Beautiful Dendrites!

08. January 2010 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

A billion years ago, in one of my meteorology classes, I was taught the temperature ranges at which snowflakes will form their different potential shapes. I remember getting tested on the information, too.

“At what temperature ranges will capped columns form?”

Heck if I know now, but I can now find out with the click of a button….

This is from Wikipedia’s entry on snow:

“The shape of the snowflake is determined broadly by the temperature and humidity at which it is formed.[12] The most common snow particles are visibly irregular. Planar crystals (thin and flat) grow in air between 0 °C (32 °F) and ?3 °C (27 °F). Between ?3 °C (27 °F) and ?8 °C (18 °F), the crystals will form needles or hollow columns or prisms (long thin pencil-like shapes). From ?8 °C (18 °F) to ?22 °C (?8 °F) the shape reverts back to plate-like, often with branched or dendritic features. At temperatures below ?22 °C (?8 °F), the crystal development becomes column-like, although many more complex growth patterns also form such as side-planes, bullet-rosettes and also planar types depending on the conditions and ice nuclei.[15][16][17] If a crystal has started forming in a column growth regime, at around ?5 °C (23 °F), and then falls into the warmer plate-like regime, then plate or dendritic crystals sprout at the end of the column, producing so called “capped columns.”[12]”

I found this description of this specific kind of dendrite from CalTech:

“Fernlike Stellar Dendrites. Sometimes the branches of stellar crystals have so many sidebranches they look a bit like ferns, so we call them fernlike stellar dendrites. These are the largest snow crystals, often falling to earth with diameters of 5 mm or more. In spite of their large size, these are single crystals of ice — the water molecules are lined up from one end to the other. Some snowfalls contain almost nothing but stellar dendrites and fernlike stellar dendrites. It can make quite a sight when they collect in vast numbers, covering everything in sight. The best powder snow, where you sink to your knees while skiing, is made of stellar dendrites. These crystals can be extremely thin and light, so they make a low density snowpack.”

Oh…I just found this picture that seems to sum it up pretty well:

Anyway, here are some pictures I took today from when the temperature was around 0F, and these are some of the prettiest dendrites I’ve seen with my own eyes (rather than in a book). I’m posting these pics nice and large so you can see the elaborate detail. Isn’t science beautiful?

Nebraska Discoveries 9**: Skiing at Mount Crescent, Iowa

29. December 2009 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,

**Yes, I know this is in Iowa, but it’s easily something that someone in Nebraska could do.

Today the family took a day trip to Mount Crescent Ski Area in Crescent, Iowa. Dave and I can now proudly add this small mountain to our “I didn’t realize there was skiing there!” locations that includes Mad River Mountain, Ohio, Mountain Creek (formerly Vernon Valley), New Jersey, and several resorts in South Korea.

From 2009 12 28 Mount Crescent Ski Area

First off, realize that this is the first time Dave and I have skied since we’d had kids. We skied almost annually every year we were dating/were married from 1994-2002. I was about 12 weeks along with Jacob when Dave and I took our AFIT graduation trip to Lake Tahoe in March 2002. Dave and I like to think we’re decent-enough skiers.

So combine the fact we hadn’t skied since 2002 with our never having to pay for more than just a pair of lift tickets for Dave and me.

That being said, we were met with the shell shock of the price tag for a family of 4 to ski, rent equipment for the kids, and get 90 minutes of semi-private lessons for the boys — with one of the kids skiing for free at age 4: over $200! Phew. Plus lunch at the slopes, and dinner on the way home. Our checkbooks were still in shock from Disneyworld!

What’s really sad is that Mount Crescent is probably one of the least expensive ski opportunities there is! I looked at all the other ski mountains Dave and I had been to that might have cost the same, and they cost more! So if we’re going to make this a routine family outing, I’d better up my AF Reserve work!

Dave had to wait about 45 minutes just to get our lift tickets, and we got quite annoyed. I was imagining the minutes ticking away from our day. It turned out the computer system was down and the attendants were having to manually calculate our bills. Thankfully the credit card machine was working!

