Just FYI, I am looking for a few beginning to intermediate Violin or Viola and/or fiddle students. If anyone knows anyone in the Ogden area who would like their kids to take violin lessons, or anyone who has always wanted to learn violin (or viola), have them give me a call! I can teach Thursday or Saturday afternoons.
I also have one 4/4 size student violin I can rent out to anyone, and one 15 1/2'' student viola that I can either rent or sell-250$. Both are ready to play.
Thanks everyone!
Hannah
28 April 2009
24 April 2009
Sun! Sun! Sun!
So this is SORTA like the observatory we made:
At least you get the idea. We kind of combined the cardboard collar and the projector screen into one contraption by cutting a hole large enough for the lens to rest in at one end of the box, then taping the paper onto the opposite end of the inside of the box. This allows for a much more easily observed image, because the projected image is always in the shade and always directly opposite the lens, avoiding any problems with image distortion.
At least you get the idea. We kind of combined the cardboard collar and the projector screen into one contraption by cutting a hole large enough for the lens to rest in at one end of the box, then taping the paper onto the opposite end of the inside of the box. This allows for a much more easily observed image, because the projected image is always in the shade and always directly opposite the lens, avoiding any problems with image distortion.
22 April 2009
Loving the SUN!!!
Yesterday and today we did at least some school OUTSIDE!!
It was glorious!
The fruit trees are blooming, the breeze is soft, the sun is warm, the grass is growing.
I'm not sure schooling outside is the best idea. Outside is nothing but distractions. But on a beautiful day like today, inside is torture. As a teacher, I lose either way because they're not paying attention no matter where we school. So it doesn't hurt to go outside for awhile.
Maren and I are studying astronomy for science right now. We decided to start with the sun, move through the planets, then keep moving outward to the galaxy and beyond. We're studying the sun right now, and today we went outside and observed the sun through an old tele-photo camera lense of mine. It was pretty cool. We couldn't get it to the point where we could see sunspots. But, I have come to find out, sunspot activity has been at an extreme low for the past six months or so. No recorded sunspot activity since December of last year, and 2008 has been called the 'blankest' year of the space age for sunspot activity.
So maybe when Maren's in Junior High we'll be able to pull the lens out again and see sunspots.
Anyway, this is how it works:
1. Take an apple box and tape a piece of white paper on one end on the inside of the box.
2. Cut a hole in the opposite end of the box that is the size of the small end of whatever lens you choose to use. You can use a detachable camera lens, or one lens of a pair of binoculars, or a spotting scope. I use my big 80X200 zoom lense because it has a tripod mount on the lens, which makes it possible for me to mount it solidy on a tripod before proceeding to step 3:
3. With the open side of the box facing you, insert the small end of your lense of choice into the the hole in the box and point the lens/box contraption directly at the sun. WARNING!! DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN--ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE LENS!!!
You'll know when you have the sun directly in your lens when the circle of light that appears on your white paper is perfectly round. It takes some doing, but it is SO worth it. The image will be much less bright than the sun and easily observable without harm to your eyes.
4. You will probably see specks and spots projected on the paper that MAY be dust on the lens. You can tell if it's dust by turning the lens in the hole. If the spots and specks move, they're dust. If not, they're sunspots!
In my search for sunspot information, I found this fun Sunspot Plotter at SpaceWeather.com that will tell you what sunspot activity was like on any entered date going all the way back to 1755!
http://spaceweather.com/glossary/sunspotplotter.htm
Cool, huh?
How about THIS for cool:
This is an x-ray of the sun during LOW sunspot activity (Oct 2006):
And this is an x-ray of the sun during HIGH sunspot activity (1991):
WOW!
It was glorious!
The fruit trees are blooming, the breeze is soft, the sun is warm, the grass is growing.
I'm not sure schooling outside is the best idea. Outside is nothing but distractions. But on a beautiful day like today, inside is torture. As a teacher, I lose either way because they're not paying attention no matter where we school. So it doesn't hurt to go outside for awhile.
Maren and I are studying astronomy for science right now. We decided to start with the sun, move through the planets, then keep moving outward to the galaxy and beyond. We're studying the sun right now, and today we went outside and observed the sun through an old tele-photo camera lense of mine. It was pretty cool. We couldn't get it to the point where we could see sunspots. But, I have come to find out, sunspot activity has been at an extreme low for the past six months or so. No recorded sunspot activity since December of last year, and 2008 has been called the 'blankest' year of the space age for sunspot activity.
So maybe when Maren's in Junior High we'll be able to pull the lens out again and see sunspots.
Anyway, this is how it works:
1. Take an apple box and tape a piece of white paper on one end on the inside of the box.
2. Cut a hole in the opposite end of the box that is the size of the small end of whatever lens you choose to use. You can use a detachable camera lens, or one lens of a pair of binoculars, or a spotting scope. I use my big 80X200 zoom lense because it has a tripod mount on the lens, which makes it possible for me to mount it solidy on a tripod before proceeding to step 3:
3. With the open side of the box facing you, insert the small end of your lense of choice into the the hole in the box and point the lens/box contraption directly at the sun. WARNING!! DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN--ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE LENS!!!
