Wednesday, November 23, 2016

2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom



2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom goes to those girls who code...


United States Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, a pioneer in computer programming


Margaret Hamilton, lead software engineer for the Apollo Program 

Monday, November 21, 2016

Rise of the Rocket Girls


Nathalia Holt, a highly-trained scientist herself, tells the story of the "computers" who just happened to be all women.  Tracing back to the 40's, the rocket girls employed their mechanical pencils, graph paper, slide rules, Friden calculators along with mounds of notebooks to compute and calculate data and equations all "by hand".  Their careful computations were essential to the early development of rocketry and later space exploration.  Dr. Holt includes details of personal issues which all women of this era faced: balancing work and home, child-bearing tribulations, spousal relationships etc.


The Rocket Girls ready to work. 


Worth a read, for sure.

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Photos from travel to France: Paris & Bordeaux, Part II




interesting light fixture made of grapevine, wine labels & corks







Bazas cattle







Vintage wine production equipment




Graves terroir






In earlier times, wine was transported on the Gironde River by boat.




cooperage 



Many vintage bottles in the wine library


special device for pouring from a magnum 







Spire in Bordeaux 



Aubusson carpet




Potager garden at Smith-Haute-Lafitte


Potager garden II


Pottage garden III

Friday, November 4, 2016

Photos from travel to France: Paris & Bordeaux, Part I









a château with ionic columns


beautiful architecture and gardens at the châteaux


Lunch hamper full of tasty items


Delicate porcelain dinnerware at Château Haute Bailly



A view of Paris from the clock at Musée d'Orsay


The Tricolore, flag of France


gorgeous clock inside the Musée d'Orsay, originally a train station


Wines stacked and awaiting shipment from within Millesima.



Spitting is acceptable at wine tastings in France.


stainless steel vats


espaliered pear


wine tasting flight


 vineyards everywhere the eye can see


Concrete vats


 the optical sorter: technology to select the very best grapes frown production





view from our hotel in St. Émillion


model of the Statue of Liberty in the Musée d'Orsay


Many center sections of the  wine barrels are stained with the skins of the grapes. 


Bird's eye view of St. Emillion


a stained glass panel depicting the medieval method of "stomping of the grapes", a primitive form of pigeage.