From 2009 12 28 Mount Crescent Ski Area

The boys didn’t have their lesson till about 2 hours after we started skiing, so Dave and I worked with the boys some on little fundamentals. The boys seemed cooperative, and after about 45 minutes of letting the boys ski down to us, then pushing or pulling them back up the hill, we convinced them to take the lift up to the top of a green run. Timmy had a blast — he just pointed his skis down and went. Stopping was an issue (which the lessons helped with immensely), but he was having a ton of fun. Jacob, on the other hand…not so good. He took his first spill about 20 feet from the end of the lift and was in tears after that.

Uh oh.

We had to explain very carefully to Jacob that the only way down the hill was for him to simply go, and that we had arranged a lesson for him later on and we REALLY hoped he’d be cooperative for the lesson. It was slow going, but he made it with a lot of help! He calmed down with a snack and a chance to warm up in the lodge before his lesson.

From 2009 12 28 Mount Crescent Ski Area

Both boys had a fabulous time with their lesson and their confidence was well-boosted, and we spent another 2 hours skiing and had so much fun. Dave and I would take turns with each of the boys…with Timmy, we could ski at speed and still not keep up with Speedy Gonzales, but with Jacob, while he’s a champ at the snowplow, he’s VERY CAREFUL. I would just snowplow with him, giving more pain to my already-anguished thighs from last night’s plyo workout.

From 2009 12 28 Mount Crescent Ski Area
From 2009 12 28 Mount Crescent Ski Area

NOTE: The boys didn’t keep the poles for long. After about an hour both boys relinquished them for the rest of the day.

From 2009 12 28 Mount Crescent Ski Area

In summary, we had a great time and both boys would enjoy more ski trips. This is a tiny little ski area, but definitely a great place for the boys to establish confidence. The ski conditions were exceptional, since it was about 10-15 degrees F most of our time there, with snow flurries most of the afternoon. None of that softened snow freezing into ice sheets at sunset like Dave and I typically experience in the northeast!

In other news, as I’d mentioned before, Dave and I hadn’t skied since March 2002, meaning our equipment hadn’t been used since March 2002. While our skis, bindings and poles — albeit out-of-ski-fashion — worked well, my boots each developed visible cracks in the plastic when I put them on. They didn’t seem mission-terminating, so I used them today, but I’ll definitely need to start looking for new boots soon.

I’d also like to keep an eye out for second-hand equipment for the boys. If anyone knows of any good sources, let me know!

My Worms Are Trying to Escape!

27. August 2009 · Comments Off on My Worms Are Trying to Escape! · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

I didn’t get any pictures because I had to work quickly. This morning I lifted the lid to the worm bin and dozens of the worms had dripped off the underside of the lid all over the floor!

Not all of them, but plenty. Timmy got a kick out this!

Anyway, I figured I’d try to improve their habitat a little and added some sweets to the top of the bin. Just a little bit: a couple banana peels and a couple slices of tomato that weren’t used for burgers a couple nights ago.

I put back the strays, added the sweets, and replaced the lid. I’ll check again later this afternoon and see if they’re happier.

According to this website, some escape shenanigans are normal and should subside in a week or so unless there’s a bigger problem that I’ll need to further investigate.

First Day of School 2009

12. August 2009 · Comments Off on First Day of School 2009 · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

DSCN1996 (1)

Jacob’s first day of school, 2009. First grade at Two Springs Elementary School, Bellevue, NE.

 

A Barenaked Ladies Concert

19. July 2009 · Comments Off on A Barenaked Ladies Concert · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags:

Many of you saw the photo I’d e-mailed out yesterday — you can quickly post to your blog with your telephone and that’s what I did.

“What’s the big deal? So it’s a blurry picture of a bunch of guys playing on a stage….it could have been anyone”

You’re right, it could have been the band that was playing earlier, lots of classic rock covers…not bad. But it wasn’t, it was the best I could do with my phone camera. If you want better pictures, I’ll steal these.

Five years ago, Dave and I had tickets to see the Barenaked Ladies in Orlando. Unfortunately, I got really sick and Dave ended up going with one of our friends, Andy, instead. Dave is the bigger fan, but the concerts are a lot of fun and I’m sorry I couldn’t go.

While we were on vacation, we were listening to one of Dave’s live tracks from an “Everything to Everyone” concert and Dave said, “Boy, I wish we could see one of their concerts again, it’s a lot of fun.” So one day on the internet during our vacation, I checked their concert schedule and there it was: Council Bluffs, IA on July 18th. Whoa…that’s SOON!

