice hot pea soup for dinner last night and expect to get out and about today, weather be damned.