Blast-Off Birthday

November is a magical month for birthdays. My nephew H has his birthday just a few days after mine, so for those few short days I am 30 years older than him. He and I often get to share a birthday cake after Sunday dinner with the whole clan.



However, we usually get our own birthday cakes on our respective birthdays, and this is his. We enjoyed this beauty together at the Science Center as part of a "blast-off" birthday theme.



The kids got to roll up their sleeves for some hands-on exhibits, including this one about water and sailing. I don't know how much of the science they were able to take in, but they sure soaked up a lot of water.



I think some of them could have stayed at this same spot for hours.



Scott was captivated by this lever for nearly as long as the boats. This machine is operated by a series of cranks and levers, which power several belts and augers to convey little white bits in a circuit. Scott was quite satisfied to take sole control of this small lever and was ready to bawl out anyone who strayed too close. H was a little more adventurous.



Not all the displays were for kids, however. Luke and I got a chance to break 4gs on a gravity bike. It wasn't too bad until the very end when they put on the brakes.



Happy Birthday H! (and me!)