With some further investigation, I learned that BNL was playing at a Ribfest outside of the Mid-America Center to launch the RAGBRAI bike ride event which started in Council Bluffs this year. And that if you used the promotion code “RAGBRAI” on Ticketmaster, the tickets were half price (although, with all of Ticketmaster’s fees and charges, it ended up more 2/3 the price). Whoo hoo!

Dave and I went and had a great time, enjoying some Tennessee ribs — some of the best I’ve ever had — and then finishing up just in time to get a decent view of the concert! BNL played for about 90 minutes, and by then many of the people were taking off to prepare to start their ride (I guess folks were free to start at midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning). We debated sticking around afterwards to meet the band, but we couldn’t figure out where on the Ribfest ground the band would be afterwards, so we ended up just leaving.

From 2009 07 18 RAGBRAI_Ribfest_BarenakedLadies

Their concerts are fun — a lot of improv and fun banter. Of note was Ed Robertson picking on the sign language lady standing in the front row with her very own spotlight, signing the entire concert, songs and all. He was trying to talk really fast, or use really strange words to try to challenge her. He then lauded her for doing so well with their two “brand new” songs that Ed claimed he didn’t even know the words for :-).

I was tickled at all the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese pasta that gets tossed up onto the stage during the song “If I Had $1000000”.

From 2009 07 18 RAGBRAI_Ribfest_BarenakedLadies

PS: I don’t get to go to music concerts a lot. I guess I average 1 concert per place I’ve lived, but I don’t even think I saw any when I was living in FL. In Ohio Dave and I went to a Stone Temple Pilots, Godsmack and Disturbed show that had us fearing a random urinalysis for the next 48 hours or so. The last famous act I got to see live was Harry Connick, Jr. in Cary, NC 2 years ago. That was amazing.

Trust Me, Its the Barenaked Ladies

19. July 2009 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags:

🙂

And the Search is ON!

12. July 2009 · 8 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags:

We’re looking to replace our time-tested, wonderfully reliable 2003 Honda Odyssey. It’s a great van, we love it still, it took us from here to the east coast and back last month without incident, which was great! But it’s starting to get a bit old, and every trip to the dealership for an oil change ends up uncovering numerous other problems.

Here’s a shot of Old Faithful when she was just a pup, still in the lot at Space Coast Honda, Rockledge, FL, on March 17, 2003:

From HondaOdyssey

I love the Odyssey for its smooth ride, spacious bucket seating for the boys in the middle row, and the option for a 3rd row of seats when you want to carry EVERYBODY, such as my boys and my 3 nephews on a road trip with my sister to Florida in 2007:

From 2007 08 03 VollmerBabaTriptoOrmondBeachFL

Dave loved that when the 2nd and 3rd rows of seats were removed, he could transport his train layout:

From HondaOdyssey

Cool, huh?

We also like having the flexibility to tow stuff, if need be. We’ve used the van to tow trailers, including this nifty camper last September:

From HondaOdyssey

(Mind you, it was horrible not being able to see behind us for the 4-hours-each-direction drive between Omaha and North Platte.)

But I have to admit, I’m getting a bit sick of driving a minivan. It was fun for a bit, but I’m not sure I want to continue. Those newer vans are pretty nice, though — perhaps I can stick it out for one more vehicle cycle? Bottom line, the minivans can hold Dave’s layout for a train show, and that’s a very convenient thing for our family. Not to mention transporting the boys’ friends around if need be.

What if I didn’t have to get a minivan again? What do I want? THIS! The Hybrid version. I had a chance to ride in one earlier this year — thanks Louise — and it was so so so so nice!

Pros of a Highlander Hybrid:

1.) It’s a sexy SUV. I don’t have to feel quite so — um — matronly driving around town.
2.) It’s a hybrid — what can I say? We absolutely love our Prius and might be willing to invest in another Toyota hybrid.
3.) It has an option for a 3rd row of seats, many SUVs don’t have that…
4.) We can still tow stuff with this particular hybrid, up to 3500 lbs. on a Class II hitch…not all hybrids can!

Cons of a Highlander Hybrid:
1.) Price — the version I’m interested has 3 rows of seats, and it’s the “Limited” version. Of course it’s the most expensive…it’ll hover right around $40K. We haven’t had a car payment in quite a while, so we need to make sure we can sustain the payment with our budget.
2.) Having a hybrid, as great as it is for the environment and gas budget…takes a certain amount of faith. Thanks to years of watching my Dad with tinker with his ’70-something Honda Civic, I know minimal amount about automobiles. (Don’t look now, but that’s my 1989 MULLET!)