You'll know when you have the sun directly in your lens when the circle of light that appears on your white paper is perfectly round. It takes some doing, but it is SO worth it. The image will be much less bright than the sun and easily observable without harm to your eyes.
4. You will probably see specks and spots projected on the paper that MAY be dust on the lens. You can tell if it's dust by turning the lens in the hole. If the spots and specks move, they're dust. If not, they're sunspots!
In my search for sunspot information, I found this fun Sunspot Plotter at SpaceWeather.com that will tell you what sunspot activity was like on any entered date going all the way back to 1755!
http://spaceweather.com/glossary/sunspotplotter.htm
Cool, huh?
How about THIS for cool:
This is an x-ray of the sun during LOW sunspot activity (Oct 2006):
And this is an x-ray of the sun during HIGH sunspot activity (1991):
WOW!
14 April 2009
Coming Events
Hannah and Ian have Orchestra and/or band performances coming up!!!
Yay!!!
Hannah's Orchestra concert is Monday, May 11.
Both Ian and Hannah will be playing that night in the OHS Fiddle Group as well.
(Yes, Ian, you have to come)
Ian's concert is Wednesday the 13th of May...he thinks.
Maybe he should check the list of dates on the whiteboard. Hmmm...
Fiddle group may be playing at this concert as well, we don't know, nobody actually tells us these things till the day before anyway.
Both concerts are at Ogden High School at 7 pm, in the Auditorium.
If anyone could make it we would love to have you!
Please come! The arts are really struggling at OHS right now, they just abolished the theater department, as well as many of the visual arts. We don't want Music to go next so we need all the support we can get. If you like classical or movie music (both will be featured, this is our pops concert) or Irish Fiddle I think you would enjoy this concert. OHS has one of the best music programs in the state.
Thank You!!
Hannah
Yay!!!
Hannah's Orchestra concert is Monday, May 11.
Both Ian and Hannah will be playing that night in the OHS Fiddle Group as well.
(Yes, Ian, you have to come)
Ian's concert is Wednesday the 13th of May...he thinks.
Maybe he should check the list of dates on the whiteboard. Hmmm...
Fiddle group may be playing at this concert as well, we don't know, nobody actually tells us these things till the day before anyway.
Both concerts are at Ogden High School at 7 pm, in the Auditorium.
If anyone could make it we would love to have you!
Please come! The arts are really struggling at OHS right now, they just abolished the theater department, as well as many of the visual arts. We don't want Music to go next so we need all the support we can get. If you like classical or movie music (both will be featured, this is our pops concert) or Irish Fiddle I think you would enjoy this concert. OHS has one of the best music programs in the state.
Thank You!!
Hannah
11 April 2009
Manless!!
Her Ladyship and the Female Vassals are enjoying a manless weekend!
It's spring break, the boys are gone on a geology trip with the scouts, and we're having all sorts of fun.
The guys left Thursday afternoon. We hung around and got the house in a little bit of manless order, then Friday we SLEPT IN!! then drove down to the Living Planet Aquarium for a field trip. We ran into some people we know from Ogden--the Scalise's. I think they're following us. We ran into them on the last field trip we took too!
We hung around there for awhile--petting the rays, watching the octupus and the sharks. It was great fun! We also bought some little water bugs that'll grow when we add water. They're called Triops and they look like tiny horseshoe crabs. Here's a picture:
On the way out of SLC we stopped and enjoyed hot fudge sundaes at McDonald's, then stopped in to visit Grandma and Grandpa Woolley. We hotfooted it out of there before traffic got too bad and went home for a dinner of pizza rolls, and popcorn and a movie. We watched Willow--on of our favorites!
Today we cleaned the house then went shopping for accessories to complete our Easter ensemble. Maren needed some springy shoes, Hannah needed a shirt or jacket to wear over her spaghetti strapped Easter dress, I needed SOMETHING new to wear on Easter. Well, NEW is relative. We shopped at the DI.
Tonight we're going to the baptism of a young man in our ward who has been waiting until he turned 18 because his father wouldn't give his permission before then. His father has also told him he will disown him if he's baptized. But that won't be such a loss for this young man, I think. Long, sad story.
Anyway, we're HOPING Ian and Darin will be home in time to go to the baptism with us.
And tomorrow's EASTER!!!
Happy Easter everyone.
It's spring break, the boys are gone on a geology trip with the scouts, and we're having all sorts of fun.
The guys left Thursday afternoon. We hung around and got the house in a little bit of manless order, then Friday we SLEPT IN!! then drove down to the Living Planet Aquarium for a field trip. We ran into some people we know from Ogden--the Scalise's. I think they're following us. We ran into them on the last field trip we took too!
We hung around there for awhile--petting the rays, watching the octupus and the sharks. It was great fun! We also bought some little water bugs that'll grow when we add water. They're called Triops and they look like tiny horseshoe crabs. Here's a picture:
On the way out of SLC we stopped and enjoyed hot fudge sundaes at McDonald's, then stopped in to visit Grandma and Grandpa Woolley. We hotfooted it out of there before traffic got too bad and went home for a dinner of pizza rolls, and popcorn and a movie. We watched Willow--on of our favorites!
