Croak! Says the Sea Robin
Originally uploaded by eclectic echoes.

Searobin

     by Johann Heupel

Then 500 feet before the exit for the museum our right rear tire blew out. Isn’t that funny? Twenty minutes later, Eric was able to get the spare tire off from the underside of the car. The mechanism that held the tire in place froze up and Eric couldn’t get the tire off. I didn’t expect anyone to stop and help us, but I did find it highly annoying that people kept honking at us and making wow–it–stinks–to–be–you faces as they drove by.

Eric got the old tire off by jumping on top of the lug wrench for each lug nut and got the spare on. The spare tire looked a little flat, but we thought we might at least make it to the museum on it. Wrong! The spare tire completely separated from the rim when we tried to drive away. Eric announced that we are getting cell phones as soon as we get home.

By this time we had been stranded on the side of the road at least 40 minutes. The only police car we saw on the road in that time passed us by. Wasn’t that nice? So we decided to hoof it. We walked down the slope of the exit behind us and found a tile company showroom. The ladies in there were extremely nice in letting us use the phone and the bathroom. They even offered us drinks and we took them up on a bottle of water. We called USAA roadside assistance. Thank goodness we had them to call!

We’ve never had to use the roadside assistance before. USAA is the best! They helped us find the nearest towing and tire places, called the towing company and told them where we were, and called a taxi for us. Eric went to the nearest ATM so we’d have cash for the taxi. Johann and I went to the museum. Eric waited with the car and met up with us at the museum later.

I’m so proud of Eric. The tow truck driver was smoking on the ride to the tire place. Pairing that with the stressful events of the day, Eric was the most tempted to bum a cigarette then than in any other moment since he quit smoking two and a half years ago and he didn’t. He waited nearly an hour for the tow truck and made the 15 minute ride to the tire place in heavy traffic. Once Eric paid for new tires and learned it would be a three hour wait, he got the mechanics to look up a taxi service, which they grudgingly did, and came to the museum.

Johann and I had already gone over everything we wanted to see and had done some shopping in the museum store. The third floor had a section on minerals and gems, an Egyptian exhibit with two mummies, dioramas with taxidermy animals native to Connecticut, and the Earth and Space section. We went back into the Darwin exhibit to make a few sketches of some of the skeletons there and watched the short film on Darwin, Dana, and Marsh again at the entrance of the exhibit. By 3:30 P.M., we were getting tired and hungry, so we decided to go sit in the Great Hall and wait for Eric. A few minutes later we saw him on the second floor looking down on us from the Discovery Room!

Johann and I pulled Eric in different directions to show and share with him everything he had missed while we were at the museum. Eric was a good sport, took some pictures, and walked around with us. Johann wasn’t truly excited or happy about our trip to the museum until Daddy was there. Except for the few times we got lost in what we saw and read about in the sections of the museum that were new to us, I was distracted with worry too.

Once we had made the rounds the second time with Eric, we walked to the nearest restaurant and got sandwiches and ice cream. The waitress kindly dialed the number of the cab service we’d used before. I was a little concerned when I noticed smoke from the engine coming out of the air vents. Somehow the taxi got us there. We got back to the tire place 10 minutes before they closed. The car was already repaired and waiting. The mechanic saw us come up and he met us at the door with Eric’s car keys. A day that could have been a total disaster turned out pretty well. So we took the scenic route to get to the museum. Thankfully, the rain stopped BEFORE the car broke down!

Torosaurus latus bronze in front of the Yale Peabody Museum

Johann studying and sketching part of the Darwin Exhibit on evolution while Tammy studies the exhibit on Dana.

Johann and Tammy discussing Hesperonis crassipes

Johann was fascinated by the Hesperonis crassipes skeleton.

Another favorite, Moeritherium, a prehistoric mammal that Johann identifies almost as a friend.

Alas Poor Erectus…

Normally cold, rainy days are so dreary, but not when you get to go to the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History! We desperately needed a family science immersion day to rejuvenate! Eric took the day off. I had hoped to get some yard work done, but that wasn’t going to happen with the rain. So we decided to buy membership to the Yale Peabody Museum and go. They have a reciprocity agreement with a lot of other science museums and centers. We have plans to go to all the ones we are interested in while we are still on the East Coast, especially the Museum of Science in Boston, so we now have two years to take advantage of the membership benefits.

At the Yale Peabody Museum there are three floors, but we only managed to cover the first floor, the Discovery Room for children on the second floor, and the gift shop in the four hours we were there. We will go back to see the third floor and view the Darwin exhibit again before it comes down August 23. Johann didn’t want to validate the parking ticket so that we couldn’t get the car out of the parking lot. He figured if that happened, we would have to stay at the museum overnight, maybe even indefinitely!

