Week 120 Photo Challenge: Toy

This week the weather had been typical for the first half of August, hot and miserable.  Though the evening thunderstorms are not usually on the agenda, normally it's very dry this month.  We've needed the rain, so things are much greener then usual for this time of year.  Thankfully this week's photo challenge didn't require being out in the elements, but it felt like a scavenger hunt as I scoured the house for subject matter for this week's challenge photo.

I actually ventured into the attic (never wise on a August afternoon) and finally decided it would be much safer to just scour Grad Girl's room.  I found several potential subjects, took lots of photos and decided this one was the best fit for the challenge.  

Kate: Play with Physics?

This pendulum set was on Grad Girl's desk.  I'm not sure where we got this, but it very likely came from one of the museums in Houston where My Guy and Grad Girl hung out when I had to work weekends.  They would make the rounds, the Children's Museum, The Health Museum and her ultimate favorite, the Houston Museum of Natural Science. All of those museums are great places to hang out on a rainy day.  

My Guy also went on a scavenger hunt. He has a closet full of science toys he used for demonstrations (he was a mad scientist for a couple of years at the company Halloween party for the kids).  But in the end he decided one of his musical toys was the better fit. 

My Guy: CowCarina

This is not just any cow, it's also an ocarina.  What's an ocarina?  It's a type of flute commonly called a potato flute. Ocarina's have been in use for thousands of years, especially in Chinese music. I don't remember when My Guy started playing them, but I'm pretty sure it was after we moved back to Oklahoma.  He has a small collection of these instruments up in his music room.  He bought this one at an art festival in Tulsa. We also purchased one shaped like a penguin for one of Grad Girl's friends who was a big time penguin lover.  If you what to learn more about what these are, Wikipedia has a nice summary article on them.  

I wasn't sure Grad Girl would have a photo this week. She's preparing for her oral preliminary exam, so has been putting in a lot of hours in the lab and on the computer writing her proposal.  But she did send me one at about 12:30 this morning.

Grad Girl: Reprieve from the PhD

Gaming is one of her relax before bedtime activities. She didn't leave the lab yesterday until about 9 PM.  It probably took her a while to wind down after what's been a week of very long days.

Last week's challenge was a specific thing. This week's challenge is another photography "technique". 

So any subject, just demonstrate the Rule of Thirds.  As My Guy said when I drew the card last night, we're going to have to think about this one.