The Ketelsen's are: IN

We arrived home from the "Tour de Texas" this evening, thus concluding our official 'summer vacation'! While I was back in Tucson for a 7 night visit (6 nights of work to break up the vacation); Dean has been gone from home for a full month. Needless to say, it was a joyful reunion between him and the cats!

We had an uneventful driving trip (an improvement over last year when the wheel fell off about 50 miles from home) today, sharing the task of driving. Fortunately, we both enjoy driving. During my 'riding' time I explored learning to play the harmonica that our friend, Elinor, gave to me! I was a little too self-conscious to seriously try at it, but plan to practice and serenade Dean with "Red River Valley" (one of the songs in the accompanying booklet) as soon as possible!

We don't have many pictures to post from our visit with Elinor, however, we had a wonderful time with her! We visited with Elinor last year, on our trek to Tucson with the four cats along for the ride. She was disappointed that we didn't have any cats with us this time, though she now has 'joint custody' of a sweet little kitty named Missy. Missy started as her neighbors cat, but now travels between the two houses - spending most nights with Elinor. Our first night at Elinor's I came upon my first scorpion. I was so excited that I grabbed Dean out of the bathroom to kill it! I had never seen one (they sneak into houses when no one is the wiser) alive, and I'm told by Dean and Elinor that this one was 'big'. It was about 2.5 - 3 inches long. Did I stretch it out on a ruler to verify....NO. You'll have to take my (and Dean's) word on it!


We also, with Elinor, spent an afternoon in Marfa, Texas - a small town about 26 miles west of Alpine. Marfa is a growing artist community, though many of the galleries were closed on Monday, the day we chose to spend there. This picture is the county courthouse, as Marfa is the county seat. In a 'rough and tumble old west town' it was a delight to see this pristine Victorian jewel! We ate at a nice little cafe, having wonderful Mexican food, before taking in the shops in El Paisano Hotel.






El Paisano Hotel is noted for having been the place that some of the cast of the movie "Giant" (1955-Eliazbeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean) stayed during the local filming of that movie. For you movie buffs out there, that was James Dean's last movie before his death in a car crash (1955). The first floor of the hotel is filled with galleries and shops, though the lobby, dining room, and swimming pool are very elegant in the 'grand old hotel' sense of the word.

Marfa is also known for a phenomenon called "The Marfa Lights". The lights are unexplainable 'orbs of light' that sometimes show up in the sky (oh so scarey!!!), and 'dance' around! There have been articles about them, they have been studied, and they date back to over 100 years, or so some sources report. We did not go out in search of the Marfa lights, opting instead to relax and enjoy dinner and a nice glass of wine (and/or beer) at home with Elinor.

We both agreed that while it's nice to get home from a vacation, we enjoyed being able to spend a couple of nights with each of the relatives/friends we stayed with in Texas. One night is never enough, so two nights was just about perfect! To the family/friends we visited who are reading this blog entry: thank you! We had a great time and are so happy to have been able to spend some time with you!

Hotter than %$!! in Texas

It is a mite warm here in Texas - supposedly only 98F today, but considerably more humid than we are used to in Arizona. Yesterday we left Dallas, and the comfortable confines of sister-in-law Susan's house. We had a great time with her and nephew Brian, mostly hanging out, enjoying some great meals, going to the movies, but mostly stayed inside where it was cool. Brian is taking a break from all the summer camps he has done this Summer, but his brother Rhett and Dad Bill were on a camping trip in New Mexico, so didn't get to see them. Here is a shot of Susan and Brian before we departed for San Antonio.


The trip down was uneventful, but traffic was bad both getting out of Dallas and passing through Austin at the peak of rush hour. Almost easy to predict, but what can you do? We got in about 6:30 - just in time to jump back in the car and head out to a local steakhouse for dinner.


This is our first trip to San Antonio and my sister Sheri was carefully planning our every hour to get a taste of the place. First stop this morning (after a breakfast of fresh-and-hot coffee cake!) was a stop at the Alamo. It is smaller than you expect - at least the mission shrine is quite small. Interestingly, no fee was charged for any part of the visit, though the gift shop (with some exhibit space) is larger than the mission. And of course, the downtown development has built up skyscrapers across the street, so I guess we are lucky any of the Alamo still exists at all! Sheri's husband Tim is off on a family trip to Indiana, so we don't get to see him. In the photos are their 14-year-old Brittany, and 7 year-old Colton.


