Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Harpy Puppet

October and the Halloween Howl are getting closer.  And props are being built (we can't build props in October--we're too busy building the sets for the trail.

I was watching a special on the new Harry Potter World in Orlando (I plan on going for my birthday).  They have a puppet show of the folk tale of Beadle the Bard.  I loved the video, and I *really* loved the death puppet.   Here's the link to the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc0QiyuT9lY

So I made a version of it.  I've tagged it "The Harpy" because I gave it a human/bird face.

 
 
My legs are showing in this (and you can see me when I move) but that night it will be, well, night, and I'll be entirely in black with a black face mask so I should mostly disappear.    My plan is to hold still and look just like a hanging display until the visitors get close--then move.   Should get some interesting reactions.    It's been fun to figure him out--there's practically everything on there--PVC pipe, foam, paper mache, some Styrofoam packing material, bamboo, old drapery sheers from Goodwill, wire . . . the list goes on.  Just sort of had to make it up as I went along.
 
Hopefully this video works.
 

 
And now onto the next project!!

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Earning Aunt Points

Ah, me--almost caught up with myself, and then three weeks of busyness happens and now I'm way behind.  I sort of keep having the ever-changing schedule--this is the time of the museum when they've lost a lot of their summer camp instructors (mostly teachers who have to go for beginning-of-year-prep) so my choice is to cover a summer camp week, or cover a lot of programs.  I opt for programs.  More on that later.

July came and went in it's own hot sticky way--the highlight being the visit from Amanda and Robert (and Dane and Zeke), with Della and Don's wedding.  But they found time to come up to Tallahassee for a day before heading back to Italy.  And I found myself fulfilling a promise that I had made--to take Dane on the Tree to Tree adventure course.  Everyone else opted to stay on the ground so it was just Dane and I harnessed up to climb up to the trees.


 
 
And you really are up in the trees.  The course is often called "the zip line course" just because people know what that is.  But the real challenge is the obstacle courses--walking across swinging logs, riding a surfboard, walking a tightrope.
 
I let Dane go first so I could help him if necessary.  Hah!!  Monkey Boy is a natural at this, and merely had to be polite enough to let Aunt Ann catch up once in awhile.
 

 
 



I honestly thought I could just cruise through this.  I have done it before, two years ago.  But that was in May.  August is 20 degrees hotter.  And I had sort of forgotten (blessed protective amnesia) that you constantly have to duck under the shoulder-height security lines.  Or that you arrive on the platform after a zip with your legs tucked under you and you have to quickly stand up.  My thighs were screaming at me.  And I could have easily won any red-faced sweaty awards.  I found myself pondering the fact that I was trying to keep up with an athletic 11-year old when I happened to be seven years older than his *grandmother*.

I did show good form on the surfboard.
 
 
 
I couldn't walk for two days afterwards, but it was totally worth it.  Dane is a great kid, and we've never had a chance to do anything with just the two of us.
 
Afterwards I took the family for a private close-up viewing of the bears and panther.  Alas--Amanda's phone had died by then so we didn't get pictures of hide-and-seek.  The panther is a big and intimidating predator--but he's also a playful cat.  And I do wish that I could have gotten a video of Amanda's reaction when suddenly a far-too-close 10-foot alligator got up and walked towards the water.  I hadn't thought to warn her about him--and she didn't immediately register that there was a fence between them. (and yes--we laughed).
 
So happy to see them again--and will next spring--in Italy.