Today we cleaned the house then went shopping for accessories to complete our Easter ensemble. Maren needed some springy shoes, Hannah needed a shirt or jacket to wear over her spaghetti strapped Easter dress, I needed SOMETHING new to wear on Easter. Well, NEW is relative. We shopped at the DI.
Tonight we're going to the baptism of a young man in our ward who has been waiting until he turned 18 because his father wouldn't give his permission before then. His father has also told him he will disown him if he's baptized. But that won't be such a loss for this young man, I think. Long, sad story.
Anyway, we're HOPING Ian and Darin will be home in time to go to the baptism with us.
And tomorrow's EASTER!!!
Happy Easter everyone.
02 April 2009
Books Worth Reading
I read a lot, in case you didn't know.
I just finished a book on the Vikings by TimeLife Books.
Seems odd. TimeLife is kind of a bookmill. They print books on so many subjects, but they're actually good quality books, well-researched, interesting.
This one, The Vikings, was particularly thorough and objective. I like objective. You don't find that many books that are objective, particularly concerning history. Usually the white European men are evil, women are oppressed, Muslims are credited with the Renaissance. You know. That kind of thing.
This book gave a good overview of the Viking Age, sharing some of the darker side of the Viking persona without demeaning their astounding and heroic accomplishments, as well as their crucial role in the shaping of world history.
For instance, did you know that the Norman Invasion of England in 1066 was actually a Viking vs. Viking war? The king of England at the time, Harold, was a Viking king whose people had only recently taken possession of all of England. William the Conqueror was the direct-line descendant of Rollo, Duke of Normandy, who was a Viking who had settled himself and a large group of Vikings in the Normandy region of the Frankish territory about 150 years earlier.
Did you know that Erik the Red was actually an outlaw from Iceland? That he settled Greenland not purely for the adventure, but because he couldn't return home for 3 years and decided, what the heck, he'd go look for this empty land that someone had seen a few years earlier. And he didn't go alone. He filled his 50 foot long boat with men and supplies, then when his exile ended, he went back to Iceland and led a whole fleet of ships back, loaded with men, women, children, and animals, to make a go of settling the new land.
I just finished a book on the Vikings by TimeLife Books.
Seems odd. TimeLife is kind of a bookmill. They print books on so many subjects, but they're actually good quality books, well-researched, interesting.
This one, The Vikings, was particularly thorough and objective. I like objective. You don't find that many books that are objective, particularly concerning history. Usually the white European men are evil, women are oppressed, Muslims are credited with the Renaissance. You know. That kind of thing.
This book gave a good overview of the Viking Age, sharing some of the darker side of the Viking persona without demeaning their astounding and heroic accomplishments, as well as their crucial role in the shaping of world history.
For instance, did you know that the Norman Invasion of England in 1066 was actually a Viking vs. Viking war? The king of England at the time, Harold, was a Viking king whose people had only recently taken possession of all of England. William the Conqueror was the direct-line descendant of Rollo, Duke of Normandy, who was a Viking who had settled himself and a large group of Vikings in the Normandy region of the Frankish territory about 150 years earlier.
Did you know that Erik the Red was actually an outlaw from Iceland? That he settled Greenland not purely for the adventure, but because he couldn't return home for 3 years and decided, what the heck, he'd go look for this empty land that someone had seen a few years earlier. And he didn't go alone. He filled his 50 foot long boat with men and supplies, then when his exile ended, he went back to Iceland and led a whole fleet of ships back, loaded with men, women, children, and animals, to make a go of settling the new land.
The Book of the Musicians, vol. 1; the Strings
1 And the Lord created the off-beat, and he saw that it was good.
2 And the Lord saw that there was need of an Instrument, for to play the off-beat, which was good.
3 And so the Lord went unto the violins, and he said, "Wilt Thou play the off-beat, which I have created, and behold it is very good?"
4 And the violins answered and said;
5 Nay Lord.
6 So the Lord went unto the cellos, and said unto them, "Verily, wilt Thou play the off-beat, yea that I have created?
7 And the cellos answered, and said;
8 Nay Lord.
9 And so the Lord created another Instrument, for the purpose of playing the off-beat.
10 And the lord called this new Instrument, which he had created, Viola.
11 And he saw that it was good.
Hannah
2 And the Lord saw that there was need of an Instrument, for to play the off-beat, which was good.
3 And so the Lord went unto the violins, and he said, "Wilt Thou play the off-beat, which I have created, and behold it is very good?"
4 And the violins answered and said;
5 Nay Lord.
6 So the Lord went unto the cellos, and said unto them, "Verily, wilt Thou play the off-beat, yea that I have created?
7 And the cellos answered, and said;
8 Nay Lord.
9 And so the Lord created another Instrument, for the purpose of playing the off-beat.
10 And the lord called this new Instrument, which he had created, Viola.
11 And he saw that it was good.
Hannah
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)