Pi Rho
Today is Pi Day (3.14) and we celebrate with our friend Sally & her family with the annual "Pi Rho Festival." We go out to a farm & fields near Granger, TX and shoot of rockets, have a pot-luck dinner, then (if Williamson County's Burn Ban is off -- as it is this year) have fireworks. Some people then stay and camp out with a huge bonfire (where, I hear they torch their Christmas trees).
We've had several days of constant rain, which is good because there's no burn-ban, but it's bad since we may be plodding thru muddy fields in chilly/damp conditions to gather up our rockets. But, I bet it'll still be fun.
This is our third year to make rockets. The first year, both Matt & I made small rockets. We move up to larger and more complex rockets each year. This year, I made two - one small one (from a leftover kit) and another that's about 3 feet long.
Rocket kits are readily available online, at hobby stores, and also at Hobby Lobby. Most kits are simple enough that an older elementary child with a steady hand and some patience could assemble them. More serious kits can get expensive, but basic kits & motors aren't much of an investment for a day of fun.
This year, I did a lot of work to create custom decals for my big rocket. I designed it to look like a Viper (space ship) from Battlestar Galactica. Yeah, it's geeky, but geeky goes over well in this crowd. I did hours of work making custom decals and adhering them to my rocket. Then I made what turns out to be my mistake -- I used a black paint pen to add a few more lines. Turns out that paint pen + shellac = runny mess. So, my rocket appears to have some battle damage. Oh well, part of the charm I guess.
My other rocket was too small for anything much, but it is called "I Can Has Rocket" (as an ode to icanhascheezburger.com). Matt's rocket is Simpsons-themed (courtsey of graphic files they released for thier anniversary poster contest). He has lovable Professor Frink and other motifs adorning the "Redorkulator"(look for relevant quote here).
I'm sure I'll post more pictures later (considering there's not a picture yet of my completed rocket) but here are a few for now:
Matt, with his Redorkulator!
This is my tiny rocket (it's sold under the name "The Sizzler."
This photo shows some of the battle damage my viper took in the great shellac battle.
Too bad -- since I really liked the decals! You can just barely see the name plate (BSG fans know that each Viper has a name plate for the pilot who flies it - which lists their call-sign and name). Mine says Lt Becky Laswell "Quilter."
We've had several days of constant rain, which is good because there's no burn-ban, but it's bad since we may be plodding thru muddy fields in chilly/damp conditions to gather up our rockets. But, I bet it'll still be fun.
This is our third year to make rockets. The first year, both Matt & I made small rockets. We move up to larger and more complex rockets each year. This year, I made two - one small one (from a leftover kit) and another that's about 3 feet long.
Rocket kits are readily available online, at hobby stores, and also at Hobby Lobby. Most kits are simple enough that an older elementary child with a steady hand and some patience could assemble them. More serious kits can get expensive, but basic kits & motors aren't much of an investment for a day of fun.
This year, I did a lot of work to create custom decals for my big rocket. I designed it to look like a Viper (space ship) from Battlestar Galactica. Yeah, it's geeky, but geeky goes over well in this crowd. I did hours of work making custom decals and adhering them to my rocket. Then I made what turns out to be my mistake -- I used a black paint pen to add a few more lines. Turns out that paint pen + shellac = runny mess. So, my rocket appears to have some battle damage. Oh well, part of the charm I guess.
My other rocket was too small for anything much, but it is called "I Can Has Rocket" (as an ode to icanhascheezburger.com). Matt's rocket is Simpsons-themed (courtsey of graphic files they released for thier anniversary poster contest). He has lovable Professor Frink and other motifs adorning the "Redorkulator"(look for relevant quote here).
I'm sure I'll post more pictures later (considering there's not a picture yet of my completed rocket) but here are a few for now:
Matt, with his Redorkulator!
This is my tiny rocket (it's sold under the name "The Sizzler."
This photo shows some of the battle damage my viper took in the great shellac battle.
Too bad -- since I really liked the decals! You can just barely see the name plate (BSG fans know that each Viper has a name plate for the pilot who flies it - which lists their call-sign and name). Mine says Lt Becky Laswell "Quilter."
posted by Becky Laswell at
8:18 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home