The exhibit “Darwin: 150 Years of Evolutionary Thinking” was very well done. There was information on Dana and Marsh as well, and it was very interesting to see the similarities between Darwin and Dana, who has been referred to as the American Darwin. Some of the correspondence between the two scientists was on display, as well as a map of the sea voyages each man went on as part of their path of scientific discovery.

The Hall of Dinosaurs and the Hall of Mammalian Evolution were amazing. Eric and I enjoyed seeing the wonder in Johann’s eyes and watching him soak it all in. We all kept thinking about the movie Night at the Museum while we were looking at the dinosaurs. Johann loved to see real examples of the animals he’s studied in his books.

Johann was also very excited to see everything in the “Fossil Fragments: The Riddle of Human Origins” exhibit. He recognized the discoveries that were written about and the specimens on display from the documentary shows he’s seen on the Leaky family’s work. He took time to draw sketches and make notes. The Age of Reptiles mural and the Age of Mammals mural were incredible. Since Eric was permitted to take pictures without a flash, we are going over the pictures of the fossils and can even read some of the information about them again.

The Yale Peabody Museum has a good interactive exhibit about energy conservation right now. We also enjoyed the smaller sections where the Hall of Pacific Cultures, Hall of Native American Cultures, and the scale model of Machu Picchu are. The Discovery Room has a leaf cutter ant colony, a black rat snake, and poison dart frogs. There were drawers full of fossils, rocks and minerals, and various preserved spiders and insects that each had a magnifying glass and a please touch policy. They had a variety of stuffed birds and preserved butterflies for kids to see. There were lots of books out for kids to read and a display comparing eggs from different birds. Johann particularly liked holding the cast of the T.rex tooth and the coprolite.

There was so much to see and learn in every room we went into, that even though we spent four hours there, we still feel like we missed some of it. Where some of the homeschooling families use their vacation time to go to the Creationist Museum, we prefer to revel in places like the Yale Peabody Museum. Now that we’ve gone, we might just have to make a weekly pilgrimage there!

zooplankton = wonder
Originally uploaded by eclectic echoes.

Making plankton.
Originally uploaded by eclectic echoes.

Let ‘em float!
Originally uploaded by eclectic echoes.

A menagerie in Marzipan.
Originally uploaded by eclectic echoes.

13 choices for Which Critter is Best.
Originally uploaded by eclectic echoes.

A beach combing scavenger hunt.
Originally uploaded by eclectic echoes.

Taking inventory of the scavenger hunt.
Originally uploaded by eclectic echoes.

Dolphin Batik Tote Bag
Originally uploaded by eclectic echoes.

Party Favors for all!!
Originally uploaded by eclectic echoes.

What a great day! Everything went well, we had beautiful weather, and everyone had fun. What more could we ask for? Johann wanted to have an ocean–themed party, but when I started planning activities, I quickly realized there was no way we could do it at our house with our space limitations.

We looked at a number of places around town and finally decided on Project Oceanology at Avery Point. They have fantastic oceanography education programs for kids and I thought that maybe they did parties too, so I checked their website. Since their programs are for 4th grade and up, having a party there was a great opportunity to do something for younger kids.

Johann chose the party option entitled “Plankton Pandemonium”. Emily was the young lady who did the activities with the kids and she was great! She got a sample of plankton and put out petri dishes at a number of microscopes so everyone had a chance to see the plankton. There was also a video of plankton the kids could watch. Then the kids made their own “plankton” out of mesh fabric, coffee filters, yarn scraps, feathers, pom-poms, etc.

Since Project O is in a two–story building with an open staircase, once the crafting was done, we held plankton races. All the kids went upstairs and when Emily gave the signal, they dropped their plankton creations. There had to be two heats, because of the number of kids there, and then a tie breaker race. Because plankton have to float to stay alive, the winner of the race was the one who’s plankton stayed afloat the longest.

While Emily prepared the second activity for the kids, we had cupcakes and ice cream. Johann loved having Happy Birthday sung to him. Once he blew out his number 9 candle on one of the cupcakes, I put the platter with all the marzipan cupcakes on the table. All the kids had the roundest, big saucer eyes I’d ever seen! Some of the moms asked me if I was in business making cake decorations and that I should be if I wasn’t. One said the marzipan was too beautiful to eat. Eric explained what each creature was and then everyone chose what they wanted. We chose invertebrates that the kids might not have seen before, to show them there is much more in the ocean besides the high profile fish and cetaceans everyone is familiar with.

Since the weather held, we were able to do the scavenger hunt at the small beach near the Project O building. The kids divided up into teams, got their plastic bins, checklists, and beachcombing guides, and jumped right in! Once the teams had everything on the list that they could find, Emily discussed each item with the kids, explaining more about the animals and answering any questions. Eric said it was a good thing that we had the outdoor activity right after the sugar rush of the cupcakes and ice cream! All the kids had loads of fun exploring on the beach.

