Day Thirteen Summer 2010 - Who is more amped?

Robert, the tall guy with a Cooper car, and local physics and earth science teacher who loves to travel.

A great night after the so called Barbecue which was hotdogs and chicken on the grill (I need to have these folks down home for some real pulled pork) – but great pasta, potato and lettuce salads and Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. And a good conversation with Rob who suggested I start putting myself out there to universities and getting my foot in the door with little gigs that lead to bigger ones. He also suggested looking at the Climate Change Education Centers that are being set up around the country and other projects on the NSF web site. Exciting stuff and it was good to have his input and see his Better Homes and Gardens House with a long den/dining room with Japanese style windows looking over woods that went all the way to whatever the next state south is.

I got to ride in a Cooper car back to the dorms with the tallest guy in the group, Robert. Now the last Cooper car I saw I chased across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont on my motorcycle. He split off in New Hampshire and when I boarded the ferry to cross Lake Champlain their was he and his Cooper bound for Ontario right in front of me. It was like riding in an airplane wiht all the cool gauges and it tops out at 140 (we did not quite make that). After a lengthy conversation with Mo and Andrew about First Robot and Dean Kamien who started the company and competition and is quite the inventive entrepreneur who I first learned about in the nighties when a colleague told me to read an article about him because he reminded him of me. I got treated to pool at the ABC (Amherst Brewery Company) by Andrew and than a slice at Antonio’s that was awesome (except I did not get the ones with chicken – whoever heard of putting chicken on pizza) and the free bus back to the dorm.

By day, the workshop had two knockout labs – in one we designed a mock Atomic Force Microscope after seeing a very cool virtual pod cast of the real thing that explores surfaces of materials on the nano scale by moving a tetrahedral tip attached to a “diving board” that flexes up and down as the needle moves over the material and a laser reflects at the different angles to get a profile of the material. We used a meter stick levered on a stand with a mirror on it and a laser on a stand that reflected to a distance wall paper screen where calibration marks could be made for thickness of materials – 0. 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.75.


Nina (who has jostled through 33 countries while teaching physics, forensics, chemistry and biology on the side) helps set up MAFM.
When we tested the unknowns after our first POC (piece of crap) failure – we had zero percent error on one of ours! Nina who has almost as much energy and vitality as me will bump things and so will I on occasion so we called that error factor – Jonina.

Calculation sheet and scale drawing of MAFM


Wall calibration sheet

Materials whose thickness we measured.

In the afternoon we heard a cool lecture about the four factors that had to be considered and overcome to make an effective solar cell. He was a very smart yet lucid guy with a long Indian name so everyone calls him DV. Then we made a solar cell with very basic materials. Filter paper cut in a half moon shape and aluminum foil to cover it. Then we mixed salt, copper sulfate, and water to make a reddish cupric something or another mix to touch with the copper wires we had wound around the half moon. We then placed it in a CD case and made a bridge from one lead to another with a gauze material and the same blue copper sulfate and water. Oh yeah to limit the reaction on the solar cell we used glucose and could have used honey. What a cool mix.


The coolest or should I say hottest (because the mix was exothermic and put up little clouds of smoke initially) thing was it conducted a current. Ours was 65 or as Nina reminded – 0.065 mA. I was just glad to see some numbers and did not worry about the order of magnitude. Her group of course was 0.250. Yes there is competition even among enlightened, trying to be laid back summer teachers.

And, of course, the cool haircut award goes to Sarah.

She works for a tech company that assists teachers in technology integration in private and charter schools in NYC

And early in the day we got to play with blocks.


My lab group, Rich who grew up on a farm in Goshen, NY and teaches in Long Island of Polish descent and Maria who teaches locally with maybe the second coolest hair of Italian descent and me of Martian descent.

Day Twelve Summer 2010 - It's a small world afterall

My lab team - what are the odds that 33 people can number to eleven and team seven all have Js for the first name?

On the austere Amherst campus I enjoyed to very modern integrated science building with lots of glass and metal work and wood.
The hands on activities and the lectures that I could download online and follow along and make notes on the slides as they went was very cool. And matter of factly in his summer lecture shorts, Mark, showed a slide where he was testifying before Congress on the impact of Nanotechnology for the future and importance of supporting research.