From HondaOdyssey

But with a hybrid, so much of it is computerized, you can’t merely open the hood and see/smell/hear a problem. Instead, you have to take the vehicle to the local Toyota dealer and pay for a “diagnostic” test. Where the maintenance guys merely plug in the vehicle to a computer and the computer tells him/her what the problem is. With our Prius, we would get this red exclamation point that indicates a host of problems…only this “diagnostic computer” will tell us the real problem. That type of troubleshooting isn’t necessarily for everyone.
3.) We’d get the 3rd row of seats and a towing capability with the Highlander, but we’d lose the immense cargo space. That’s something Dave and I have discussed quite a bit — how many more times does Dave intend to show his layout? He’s in the midst of expanding the layout, meaning his ability to transport the layout in the back of the van might have some problems soon…who knows?

Running a close 2nd behind the Highlander Hybrid (in my opinion) is a 2009 Odyssey. Yep. Another minivan. I think Dave is leaning more towards the Odyssey — after all, we love the one we have, why change, right?

Huli Huli Chicken, Part 2 — The cooking challenge!

01. June 2009 · 4 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags:

So on Thursday night we cooked up the marinated Huli Huli Chicken. Part 1 of this post was pretty simple, make up the marinade, dump in the chicken parts and let ‘er soak.

The cooking is the tough part. Because of the sugar content of the marinade, you have to be VERY careful how to cook up the parts. Low low low, probably for 20+ minutes, then you can turn up the heat at the end to give a nice crispness to the skin. I guess I could invest in one of those rotisserie cooker thingies, but we’re lazy and just want to throw the gas grill.

So that’s what we did, threw the parts on the grill.

What we SHOULD have done was roast the chicken first for a bit, or microwave it first, then throw the parts on the grill.

We foul this up (no pun intended) EVERY TIME! We cook the parts, then serve it up, then frantically attempt to keep the rest of dinner warm while we nuke up the chicken so the near-bone areas finish cooking, all the while drying out the exterior.

So enjoy some pictures of Dave cooking up the chicken, we’re smelling it, hearing it sizzle, looking at it cook up golden brown and delicious…

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I
From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I
From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

Looks WONDERUL, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, at the time it was brought inside, it was still raw up against the bones. Darn it! We had to microwave it for 2-3 minutes after grilling to finish it up.

So word to the wise: if you want to try my recipe, bake the chicken, or microwave it for a few minutes before grilling, at least long enough to cook the meat up against the breastbone and thigh bones.

Huli Huli Chicken, Part 2 — The cooking challenge!

31. May 2009 · Comments Off on Huli Huli Chicken, Part 2 — The cooking challenge! · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

So on Thursday night we cooked up the marinated Huli Huli Chicken. Part 1 of this post was pretty simple, make up the marinade, dump in the chicken parts and let ‘er soak.

The cooking is the tough part. Because of the sugar content of the marinade, you have to be VERY careful how to cook up the parts. Low low low, probably for 20+ minutes, then you can turn up the heat at the end to give a nice crispness to the skin. I guess I could invest in one of those rotisserie cooker thingies, but we’re lazy and just want to throw the gas grill.

So that’s what we did, threw the parts on the grill.

What we SHOULD have done was roast the chicken first for a bit, or microwave it first, then throw the parts on the grill.

We foul this up (no pun intended) EVERY TIME! We cook the parts, then serve it up, then frantically attempt to keep the rest of dinner warm while we nuke up the chicken so the near-bone areas finish cooking, all the while drying out the exterior.

So enjoy some pictures of Dave cooking up the chicken, we’re smelling it, hearing it sizzle, looking at it cook up golden brown and delicious…

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

 

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

 

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

Looks WONDERUL, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, at the time it was brought inside, it was still raw up against the bones. Darn it! We had to microwave it for 2-3 minutes after grilling to finish it up.

So word to the wise: if you want to try my recipe, bake the chicken, or microwave it for a few minutes before grilling, at least long enough to cook the meat up against the breastbone and thigh bones.

Huli Huli Chicken Part 1 — a childhood memory comes alive!

