A couple of photos have really caught my eye lately. You know, the sort that would seem a bit surreal, or perhaps the word "unlikely" in this day and age of progress is better. Anyway, they reminded me a lot of a great book I have called "The Mysteries of Harris Burdick" by Chris Van Allsburg.
Chris is a noted children's book author, and you're probably more aware of him than you would realize. His wonderful books are essentially responsible for a number of films you've probably seen (or haven't seen), including the The Polar Express, Jumanji, and Zathura. The Harris book is particularly cool because it provides a series of seemingly non-sequitur images with a single caption, and then asks the reader to use this combination of information as a jumping point to the act of story telling (this one, for instance, is my favourite). In other words, it's a great way to encourage children (and indeed anyone really) to sit down and try to spin a tale.
Some of you may or may not know this, but I have a great interest in starting something or other where high school students can get into the act of science writing. You know something that can take advantage of some of the publishing contacts Ben and I may already have, those fostered though the SCQ, as well as my own considerable network with the high school community in my own neck of the woods. There's even a great model to follow in Dave Egger's highly lauded Valencia826 program (this link is well worth checking out).
Anyway, the three images above are taken from photos found at various places on the web (*,*,*), and then filtered to give it that dreamy look. I chose them because there is some link to the sciences contained in the image. The titles are temporary for now.
Anyway, anybody want to help come up with an interesting line or two of text that in conjuction with the picture could inspire a child to write something fantastic and also something sciency? I might use it down the road - might even make a cool contest for the SCQ (not the captions, but using them for a fiction writing contest)
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O.K. I'll bite: (for "Thelma and Louise")
Halley always said that the physics of time factored heavily in the act of being old and the act of taking long journeys. All the more reason, why she just couldn't wait to show her friend a few of her favourite sights.
For the first image:
"You couldn't ask for a better landing. No-one felt a thing."
MOVING DAY -
Allison always laughed when Uncle Stan talked about the lost art of dirigible parking. He visited so rarely these days.
THE PEACH TREE --
Years of driving by Gaffney, SC, have yet to wither my suspicion that the so-called Peach Tree is but a massive rear end. Once I backed up to take a closer look, from right on under, I was convinced even, more.
For Moving Day:
We lost the horse again. Maybe it's floating somewhere in with the kelp garden...
For Thelma and Louise:
What asteroid are we on again?
For The Peace Tree:
Sending an email to Mars...
OR
Despite the ground rolling away beneath and me driving as fast as possible through the trees, the monster just kept gaining ground!
MOVING DAY: Finally, they installed the new washing machine. The Herberts would be the first to ride it for the try-out.
THELMA & LOUISE: Honey, so, that is what they call the sea? Can we do something about the ugly smell and noise?
THE PEACH TREE: Unseen from the ground, it did swell, and swell, and swell. Now it was time to fall.