Mark and Buzz, my new physics teacher buddy, from Uttica, NY, who GPS-ed us on his Garmin to our first gathering

And young PhD Jonathan lectured and got queried by me about a diagram with a QCM (Quartz Crystal Monitor) - it vibrates at a certain frequency when the vapors hit it and let the lab technicians know when enough mass is coated on the surface (by the way his doctorate is from MIT).

All of that was cool and being the lone person below Kentucky was fun. I am the token Southerner. The farthest south anyone was from beside me was Michael from Cincinnati, Ohio - who shared his analysis of why it was not a great city yet - too many provincial factions of very small neighborhoods that claimed their identity and did not cross over or collaborate much.

But the coolest thing was getting in the elevator after a long run and after a refreshing shower and donning my last clean shirt that had Velma Jackson on it (I went to Target and bought a few more so I would not have to do laundry). The young African American coed asked if Velma Jackson was in Mississippi. Yes. I asked her where she lived and she said Jackson which is where I live. How wild is that? She graduated from Lanier High School and Jackson State University. (I told her to give me some dap and how I was so tired of these d--- yankees (not really) and she affirmed, "tell me about it.") It gets more interesting. In texting with one of my young Jackson friends later, she inquired about what was her name. When I said Darla, she knew her right way and texted that is Darla K--- who is super smart.

It is a small world after all - how appropriate in a workshop where I am studying things very small at a billionth of a meter (a billionth of the diameter of the earth would be the diameter of a nickel).

Day Eleven Summer 2010 - First Day at College

Day Ten Summer 2010 - Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

Day Nine Summer 2010 - Drive On

Day Eight Summer 2010 - Perception and Reality

Day Seven Summer 2010 - Stand up if you are a runner

My friend, Joe, spared making me swim with him before the run at 9:30 though he provoked me til the end. After his three quarter mile swim, I decided to give a run a chance after a six month plus layoff. He said I needed a hat for sun protection - don't argue with Joe. He gave me the one that he received at a gathering where they asked everyone to stand if they had served in the military. See me sport it.



I finished 21 minutes before a warm-up and 21.5 after at a very slow pace but it felt good to be back into running again.

The rest of the day was very relaxing.

Day Six Summer 2010 - As easy as falling off a bike (and loosing glasses)

Joe and Heather Biola

And another great day rushed into since I slept til 7 and Joe wanted to ride at 8. I barely got my morning stuff done and no blogging. And a quick yogurt for breakfast and some almonds and quickly stuck my glasses and snacks in the bag and off.

I clipped in and off we went and I fell off at the first stop since I could not get out of them quick enough. This was a sign of things to come unfortunately. We stopped early for spring water that trickled down the mountain and would not have been noticed except by someone who had been this way a hundred times before.



I went down at least three or four more times and Joe got a huge kick out of that and when Heather was talking about the historic battle at Rich Mountain Joe talked about making a reenactment film with me falling off my bike. The worst fall was when I was going up an steep uphill that I could not pull and tried to dismount but got thrown to the side of the road and got the knee and elbow digs and the palm of the hand plug and (later when we got to the turnaround point realized that is where my glasses were probably thrown off the bike too). Oh well another pair – on one of my trips after a long ride through the rain on Blue1 across the state of Tennessee I stopped at Wal-mart and left my glasses on the shelf above the sink in the bathroom for about five minutes until I realized I had left them and came back and they were stolen, and on a series of physics competitions with students in 2001 I went through three pairs of glasses in the month of February. I am hard on glasses.

The last fall was when I had finally gotten back on my recumbent after having an awful time and realizing it was in a big gear, I got to the top of the hill and started down Joe said stop a minute I want you to see my gear. Down for the last time. No more clips for this ride. At the turnaround point I duct taped the bottom of my shoes and the pedals so it would not happen again (though my left foot seemed to find a way to lock in anyway – but I was spared further humiliation).

On the way back we took a brief ride on 219 and it was unsettling to say the least with no bike lanes and going over a curvy bridge with a dump truck roaring by two inches from my elbow. We did make it to Beverly where the covered bridge was whose beams are in the Joe and Heather’s house where she grew up. It is also the place where the first telegraphs were used to send battle news to Washington.