27. May 2009 · Comments Off on Huli Huli Chicken Part 1 — a childhood memory comes alive! · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

It’s time for another recipe blog!

I don’t remember all that much in my life before about age 4.  I don’t know why, I just don’t.  Just the intermittent here-and-there memory.

My family was living in Hawaii when I was 4-years-old.  My Dad, who was in the Navy, was stationed at this small base northwest of Honolulu.  My first solid memories were from Hawaii.

And here’s one of them: Huli Huli chicken fundraisers.  Click here for a history of Huli Huli chicken (thanks to the obituary of the inventor from 2002).  I vaguely remember driving up to a large dirt/gravel parking lot, perhaps at a church or a high school.  And you’d see row-after-row of rotisserie-like skewers, all covered with chickens.  I also have vague memories of large metal trash cans to hold the marinade (this was in the 70s, well before plastic trash cans, apparently), and folks using cotton mops to slop on the marinade on the skewers.

My Dad mentioned to me once that the chickens would be sold whole for just a few dollars (I think he said $5, but I could be wrong), and they’d be wrapped for you in newspaper!

I found this nifty blog entry here about a modern-day operation on Oahu.

As for this blog entry, what I’m going to present you is a recipe that seems to bring back the memories I had, but I’m sure someone will tell you that it’s wrong.  I’ve had chicken made with commercially purchased “Huli Huli Chicken Sauce” and that just seemed WRONG WRONG WRONG.  Too syrupy, from what I remember.  If you do a web search for “huli huli chicken recipe” you’ll come up with a very wide variety of recipes.  I see ginger, sugar and garlic as a common thread throughout, but from there you’ll see varied other ingredients: limes, chiles, honey, ketchup, white wine, etc.

Here’s the recipe:

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

That’s my sister’s handwriting. She’s now quite the vegetarian, but she wrote out the recipe card for me and I still have it today. I didn’t photograph the back of the card, but suffice it to say that the back merely says to cook the chicken :-).

Let me go through the preparation steps I took today, so we can have huli huli chicken on Thursday night.  First, let me introduce the ingredients:

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

There’s “Sugar in the Raw” in the orange sugar dish. Maybe because it’s really-truly from Hawaii, I am using it instead of plain white sugar. I feel more authentic that way…

Note the whole chicken…let me warn you, I’m about to show pictures of a chicken dismemberment, so if you’re adverse to such images, click away now!

Let’s first disassemble the chicken.  When I’m motivated enough, I choose to break up a whole chicken rather than buy the parts separately…it’s cheaper and I can take advantage of ALL of the chicken for broth, soup, etc. The first thing I did was take my kitchen shears and CUT down both sides of the spine.

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

Now I can take the spine/back part and toss it into my freezer bag that already contains two other chicken backs…I’ll probably make up some broth this week for recipes later.

Moving right along…I got sick of cutting a little bit of the chicken, then washing my hands, taking a couple pictures, then going back to cutting, I decided not to photograph the rest of the disassembly.  I cut the remaining chicken into 2 breasts, 2 leg quarters and 2 wings.

Now I chop the garlic and grate the ginger.  I freeze my ginger, so grating it on the Microplane (BEST KITCHEN TOOL EVAH!!!) is easy:

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I
From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I
From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

Now we start to mix everything together: this is the ginger, garlic and sugar.

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

To pour 3/4 c. of soy sauce, I have to pry off the slow-pour spout thingy on my Kikkoman:

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

That’s better:

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

Now that we have everything — garlic, ginger, sugar, white wine and soy sauce (I omit the MSG), it’s time to stir stir stir. I try to dissolve as much of the sugar as I can.

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

Now I take a 9 x 13 baking dish and line it with a gallon-sized zip-top bag:

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

Add the chicken:

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

Pour in the marinade:

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

And here’s what you get:

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

Since the chicken is taking up so much space in the bag, a little marinade will go a long way in the zip-top baggie. I will allow this to sit in my fridge for TWO DAYS, flipping the bag about every 12 hours.

From 2009 05 26 Huli Huli Chicken I

You’ll just have to come back Thursday night for the rest of this — I haven’t decided whether we’re going to grill or roast/broil this, it’ll depend on the weather. As much as I love how this tastes grilled, grilling bone-in chicken breasts is tricky. Balancing cooking the chicken through with keeping the marinated exterior from burning is always a challenge in the Vollmer house!

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