Then it was time to open presents. Johann liked everything he got. They were surprised when we gave out our party favor gifts. Eric, Johann, and I dyed the blank tote bags using Eric’s copper dolphin chop and soy wax. We got each child their own copy of The Ocean Book, Aquarium and Seaside Activities and Ideas for All Ages, a small all–weather notebook for writing down observations, an ocean creatures pencil, and an orca eraser.

In answering questions and compliments, I explained to the moms why we chose Project O and why we did everything we did for the party. Johann said he loves the ocean so much that he wanted to share that with all of his friends. And since this is the first birthday party he’s ever had for friends, we wanted to make it extra special. Johann thanked us for the party on the way home in the car. He said it was the best day of his life.

The adults learned just as much from the party as the kids did. An audible “wow” came from the group when Emily told them that phytoplankton is responsible for most of the oxygen we breathe. We helped instill a new appreciation for the ocean and the organisms that live there. Hopefully from now on when the kids are at the beach or they think about the ocean, they will look at everything in a whole new way.

“Look, Mommy! Look at the holes they left! There’s less and less. You can see where they swam through! They’re swimming around and around. They are swirling around and swimming in at all angles! It’s a feeding frenzy!!”

Johann watched and recorded what he saw through the microscope after I added a drop of dyed yeast to a sample of paramecia. He had a fantastic afternoon viewing all the live protozoa cultures we ordered. His favorites were the ciliates: paramecia and stentor. Those paramecia are voracious eaters!

Even though we showed him how a statically charged balloon will light up a compact fluorescent bulb when held up to it, he had yet to see a big enough charge that threw a spark on its own. He had played with the classic experiment of dragging his socked feet on the rug in order to shock both of us, but that was still something you couldn’t see. He knew it was there because you could feel it. I wanted him to see it too and I wasn’t sure he believed me that you could under the right conditions. This was beyond frustrating.

About a month ago I was doing one last load of laundry before bed. Eric and Johann were getting into their pjs in the bathroom where it’s warmer. I was in the bedroom folding the white polyester blanket. Since I’d run out of fabric softener, it was more staticky than usual. I heard a couple of good crackles as I started to pull it apart and realize this was my chance to show Johann.

I ran and got Eric and Johann, we turned out the lights, and then I pulled the folds of the blanket apart. It was a fairy fireworks display! The moment I was waiting for finally happened. Johann not only saw it, but got big round eyes and had a sense of wonder and awe on his face. “Whoa! That’s really cool, Mommy!”

We played with the blanket until it seemed like all the static was gone, but then by shaking the blanket, we were able to generate more static electricity. Eric got into it and at Johann’s urging, kept shaking it more and more to make more sparks. Eric brought the blanket high as he was shaking it and I noticed the ceiling light flickered.

Eric did it again for Johann to see. The same compact fluorescent light bulb lit up. You could see the light inside the coil was the same purple-blue light of the sparks. Eric continued to shake and lift the blanket to try to get more of the light bulbs in the ceiling light to turn on. At that point I could feel the hairs on my face standing on end and started getting an apprehensive feeling that we were generating too much of a charge. So I suggested we stop.

We let the charge die down, but Johann’s enthusiasm for our static experiment hadn’t. He didn’t want to stop. So Eric did one more run on everything. When the charge got to be as high as before, he stopped again. The whole room felt electrified. Then I noticed the air smelled so clean like a magnified post thunderstorm sky in the mountains. The last time I’d smelled that smell was years ago when we had used an ionizer in our livingroom that didn’t shut off when it was supposed to. Bedtime had passed over an hour before, but that didn’t matter. Johann’s skepticism had been replaced with scientific wonder. I don’t think any of us will look at the white blanket quite the same again.

He has been doing a series of these quick weekly videos highlighting endangered species and the science we talk about that he thinks are especially interesting or cool in a video podcast format he calls Johann’s Science Week. We are negotiating his own, tightly monitored, blog when I resurrect heupel.com as a family portal.

First up though is One of the Channels north of the circle. From the time stamp on the photo and the ships GPS track this should be Lamaire Channel.

In the Lamaire Channel

Screen shot from Google Earth of the Lamaire Channel and the photo location. Inset shows entire Antarctic Peninsula with main image area selected in yellow circle.

Along with the beautiful landscape Dad sent along a few animal photos including this beauty:

A pair of Humpback Whales feeding in the waters south of Anverse Island

The previous Lamaire Channel photo is the camera icon in the lower left corner, the humpback whales are the upper icon.

More to come later this week!