Along the way there were beautiful postcard views across the sprawling mountains and valleys and along the river and indigo buntings in flight and on the road to fly no more. Heather said you can go back and say you are at the Headwater. This river runs into another that runs into another that runs into the Ohio that runs into the Mississippi. “My grandfather says the higher up the river you go the better the people, and we are at the Headwater.”

On the way back I got way ahead and made a wrong turn less than two miles from home and took a two mile detour until I realized it was not familiar and stopped a man on the road to get directions. Then another woman at a stop sign and she said turn right here and it will take you into town. Joe and Heather were having lunch when I arrived and I joined them.

My 38-mile trip ended up being 41. Later it was fiddlers in the park on Wednesday and I heard some classic West Virginia tunes from a group circled in the park two autoharps, two dulcimers and two guitars. And then we took another trip to the El Gran Sabor to hear a not so good young guitarist after supper at a place that served Grand Lake Elliot Ness and home.

We are running in the morning for a change. He wants me to swim before hand but he does not always get what he wants which is unusual for Joe the ex Marine and Progressive insurance exec and ironically liberal Democrat and one of the most generous people I know but don't tell him he already thinks he is in the fourth stage of manhood - wisdom.

Enjoy the ride.

Day Five Summer 2010 - Not Normal

And yesterday was a good travel day I made a sandwich and potted an African violet cutting from this plant

and said farewell and Betty told of being at a women’s meeting with Barbara Kingsolver and her remembering one of her idiosyncracies form another occasion and enjoying her talking about practicing on the five inch red heels to wear at the Orange Award presentations. A world class writer spending time with friends talking about red heels. And the party her husband had for her and someone singing an adaptation of I am glad I am on the road you live on or something like that.

I have not remembered just how hilly Abingdon was – man. The travel was very good to include a cool visitors center in VA and I ended up at the New River Gorge Bridge WV for lunch and it was majestic. Pure gift - I did not even know I would pass that way and they offered possible housing next summer if I volunteered.







Thank you. A guy saw me with my Chemistry shirt and figured the red truck with the recumbent in the back must be mine because "normal people do not ride them." They had a Mercedes camper that got 23 miles per gallon and had a queen size bed in it and shower and toilet so cool and it was regular van length.

Wenda and Bill, I think, who were from the East Coast and live near the Chirachquan mtns (where I was on the Earthwatch Trip last summer) in New Mexico.

I got to Elkins and Joe broke sun chips with the recyclable package

that Betty talked of and some Cleveland Great River . . . and met Rob the proprietor at the El Gran Sabor . . .

And to bed. A very good day.

Day Four Summer 2010 - On Holiday

Yesterday was a very good day that started with some strong coffee that Joe knows I like after being here last year with his usual weak stuff. Then I got to ride on the Virginia Creeper Trail, an old railroad bed with the tracks removed and cinders and such put down for a trail for walkers, jokers, bikers and horses. It passes by beautiful rivers girgling, cut away rock faces, sheer drop offs to one side and rising mountains to the other, an occasional open field and a small town, a golf course, and people’s homes fortunate enough to settle by the tranquility.







I met a couple from England on holiday, as they say, at the beginning. They wanted to know all about Red and in the process said their son biked across the country when he was 17 (now 41) in six weeks and was very impressed by the hospitality. I wonder how it would be now.

I went ten miles up the trail and stopped for a moment by the river and listened to its gentle voice

(push play, set on repeat, close your eyes and enjoy as long as you want)
and saw the home of two riders who went by me on mountain bikes.


They had a split-level with gardens and porches. A beautiful spot. The slightly up return was a bit of a challenge but no too bad especially in the cool. At one point I had to unclip because a group was walking horses across the bridge. I commented on how the bridges were a good release point for horse biscuits and one of the riders said,

“Yes, they (the bridges) scare the s--- out of them.”
I said they do me too.

I had lunch with my buddy, Joe, the interim associate dean of something at Emory and Henry, a mini-majestic, secluded little Methodist school with red brick building and walkways and bustling with Suzuki camp kids. We ate at the deli and had Reubens, my favorite sandwich and we walked back to his office and I realized I did not have my POC (cell phone – piece of crap). I went back to look and it was not on the table. Somebody suggested calling it to see if it vibrated – no luck. The waitress was going to look in the trash and I left thinking I dropped it. I got across the street and she came running out saying, “Sir, it was in the trash.” I guess the trash vibrated. My POC saved once again.

