go, go, think

Life is complicated sometimes. You make plans, they go awry. You think you are on a path, only to find yourself standing in a field with no idea how you got there. Things happen, and over time, you learn not only how to make the best of the situation, you learn how to make it the best possible situation.Justine took the helm with the Flying Fish (pinch-hitting for Mackenzie, who is fighting another of our famous viruses). Justine is a writer, so naturally, they started with writing. Her way of talking about words held the kids in so enthralled that the family that was here for an admissions interview asked if "all the kids are so quiet and focused."Gever visited the Fish just before lunch to discuss the anatomy of paper airplanes, helping the students identify the important parts of the simple aircraft so that they could talk about the pros and cons of the various designs. Then he showed them how each of their planes could be improved with the application of a bit of careful refolding and sharpening of creases.We enjoyed a hot lunch together. Debbie and Evan put out a hearty spread of bratwurst from Wisconsin and a sesame-garlic broccoli salad with pear tomatoes (delicious Hetch-Hetchy water on the side). The hot lunches continue to serve as amazing social anchors in our little community.And some enjoyed the bratwurst very much, thank you.After lunch, the amphibious vehicle team of Undead Goats took their early prototype out to the park for a few test runs.Many lessons were learned about their steering design, about grade, and about the rolling friction of the tires. Also, Ben did a nice job of calling the testing phase complete after two crashes (no injuries). It takes some self-control to not just find the steepest, tallest, curviest bit of path you can when you have a new go-cart.Near the end of the day, Gever (who is currently feeling a little bit awkward about talking about himself in the third person) demonstrated a fun way to fly a paper airplane on a moving slope. He folded a very simple tumbling floater and then drove it around the room by pushing air up underneath it with a flat sheet of cardboard.Much to the delight of the assembled crowd.