Marking the globe with tape and string seemed problematic to me, so I suggested we get a world wall map on which to chart the trip. Johann could trace the route Grandpa traveled on the globe with his finger. When we were up at Storrs to submit Eric’s graduate school application, we stopped by the campus bookstore for the map. That combined with some yarn and small circles of painter’s tape has become a geography unit for homeschool.

I said jokingly that following Grandpa’s trip was like searching for Waldo. Each day we read the itinerary and found on the map where Grandpa was supposed to be in the world. We decided to make a sign to hang above the map: “Where in the World is Waldo?” with “Waldo” crossed out and “Grandpa” printed above it. Originally, we intended to track all of Jim’s trips for this year, which will also include Alaska and the Galapagos. Each trip will have a different color of yarn on the map. Our project has quickly mushroomed, as it usually does, to include all of Jim’s previous trips too. Now you have to admit, that’s some Grandpa! He’s putting himself on the line and is traveling to all these absolutely wonderful places just to help in his grandson’s education!

Once he was unpacked from his trip, Grandpa sent on the GPS track from the ship’s navigational computers. Eric and Johann loaded it into Google Earth so we are able to see the ship’s exact path, including its dip below the Antarctic Circle as shown here.

You did what?!! This passage is only about 0.6km across when there is no ice, so with the always present ice it’s… pretty hairy! Grandpa reported the captain chainsmoked through this passage!

UPDATE:
Here is the image Grandpa sent in with the comment below! Thank you Jim!

Well, it may be a stretch to call it misunderstood, but…

Brown morph red-footed boobie,
originally uploaded by eclectic echoes.

Tammy and I recently gave Johann his own Flickr account. He’s been wanting one for a while and now that he is taking pictures regularly with me, there was a new reason to consider it. At the same time we are encouraging his use of Flickr as an opportunity to learn, as we do in most things. One thing is that I have taken to making a detective/research game out of each of his requests to add someone as a contact. (almost all are from my own contacts so I am familiar with their work). For Flickr member Aleutian Fox I gave Johann 9 short answer questions about the Aleutian Islands which ranged from fairly easy (What European Nation first settled and claimed the islands) to reasonably hard (how were the islands formed). Encouraging him to continue to use books and cite sources, he also had to use only books for the answers and provide me a list of the books. Once he answered all the questions he could add Aleutian Fox as his contact.

I took off to my evening class after giving him the list and the plan that he and Tammy would visit the library tomorrow. By the time I got home from class he had only two questions left, and he was working on those! Within another 15 minutes he had them all done. All of the answers had come from books in our own private library, three of my books (The Sea Floor, Whales, Whaling and the Ocean Ecosystem, and An Introduction to the World’s Oceans) and two of his own (How People Live and Our Country’s Presidents). So much for going to the town library.

GANSO PATOLA, originally uploaded by sparkyfaisca.

The next Flickr Challenge was Sparky Faisca. I wanted Johann to grab 5 pictures from his stream that represent 5 different orders within the class Aves and provide the complete classification for each (Sparky provides common name and species). Pretty easy, except Johann discovered a problem. Sparky has some wonderful images of a Northern Gannet. He listed the scientific name as Sula bassana, and one of Johann’s books, Smithsonian Institution: Animal, had it as Morus bassana. Johann pointed this genus confusion out to me, so I showed him how to use the ITIS website to verify the current classification. Problem solved!

Ooops! ITIS reports both as being confirmed valid species names. There seems to be a bit of confusion or misunderstanding there…

Ok. The Gannets and Boobies together make up the Sulidae. I remember that much from my trip to Belize… Why? Because for organized conservation in Belize it all began with the boobies. Sula is the genus of the boobies such as the Red-footed boobie Sula sula while Morus is the genus of the Gannets such as the Australasian gannet Morus serrator, and Papasula is the genus for Abbot’s boobie Papasula abbotti which appears to be much older branch than the Sula and may be intermediate to the gannet and boobie genus’. So why is the Northern Gannet in both Morus and Sula at ITIS? For that matter why is the Abbot’s Boobie in both Papasula and Sula?

Northern Gannet in Flight ©Jim Heupel

Johann suggested that the Northern Gannet, being a true gannet, must be in genus Morus with the other true gannets. I had to concur. Just before bed Johann sent me the following classification for the Northern Gannet:

Classification for Norther Gannet

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Ciconiiformes

Family

Sulidae

Genus

Morus

Species

Morus bassanus(Linnaeus, 1758)

And just to be complete… here is the classification for the Red-footed boobie I captured in Belize…

Classification for Red-footed Boobie

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Ciconiiformes

Family

Sulidae

Genus

Sula

Species

Sula sula(Linnaeus, 1766)

Life Photo Meme,

(Update: Dad just sent us a photo of a Northern Gannet in flight from his trip to Iceland. Three shots of Sulidae!! Thanks Dad!!)