The rest of day and evening were totally relaxing and involved some replenishing fluids and a wonderful supper with broccoli salad and chicken and rice prepared by Betty, Joe's bride, who is a great cook. Life is good.


Betty getting ready to hike in 90 degree heat and Joe getting ready to work in the AC.

And I burned some more of The Brief History of Nearly Everything (which is not so brief – so far 7 CDs and I have the third part yet to burn) for my long travel day of 11 plus hours coming up this Saturday.

Enjoy the ride.

Crossing the Bridge

Day Three Summer 2010 - I Aint Nothing

I got in another great ride this time 9.4 miles without a break and up the hard hill at 5 and even 5.5 at times but at the top the shade magnet pulled me right off the bike. I tried to steer it around the bend toward the bridge but just could not. I did not get out of the left foot lock in and went down on the soft cool grass. Time for a water break. Then to the bridge and father's day text to kids and back down the hill and half way up another long one at 12.5 I decided to call it a day.

I turned in and this old man - I use the term relatively - drove up - it was his drive and he offered water and a ride back home. Life is good. He referred to the rich folks high up on the hill across from him as monkeys and rued the fact they got power a week earlier than him after the storm and suddenly gave the line of the day, "I get so D-&-&-! tired of these politicians. I used to be a good Republican but now I aint nothing." That pretty well sums up the political pulse of the country now.

I showed up just in time for father's day dinner. It was my first in quite some years.



Then I traveled 5.5 hours to see my friend Joe in Abingdon and have several good long, conversations on the phone that broke up the monotony of the broken white lines.


And here is mom.

Day Two Summer 2010 - Red Rides Again

I set two new records yesterday – the slowest I have ever been 4.5 mph up a very long hill and 36.6 down that same hill. What a rush of a ride up – and I do emphasize up - Highway 96 to the Natchez Trace Bridge.



I stopped along the way because my water bottle malfunctioned and I was facing a very long hill.
I stopped in a beautiful place




and the guy came out and shared cool spring water and stories about science. He studied physical chemistry at Florida State under a nobel prize winner that discovered Bucky Balls. He also knew Paul Dirac and did not understand anything he said like most everyone else that hears about quantum mechanics. I asked for a photo with his cool mountain beard but he declined – that is fine – I always ask.

I made it to the bridge that I have crossed in all three of my motorcycles and filmed as I went across in one. I did the same on Red but pushed the record button too many times on the first crossing and had to do record on the second trip.


While stopped at the majestic site that I have photographed many times (when in Southern California once a relative took us to see this awesome bridge and it was identical to this one)



I met two motorcycle riders, Hal and Bill.




We shared some lies. Hal is an engineer semi-retired that designs software for fire safety (www.hrssystems.com). Bill was an airplane mechanic who saw Chuck Yeager’s plane the day before he broke the sound barrier.

It was a 102 heat index yesterday and I had been 10 plus miles so when I got the bottom of the hill I called mom to come and get me. I could have made it back but I did not want to be macho today. As I waited I found a cute little leaf roller.



After shower and rest we had a family dinner at Cracker Barrel where my mom and dad and brother eat every Saturday and ask for Donnie to be their waiter. This day he had three more – me, my sister and her husband.



A very good day two and was glad to see I still had my bike legs even in the heat after a two week lay – off. Bring on the Virginia and West Virginia mountains, I think.

P.S. Happy Father's Day, Pop

Number One Fan of my blog and life

Day One Summer 2010 What Difference a Week Makes

Farewell to my oasis south

I got off at 10:10 and without drama or fanfare made it to Carthage and found the police station off of 35 by feel not direction and as I walked up there he was. Vince Carter the officer who just a week earlier had stopped me for going 60 in a 45 on the Highway 45 that led to the interstate. He seemed almost glad to see me because he was getting cussed at my a man who said something about if you protect her you are wrong and on and on and finally he left threateningly. I on the other hand was very cordial.