Our visit downtown seemed mostly to consist of ducking into buildings to get out of the oppressive heat. After the Alamo visit, we headed west a block or two to the Buckhorn Saloon and the "Hall of Horns". Rated a "Must-See" by Susan, we did lunch at the Saloon and paid the premium price for the museum which really was a very entertaining 90 minutes and well worth it. On display over the dining area was every sort of stuffed horned or antlered animal and many that didn't have horns. In the museum were also displays of African interests, finned creatures (mostly fish), unusual displays of all sorts of natural and historical interests.



We spent the hottest part of the day there, and left for the famed "Riverwalk" area - really a subterranean man made river that goes for seemingly miles. It exists under street level, connecting bars, restaurants and other shopping areas - almost like a pedestrian mall under street level, with trees, gardens, and river with guided boat excursions! I'm not sure if the trees and water made it seem cooler or if there was a real effect, but the return to street level seemed to increase the misery again.


As we headed for home, while we stopped for a DVD to watch, the dark clouds that had formed dumped, and the view out the window reminded us of the hurricane coverage from the Gulf of Mexico with sheets of horizontal rain. But the storm did cool things off dramatically and the evening was pretty pleasant, though we mostly stayed inside and enjoyed "The Coneheads" (remember - family friendly) brought to mind from the hall of mirrors at the Buckhorn Saloon.


After an all-too-brief visit, the plan is to hit the road again tomorrow, heading west towards Alpine, Texas. It will be a longer day driving, but shouldn't have any problem making it...

Back on the Road...

Just a quick note why we've not posted lately. Well, between the driving and the visiting with friends and family, there just aren't enough hours in the day. So be assured we are fine and currently somewhere between Dallas and Tucson. Today (Friday) we are leaving sister-in-law Susan's delightful home in Dallas, and headed to sister Sheri's house near San Antonio. Then Sunday we head towards Alpine, Texas for a stop to visit friend Elinor. Supposed to be home by Tuesday. We will likely have Internet access at our stops, so we may post, but it may wait till home too. See you down the road!

Meanwhile, Back in Tucson...

I was on the road all day today - but made it the 650 miles to Oklahoma City in about 11 hours. A little warmer down here - 70s in Iowa, about 100 here in Oklahoma! That leaves about 210 miles for tomorrow morning. Melinda flies into Dallas tomorrow evening for the last leg across Texas.

Meanwhile, I've not posted about the Mirror Lab in a long time. No, I'm not thinking too much about work, but they did call me while I was driving today to get my opinion on something. And I've got these pictures from June 23rd, the day before leaving Tucson that I never posted, so it makes for an easy blog entry!

There are three main projects in which Steward Observatory Mirror Lab is heavily involved. I've posted about the LSST and SPM Telescopes recently, but there has been lots of progress lately, so will update those as well. In this uppermost shot of the Polishing Lab, you can see both the GMT mirror at left, and the LSST mirror across the room.


Mostly I've been helping out on the LSST (Large Synoptic Survey Telescope) finishing the backplate generating and edging this Spring, but now we are using a 2 meter diameter grinding tool to get through the loose abrasive grinding and polishing to fully stress-relieve the backplate. We had just started the grinding on the flat rear of the mirror. As shown in earlier posts, the backplate has a hole over each core that is temporarily plugged to keep the mirror interior clean. You can see a PVC arm holding an array of brushes that sweep up the grit out of the holes to recycle the abrasive grit. Leslie is rinsing off the edge of the 8.4 meter diameter mirror.

Across the room, the GMT (Giant Magellan Telescope) has just started the polishing process on the front surface. I've not posted about GMT since my earliest Mirror Lab post last winter, and really need to describe it in more detail. It has a complicated surface figure - unlike most mirrors that are parabolic, or just rotationally symmetric for that matter, this mirror, designed to be mounted in the telescope with 6 other 8.4 meter mirrors is actually an off-axis parabola, the largest one in the world that has ever been attempted by far. Here Bill keeps an eye on the Stressed Lap Polisher - which changes to the ideal mirror shape, as the operation continues. As the mirror surface becomes more polished, we can start optical testing, but the testing is complicated by the off-axis shape.



