Timnath Bombs!

I just heard some people talking the other day about the town of Timnath and "The Bomb". "Were they talking about the new WalMart that just opened?" I wondered.
"No!" they said. "The Japanese bombed Timnath during World War Two!"

"Oh sure!" I thought. Timnath, a town of around 250 people just 2 miles east of Fort Collins couldn't possibly be the Japanese idea of an effective target. "What's wrong with these folks?"

But, they were quite adamant about this "fact", so I had to give in and assume that this could very well be a Roadside Mystery that I have to at least make some effort to report.
Checking the facts is easy now that the World Wide Web is here! Checking out the Wikipedia entry for "Timnath, Colorado" we find that "During WWII Japan experimented with 'Balloon Bombs' that floated across the pacific to the U.S. The only bomb to successfully reach land was one that floated all the way to Colorado when the balloon finally popped over the Town of Timnath making it the only town on the continental United States to be bombed in WWII."

"Well, I'll be..." I thought. "I better check this out!"

After a detailed examination of declassified government documents I found the approximate location where the supposed bomb landed and with my Official Welsh Guard bomb sniffing canine Col. Duncan MaDog, we checked out Timnath ground zero:

Col. Duncan MaDog sniffing for bomb residue

The bombing of Timnath happened on March 20, 1945.  Unfortunately it was such a long time ago that Duncan was not able to determine if any of the surrounding material in the area came from a Japanese bomb.  Good dog anyhow. I'll promote him to Brigadier next month!

In case you find something weird in your back yard and wonder if it is a Japanese bomb, see the picture below:

A bomb that was captured in Oregon 

A detailed drawing of a balloon bomb

Another drawing that looks like it's out of Ripley's Believe It Or Not!

The Japanese sent off more than 9000 balloon bombs hoping to catch the jet stream just right so that they could land in the Pacific Northwest and create all kinds of havoc in the U.S. Not much happened, apparently. Some people in Oregon were killed when they found an unexploded bomb and tried to drag it away for a souvenir.  In all, about 1000 balloon bombs were recovered; 300 of them on U.S. soil.

So what about the Wiki entry about the "only town  to be bombed?" Well, from what I have determined from the records, some bomb fragments were found in a farmer's field in Timnath, but many more were found in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.  In fact, a complete fully intact bomb assembly and balloon was found in Kirby, Wy.   Heck, they found balloon bombs as far East as Detroit:

I don't get those reporters in Michigan. The word was out that we were supposed to keep the balloon bombing a secret so the Japanese wouldn't know how effective their WMD program was! I wonder if someone from Toyota saw this and got an idea.

The Beat Farm!

Marcus and Bloco Em Foco at the "Beat Farm" or "Beat Barn" or whatever...

From an event on April 23rd.

That night we learned three new songs: "Gutchaka", "Levada" and "Muvuca".  That's probably enough for now! 

Horses diggin' the beat!

Dog puttin' up with all of us!

More drummers come!

"Welcome to Bloco em Foco! Como vai você?"

Burning Questions

at the Poudre School District Science Fair

Does the Hg get higher as you go North of FoCo?

What worms eat depends in part on where they live. Worms can live closer to the surface or much deeper underground. On the surface, worms eat a variety of organic materials, such as dead grass and leaves that have fallen from the trees. There are microscopic organisms that live on these leaves. These organisms provide the worm with a variety of algae, fungi and bacteria that are essential for the worm’s diet. OK, that's more than I want to know!

This kid is asking for trouble!

Don't cha' just hate it when you buy expensive microwave popcorn and there are kernels still un-popped?

Alright! Something about physics!

Do full-spectrum bulbs really prevent cavities?

What? No samples?

By Johann Kjeldahl

Best of Show.  NaOH + CO2 ---> NaHCO3

Best Question: Is Your Dog Smarter Than A Guinea Pig?

As a science fair judge for more then 25 years at Chicago Public Schools, I just couldn't resist checking out this year's entries at the Poudre schools.  I was happy to see there wasn't anything too goofy.  I commend the science teachers at Poudre schools and hope to see more in the future. 

Swing 'n Colorado!

...with Rosann Winn and the Colorado Swing!

Rosann Winn

At a dinner party at the FCCC (Fort Collins Country Club) 

Harlem Nocturne, Satin Doll, Zoot Suit Riot! 

It's Big Band Swing music! When you include the FoCO Music Experiment and Bloco Em FoCo, we must have hit into every music genre possible in one month!  Maybe next week we will go see a movie or something?

The Beat Barn

the beat continues...

Marcus on the Surdo!

World renown percussionist Marcus Santos is shown here demonstrating the proper method for Surdo! This is our first real instruction in Brazilian rhythm!  Fantástico !

The Bug Cafe

Or is it the Hexapod Diner?

It's where giant cockroaches select from a special menu

Some items on the menu

are not all Coleoptera!

but they make good specimens especially if you want to X-Ray their little bodies!

Entropy Part 3 and Happy Birthday Jeanne!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEANNE !

The window project is (almost) done!!!

The cold and wet weather helped get me in the mood for finishing this project; and just in time for Jeanne's birthday! It's a win-win situation!

The zinc frame was added on Saturday and the window was put onto the existing pane to check the fit.

The design was modified in that the bottom six inches of glass on the panel was made from standard clear window glass.  This change was made because it was observed that our new dog, Mr. Duncan MaDog, liked to gaze out of the window to watch the children playing in the street.  