Last Thursday he took forever and I wondered what in the world he was doing and when he finally made it back to the car and I was going to be so late for my 10:00 with my caterpillar expert at MSU, he looked at me with that stern officer look and said,”Sir, your license is suspended.” What I queried. He said you remember getting a ticket in Alabama July of 09. Yes. You never paid the ticket, and they suspended your license. (for more on that day).

And on it went and the end result was he kept my license and told me if I got my reinstatement and brought it to him he would give me back my license and tear up the ticket for driving with a suspended license that will save you some money but the other one will stick!.

After much drama I now had my reinstatement certificate and showed it to him. He asked the clerk to check if my license had been reinstated – she did and said no. I said what and thought worst than that. He read the certificate out loud and he said clearly my driving privileges had been reinstated. I thought Millicent with the beautiful smile and how she had been so kind on both occasions at the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. I even told her the last time that the people of Mississippi were lucky. She did not understand. I said they are lucky because they get to look at you and your beautiful smile. Apparently I flustered her so that she did not reinstate me on the computer – oh well.

Officer now friendly went to the back where I could not even go to the bathroom and came back this time and had her run it again and all was good. He said now he was going to help me on BOTH tickets. God is good. As we were leaving I asked about my license and he said oh yeah. He went to his car and retrieved it and I asked if I could take his picture and he said sure and he stood with his chest poked out with pride and here he is:



Thank you what a difference a week makes.

So this is how my journey of three weeks begins. An auspicious start.

I picked up the trace in Kosciusko after passing the huge Tyson plant outside Carthage and lots of tiny towns with the city limits on both sides of the same pole and stopped at one of my favorite little place with the Rainwater Observatory at French Camp and had lunch at the Council House. I got smart and ordered the small broccoli salad this time the big one is huge and went to get Benita out of the back of the truck – she was good and hot by now and sat her beside me at the lunch table.




She was a hit the four man crew that was bushhogging a plant down the road were fascinated with her. We told snake stories and motorcycle stories (I told them about not having my motorcycle on this trip and I road with my windows down in honor of the only thing I ever loved – Blue2). Two of the guys just had to touch her and Benita cut her eyes up at them. It was great fun to see the interaction and interconnection of all your creatures.



Another customer came by and had to give Benita some love as well. When I said something about the Geometrid - she said we call the inch worms and her hubby said we used to say when one landed on your shirt that meant you were going to get a new one. As if that were not enough a geometrid (inch worm) caterpillar dropped down from a tree overhead and I put her on the table. The boss guy said it was a stick and I said that was the defense and when I prodded her this is was the “stick” did:



She caught Benita’s attention but she was not interested in eating her - maybe she was just enjoying the dance as was I.


Back to work

I also met a granddad with his grandson (he had to go through the whole list of his grandkids to remember his name) and got a shot of them on his vintage Honda Shadow 2001 (it was a 750 not a 1100 like my Blue1).



And an old guy who made a smart remark about my long water bottle (Smart Water that my son says is used to make Crystal Meth) and also said when gas went to 4.00 a gallon he said they could keep the gas and he got a recumbent too.



I stopped in Tupelo for gas and off the trace the temperature seemed to increase to 100.

I drove on gladly back on the trace and off the hot highway interstates to a sleepy little town where I had toured with my motorcycle before. I went into Pucketts a great restaurant and could just taste the Yeungling on tap when she said they were having a private party and I could not order.

So I went across the street and this is how I was greeted:



And there no Yeungling but it was two for one so life was good. And the turnip greens and mashed potatoes with the skins and shrimp gumbo and cornbread were scrumpious. And I met Pat and Connie who went to my trunk across the street to see Benita and Red (my recumbent) and came back with lots of questions about both. They have a solar home in the woods outside the Loretta Lynn exit. I knew they were cool because when I first came up and was telling about being from Mississippi he said the was in Meridian once and asked where they could have some debauchery and the clerk said he did not know what that was but was pretty sure they did not have any of that there.

I made it to my parents in Franklin at 7:45 or so and they were having a pizza and delighted to see me and me them. Mom got the present of a whole crate of laundry and gladly took it on. I got to share with them about my new life (maybe more on that later) and she had my favorite ice cream (Breyers Cherry Vanilla) and two tumblers of that with milk and to bed and good rest after a great first day.