Earth Day

For Earth Day, we participated in the 8:30-9:30 pm "lights out," getting by with two candles, the occasional cell phone screen or pocket flashlight.

I dismantled yesterday's Czech bridge & put stones back in box according to the packing plan. I think it would have taken more candles to actually build something.

Then I did some construction with Froebel Gift #3 blocks. That worked, even though the candle wasn't very close.

I spent the rest of the hour taking pictures with only candlelight illumination. The shutter speed was 15 seconds, handheld. It turned out the biggest problem was lack of contrast - particularly the lack of shadows.

I could have gotten a better picture by moving the nearer candle down from the mantle to sit on a book or two next to my construction. But then, that wasn't the point.

Maybe the point was that you don't need a lot of light to have good block play.

Most s vezemi

With my limited Czech, and some help from the Czech-German dictionary I keep next to my desk, most s věžemi is "bridge with towers." I downloaded the page this picture was on from the Czech Anchor site quite some time ago, where it won 1. misto (first prize), for Miroslav Koutný, in a contest. Well deserved - it may be the nicest bridge built with Ankerstein that I have ever seen, especially if one gives extra credit, as I do, for it being built with Set 6, and without hard-to-find/expensive metal bridge parts.

So it was a good build to celebrate my having been told that my leukemia is officially in remission.

Earlier today I had a nice walk in sun-dappled woods, up hill & down, taking (3-D) photographs like mad. I logged a Geocache, too. First such almost-hike since before I went to the doctor last fall with swollen ankles, beginning my cancer odyssey.

And on celebratory topics, thank you to whomever has been using my Amazon-hosted Block Play Store, to buy expensive software packages. Commissions (buy anything on Amazon, at no extra cost to the buyer), even if not yet received, are generally happy surprises - and these may have contributed to my quick recovery from chemo.

Anchor Stone builders will find more cause for celebration on that same Czech Anchor site: new since my last visit are theme constructions for Jules Verne, the Three Musketeers (Tři mušketýři), and pirates!

Check them out on the red buttons, or just browse the site randomly. There are lots of inspirations for good block play.