The photo on the left shows the panel temporarily hanging in place.  I removed it so that I can finish some last minute soldering and cleaning. Some sort of method for fixing the panel onto the pane will have to be found, but I would have to say that this project is better than 99% complete. 

Loveland Abandoned

Stand by...
The Blogger picture loader isn't working automatically, so I have to enter photos using straight HTML  code.  Hmmm, can  I remember how to do that?

An operating system as a religion!

I go to Loveland in the morning on business twice a month and try to ride my bike whenever possible.  I also go to Loveland in the evening for the drum circle near Devil's Backbone at least twice a month, but since it's dark, I drive my old VW Cabrio.  I have never been stopped by police at any time while living in Colorado except when I drive back at night from Loveland. What's that about? Maybe they are looking for drunk drivers at night and I look like a good candidate. Interestingly, some of the officers have taken note of the little metal fish on the back of my VW. "What's THAT mean?" they would ask! What can I say? It's not Jesus or Darwin! Does it have to mean anything at all?

The Great Western Station

The Great Western Sugar Factory was built in Loveland in 1901.  Not far from this spot in 1990, a storage tank spilled over half a million gallons of molasses into the surrounding neighborhood in east Loveland.  

I found this picture of the storage tank in question.  Did kids use the trampoline to bounce into the river of sugar syrup? I at least would like to think someone had fun! I don't believe anyone was drowned in molasses; Of course, it was much worse in Boston. 

Signs of humanity, up a notch

Need money now?

See this guy.

Save money on lunch! Just $5.99

Or why not ALL YOU CAN EAT for $5.99?

Sign spinning is an art, but that kind of talent is getting harder to find.  Why not Costume Waving? Do you enjoy meeting people and working outdoors? Want to make some extra cash to help pay off those holiday bills? Well, DO YOU, PUNK? 

If you answered YES, then we have a great opportunity for YOU! We're  seeking friendly and outgoing individuals to work as Costume Waver for our client located in the Fort Collins, Co. area! Your responsibilities will include wearing a great costume while greeting passers-by! 

DUNCAN MADOG PIX

Here are some pictures of Duncan (From his Facebook):

He is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, mostly red-brown color on top.

White underneath with white and brown spotted socks!

Intelligent in appearance with nice white sharp teeth.

Can sit on a chair

Or on the lawn.

Loves the snow!

Runs fast!

Duncan Madog is enrolled in doggie school scheduled to start on April 28th.  He could place AP calculus, but we believe he would be better off learning the basics his first time around.

FoCoMX (Cont.)

From Saturday night:

The Neon Knights @ Alley Cat

Otem Rellik @ Avo's

Square Peg @ Catalyst

The Dave Dardine Project @ Catalyst

The Heyday @ the Aggie

What a mix! Electronic Ambient, Hip Hop, Jazz, Blues and Pop all in one night! Thanks to Greta Cornett and the Fort Collins Music Association!

Fort Collins Music Experiment

So many musicians, so little time:

Dan Barton (on piano) @ Everyday Joe's Coffee

and Josh Greene (on dobro).

Alan Vasquez (on everything!) @ Stonehouse Grille

Johny Hickman @ Hodi's Half Note

Jonestown Potion @ Catalyst Coffee

and Bourbon Toothpaste!

The FoCoMX brings together local musicians for this two day event where you can experience all kinds of music at 12 different venues.  We thought that this would be a great opportunity to check out some of these places (like The Aggie or The Cork) all for one low, low price. We purchased a couple of two day passes at Rock 'N' Robins (my, what a fine selection of hookahs they have!) and were on our way. We were back in time to walk Duncan Madog at about 1:00AM today and after some needed rest we will be back at it tonight!

Bloco Em FoCo Agogo

We're not there yet but:

First Circle

This month we put petal to the metal and attempt Samba Agogo com Bloco Em FoCo. A translation will follow soon we think. Just wait...

Population Program at the Stonehouse Grille

At another Science Cafe':

Tonight we learned about migration patterns of Latin Americans from Mexico,  Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. It was part of Beet Street's Finding Home Sharing the Journey of our Collective Immigration, a month-long celebration of our community’s patchwork heritage.  Today's lecture was given by Dr. Riosmena:

Dr. Fernando Riosmena

He's the Assistant Professor of Geography and Faculty Associate at the Population Program, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado, Boulder.

The venue for tonight was on the second floor of the Stonehouse Grille. Too bad there was so much noise from the restaurant population below! I'm sure it seemed like a great location, but tonight it was a little hard to follow.  Sure, the Elk's Club is old and dingy, but at least the members don't get rowdy until they start up the bowling alley at 8:00!

Caged Kittens

At the Larimer Humane Society:

Here's a cute gray cat

and this one's got long fur.

He wants to be your friend. Adopt me please!

The Humane Society is way on the South side of Fort Collins. I biked there today to get a license for Duncan MaDog so he would be a legal pet in Fort Collins!

Entropy Project Part Two

Remember on February 18th I started this project?

The glass window project (so far)

It's a stained glass window strip that is going into a side window by our front door. I may actually finish this project next week! 

In other news, our dog has his own FaceBook membership, and he's collecting friends from all over the place. If interested, search FaceBook for "Duncan MaDog" and you too can be his friend!

We Got Dog!

America runs on Dunkin'

Introducing Duncan, our new little dog!

Today we went to the PWCCR or the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of the Rockies and rescued this little guy! We are calling him Duncan, or full Welsh name: "Duncynn Ma dog" He's kind of a strange corgi, but we love him and he seems to like us as well. I wouldn't be surprised if you saw more of him in this blog!

International Virus Test