The first part of the test setup, is a 4 meter "Foldsphere" now permanently mounted in the top of our new test tower. The Foldsphere was the last mirror I finished before "retiring" over a year ago, and in the interim, it has been aluminized and lifted to the highest point in the lab. Note that the image of my Canon camera pointed into the test tower is reversed in the mirror. My camera is very near the center of curvature of the concave sphere, so is magnified greatly. The center of curvature is also where an interferometer will be permanently mounted to monitor the shape of the Foldsphere during GMT testing. The main interferometer test of the GMT will bounce off this Foldsphere and will contribute the majority of the aspheric correction of the GMT mirror. Will include some diagrams and further discussion at a later point!


Also since my last post, the casting crew has finished the mold for the 6.5 meter diameter San Pedro Martir Telescope. They really worked hard and finished mold construction in a record 4 or 5 weeks (I lost count). In this image from 23 June, Damon and Phil were using the dust collection system, and dowel rods to plug the rib gaps of the mold to generate enough air flow through the backplate gap to vacuum up dust and contaminants. While I've been gone, they have started a mold prefire to "set" the mold. After cooling and another inspection, the mold will be ready for glass loading and a mirror casting in early Fall. You are now as up to date as I am!

A Stop In Iowa City

After yesterday's family function, I headed out to Iowa City to stay for a day or so. It is the home of the University of Iowa and I must say it is about the most beautiful campus I've ever seen! I'm biased some as I went to school there, but built into the banks of the Iowa River, it really is scenic. And not only is it scenic, it is integrated perfectly into the downtown commercial district, so classical stone institutional classroom buildings are across the street from bars, restaurants, bookstores and art galleries. Of the half dozen university towns I've spent time in, it is by far my favorite!

The Iowa River splits the university - athletics, medical and nursing schools on the west side, and most everything else on the east. The crest of the east bank of the Iowa is dominated by the Pentacrest - the original 5 buildings of the University, with the Old Capitol Building at their center. Old Cap served as the territorial capital and the State Capital for the first decade until the legislature voted to move it to the more central Des Moines. The building then became the first permanent University building back in 1857. It was used for classes for over a century and used for offices since. Unfortunately, during external renovations in 2001, an open flame torch accidentally set the wooden dome on fire and the dome was destroyed. Rebuilt and recovered with gold leaf, the building was reopened in 2006 and currently serves as a museum. The Pentacrest is a natural meeting and demonstration location - I remember well my first semester at Iowa when presidential candidate George McGovern made an appearance just before the '72 election. With the expanses of green trees and lawn, I think this Arizonan took more pictures of it today than in the previous 35 years!

I'm staying (as with most overnight stays at UI) at the hotel located at the Student Union. Called the Iowa House, it is a perfect location to stay - very reasonable walks to athletic events, food and functions in Iowa City without using the car. I've not moved the van since parking it in the ramp 24 hours ago! Unfortunately, unbeknownst to me, today starts incoming freshman orientation, and I was lucky to snag a room for tonight. Everyone and their family is walking around campus today, and there were literally dozens of guided tours in small groups wandering around in the morning.

There are a few pilgrimages I make nearly every trip I go to Iowa City, though it has been nearly 3 years since staying overnight. I usually look up my friend Ann - I think the only connection to my student days 30-some years ago. She was actually my supervisor for a semester when I drove for the Cambus bus system after I graduated and wasn't working towards a degree. Miraculously, we've stayed in touch over the decades - she works at the UI Library and we get together to chat over lunch as I pass through. I knew her small son those decades ago, and now Ann shows pictures of her grandchildren. Today we were joined by my nephew Jeff and his sister Sarah, both living in the area, who joined us for lunch.


Another trip I must make every time is a visit to Prairie Lights Bookstore. Located a block from the Physics building, where I took most of my classes, it is perhaps the best independently owned bookstore in the Midwest. While smaller than your typical Borders or Barnes and Noble megastore, it is amazing at the selection of books you WANT to read, and it is a rare trip I can get out the door without spending $100. The staff is great too - I went in once with a book I'd heard about on a long-ago NPR segment, but had forgotten the title, and they were able to connect my verbal book description to the book without title or author. Now THAT is knowing your product! The store also promotes authors by hosting readings and festivals. One of the employees saw one of my book selections and asked if I knew the authors were going to be in the store Saturday! It really is one of the true destination attractions in Eastern Iowa!


