Looeyville Part 3

Final installment for the Louisville trip

On Saturday we went to the Goss Avenue Antique Mall, and I liked it. I only got to go through half. I wanted to get a big metal key that I was going to hang on my room door, but I didn't have my money with me. Next we went to Suburban Social Club and ate fish for lunch. Then we met some friends at the Louisville Zoo. It seems like most of Louisville was at the zoo because it was the first pretty day of spring. I am glad they had a Komodo dragon; it was the first one I ever saw in real life. We saw a gorilla picking its nose for several minutes. You see how close gorillas are related to people? Sunday when we got back we went to a show at the WKU planetarium called "Exoplanets." It was definitely an action-packed spring break!
Dudeboy




Three dodos

Looavill Part 2

Second day of our trip to Louisville . . .

On Friday we went to the Louisville Slugger Museum. I saw the first bat they made. It had a very thick handle compared to bats today. Bud Hillerich was the originator of the Louisville Slugger bat. On a day when a baseball player broke his bat, Bud jumped onto the field; he said, “I think I can make a better bat.” And he did. His father tried to talk him out of making baseball bats, but making butter churns like his father suggested wasn’t enough for Bud. We also did a factory tour.

Then we went to the 21c Museum Hotel. And we saw weird art. Sometimes I liked it, and sometimes I didn’t. There was a film called In G.O.D. We Trust that reminded me of the Yellow Submarine. I liked a piece of art that had falling letters called Text Rain (pictured below). There was portrait of Obama made out of wax that I really liked. That might of been my favorite piece of art at the gallery.

We also went to the Louisville Science Center and saw the imax movie named Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure that actually had parts from old films in it.

It was a very busy day!

Dudeboy

The world's largest bat built to scale from one of Babe Ruth's Louisville Sluggers.

Dudeboy needs to eat a few more hotdogs to really pull off this portrayal.
Big leaguer?

Signature row.

"Text Rain"

Orange is in this year.

Louisville Part 1

First day of the trip . . .

Last week we (meaning Merkin J. Pustart, Dr. J, and me, Dudeboy) went to
Louisville for an English conference for Dr. J, actually spring break for us. First we went to the Thomas Edison house; he rented a room, slept in the room, and did experiments there. He left Louisville because he spilled acid on the floor at work. The acid ate through the floor and to the boss’s desk below. I bought a working replica light bulb. I need a base for it though. I liked the museum a lot!

We also went to the American Printing House for the Blind. I made Braille in two different ways: by hand using a Braille slate and a Braillewriter. We went on a factory tour to see where they made Braille books and talking books. I liked it so much I made us miss lunch.

We also went to Zachary Taylor’s grave. Did you know he was moved from
an underground tomb to an above ground mausoleum?

That day was jam packed. I liked it! Dudeboy


The Thomas Edison House in Louisville's Butchertown neighborhood.

Edison's room (decorated with period pieces).


The American Printing House for the Blind.

Using a Braille slate.

A braillewriter.

The Zachary Taylor National Cemetery is located on property originally owned by Taylor's parents. His boyhood home is nearby (unfortunately it is privately owned).

Zachary Taylor's mausoleum.

Danville, Dinosaurs and Dudeboy

To kick off our spring break, Dudeboy and I travelled to the Danville area with another homeschooling family. Our ultimate goal was to see the exhibit Dinosaurs: The Big Picture at Danville's Community Arts Center. The life-sized cast skeletons in the exhibit are from one of the largest private collections of dinosaur fossils in the country (amassed by a local father and son).

Dudeboy at the Isaac Shelby Cemetery State Historic Site. Isaac Shelby was a hero at the Battle of King's Mountain, and he was Kentucky's first and fifth governor.

In front of the Dr. Ephraim McDowell House. In 1809 McDowell performed the first successful abdominal operation. He removed a 22 pound tumor from a woman who sang hymns during the operation (this was before the days of anesthesia).



At Perryville . . . near the H.P. Bottom house.

Old Blood and Guts

On Saturday after the Pinewood Derby, Merkin and I went to Louisville to see Creation and get whacked by the twins (just kidding). On Sunday we went to the General George Patton Museum: we saw his ivory pistols, death car, Patton's watch that stopped when he died, and tanks galore! I can't believe that they are moving 85% of the tanks to Fort Benning, Ga. At home, I watched Patton the movie with George C. Scott; it was a really good movie.

This is a French tank from WWI that was found by a US soldier in an Afghanistan scrap yard. Of course, it has gone through extensive renovation!

A doughboy . . . or should that be a d'oh! boy.

Go see them while you can. The museum is headed for major changes.

"I am a jelly doughnut!" A section of the Berlin Wall. Of course, the Eastern side was perfectly clean.


Patton's death car.

The Last Pinewood Derby

Dudeboy and his car Get Out of the Way!

Get Out of the Way! looking a little perturbed.

Get ready . . . get set . . . go!
Get Out of the Way! ran in four heats. He won one and finished second in the other three. There were four cars in each race. Dudeboy finished 8th overall (out of 20 something scouts).

Dudeboy's pinewood derby cars over the years. This was his last derby.