Pool Party, Science Fair, Mike's Birthday

Photos Taken Within the Last Week: Mike's Birthday----Grades 4-6 Science Fair----Grade 5 Pool Party




Mike's Birthday Cake-Half Chocolate/Half Fruit

Mikey and Mouse--At Kelly's apt. where we ate the birthday cake the day after our fish trip. You've heard of three blind mice--Kelly has two sight-challenged pets. They're very old, by mouse standards (over two years old)

I think there is a mouse on my left hand

We pose for the cameras after our meal

Mike and Kris--Sunset over the Med. as we await our fishy dishy

Kelly, a teacher at school, who along with Massimo, treated us to dinner, talking to another, much younger, guest at Zepherion Restaurant

Kelly and Massimo pose for the camera

Another view of the outside of Zepherion Restaurant

Outside of Zepherion Restaurant

The View Outside Zepherion Restaurant-Where we went to eat for my birthday on Friday, May 29 Aya---She was the top 5th grade winner at the science fair with her experiment in which she tested various dish soaps.

Malini-She tested laundry soaps to see which one best removes ink stains.

Malini, who is from India, explaining her experiment

Aly-the Grade 5 second-place champ, and his displa of light dimmer circuitry.

Hussein---He took vanilla ice-cream, added various food colorings, and had people choose their favorite "flavor"---based on color.

The head of food services at Schutz, Seham, who provided food for the judges.

One of the judges talking to Aly about his circuit experiment

Dr. C., our principal and a judge, Aly, and the other Grade 5 judge

Nada and her "Music and Math" display--she played music for students while they worked on math problems to determine if the music helped or hindered them as they worked

The judge looks at Farah's display.

Ghali and his rubber gloves--he tested different toothpastes and their effectiveness in removing stains from teeth

Vighnesh---and his display-he used Mentos and put them in various soft drinks to test for "fizzability".

Ghali displaying his knowledge of dental cleansers

Nadine and her "Does Age Affect Your Memory" display..Answer: Yes, take it from me

Yun-Kyung explains how salt affects the freezing rate of ice

Ahmed froze and heated playground balls to test for "bounceability"

Our handy-dandy Science Fair sign

Grade 5 pool party--May 24th at the school pool. The Grade 5 students had brought in the most foods last fall during the school's food drive for the poor. The reward was to have a pool party with ice cream and pizza

Pool Part Pic

Girls don't want to be photographed

Macho men and Ms. Kelly, high school math teacher

Shahan keeping cool in the pool

Thumbs-Up from Ahmed

Alexandria Library-May 23, 2009

Today Kris and I took our first trip to the Alexandria Library. Those readers in the audience may realize that the Alexandria Library was the world's first library, dating back to the days of Alexander the Great..At one time it contained copies of almost all pieces of written materials that existed in the world....Unfortunately, it was destroyed hundreds of years ago in a fire, I believe. Absolutely priceless treasures were lost as a result....Well, about 8 years ago the new Alexandria Library was completed on the site of the original building. As they were constructing it, they found hidden treasures beneath the surface, including a couple of very large mosaics that we looked at today.


The Alex Library pool with downtown Alex in the background

Another view of the planetarium

Two Minnesotans standing in front of the Alex Library

Kris, Mike, and Al the Great in the middle

Lady Lookin' for book

Inside of Alex Library....hush, people are working!!

Double Hush---Research going on.

Another interior shot of the library

Interior shot of Alex Library

Interior shot

That's Mr. Mike in front of a couple of VERY old Mosaics, dating back to the 2nd Century BC. These were found on the site of the library building as they were constructing it eight years ago.

Cllose-up of one of the mosaics

The other mosaic features a dog, perhaps an ancestor of the RCA Victor dog that we used to see.....

From the Library looking at the sea

Alexandria Library-looking at the Planetarium

Alexandria Library- This room featured historical information about the Egyptian, Greek, and Arabic periods in Alexandria's history.

Our friends Wael, who works at the Planetarium, and Mohammed, who led us on our tour of the Alex Library.

In the front of the Alex Library..This pool of water is at the same level as the Mediterranean Sea which you can see in the far background behind the white stautes. Because of this, it gives one the feeling of one continuous body of water extending from the Library to the sea.

The front of the Alex Library....The shape represents the sun rising out of the sea.........our friends told us that what it really symbolizes is the birth of the world's first library, a place that at one time contained a collection of almost all written texts that had been gathered at that point in human history. The site of the new library rests upon the ground where the original library once stood.

Another great view of the Alex Library pool extending seawards out to the Med in the background. It's quite a sight to behold.