Another pilgrimage I made was to my favorite bar/restaurant from 35 years ago - The Sanctuary. Located a few blocks from the center of the business district, it was known for it's cheesy pizza back then - I wasn't so much of a beer drinker back then (don't forget the drinking age was 18 then!). I had stopped in 3 years ago with Melinda, and did a solo trip today, getting a small Sanctuary Special Pizza (most all of the top 6 or 7 ingredients) and a pint of Dead Guy Ale from Oregon's Rogue Brewery - a great combo! Not only was the food good, but they had some great music in the background (a little jazzy for my 70s taste, but Tony Bennett seemed perfect this trip). Also, the waitress had a copy of the Sunday New York Times travel section for me to peruse while my food was being prepared - now THAT is full service!

Hitting the road in the morning towards Dallas - first west to Des Moines, then south to Kansas City, Wichita, and Oklahoma City. Hoping to get to the latter before stopping for the day...

The Return To Arizona Starts...

After some packing, organizing and cleanup of the house in St Charles, Illinois, it was with some sadness that I headed west towards Iowa in the trusty van. Today's plan was to join family in DeWitt, Iowa for a combination farewell (mine), and early birthday parties(for Stepmom Diane and Uncle John). The "event" was held at brother Jim's house - always the most popular sibling in summer with the pool in the back yard. He installs pools and spas for a living, so his place is a real showcase of what can be done, even in the short summers of the Midwest. The 2 comparison shots are taken from near the same spot in standard color, and with the IR-modified camera showing the darkened sky, light foliage, and dark water of the longer wavelengths being used.



The star of the show was little Alivia, who turns 3 years old in less than 2 weeks. She was quite the social jabberbox. She is shown here during consumption of "Snickerdoodles" (sort of a chocolate-frosted peanut buttery Rice Krispy bar), and after cleanup. As you can surmise, she is not camera-shy at all, similar to most of my nieces and nephews around their camera-toting Uncle Dean.



Also similar to our family functions where at least 4 of the brothers and sisters are present, a group shot was taken. Missing is little sister Sheri, who arrives in a couple weeks after I'm back in Tucson (and who I visit in a few days!). Shown from the back left is me, Brian and Jim, with Kathy and Linda in front (also in order of age from left-to-right in case anyone wondered). With Melinda and me splitting our time between Tucson and Chicago, and Sheri's family now living in San Antonio, TX, at least I'm not the only one preventing a full reunion any more!

But Is It Art?

While we get the New York Times at home (turned off while we are away), it is often hard to find on the road, even in St Charles in the Chicago suburbs. If leaving the house early enough (before 10am), I can usually find one at local grocery stores. Even when we are busy running around and I don't have the hour or so to go through one, I like to get it for my favorite sections in each day's edition. Tuesday has the can't-miss science section, Wednesday has the food and cooking section, Thursday has style and home, Friday has new movie reviews, and of course, every day has an original crossword puzzle that we both enjoy doing, though as they grow harder during the week, I can usually only finish a Monday or Tuesday, while Melinda gets much deeper into the week. In any case, every day has great articles you rarely see anywhere else and draw your attention.

While at the mechanic's on Thursday, I caught up on editions from earlier in the week. There was an interesting article in the Tuesday paper about an art project in London called "One and Other", a piece designed by artist Antony Gormley. You can read the article here. In short, volunteers occupy a vacant plinth on the NW corner of Trafalgar Square. Normally designed to support statuary of kings or generals, a statue was never built on the "Fourth Plinth", but is the stage of "One and Other", where volunteers can do pretty much whatever they want for an hour, webcast live, 24 hours a day for the next 100 days. From the website, "One & Other is an extension of the exploration of the connection between individuals. The volunteers on the plinth become both representations of themselves and of the human population of the world, viewed by fellow members of the wider society which they inhabit."

So, in effect, there is a continuous performance piece ongoing. I find myself frequently checking in - currently there is a well dressed man in suit and tie standing in the rain, striking the pose of an explorer, eyes wordlessly fixed on the horizon. I've seen a woman dressed as a pigeon (in celebration of the pigeons in the square), a dancer who performed with ribbons, a woman with 2 bubble machines who blew soap bubbles for her hour, and others who interact with the crowd. Besides the live video, you can also hear the volunteer and crowd noise as well. So go to the website link above and you can witness the ongoing art project.