Montgomery Trip. Part 5

Computer Geniuses

The ACTE Team Programming Challenge is where a team solves some really hard computer problems (see below for more). After they solve problems they have to explain their solutions to the judges.

The competition was scheduled to be over at 8 pm, where they would hand out the trophies once they determined the winner. Callie and I arrived at AUM to see how the competition turned out. Instead, we were going to have to sit for almost two hours, because they were running behind.

Jackson, his team, and teacher were all in the designated classroom waiting. His team had not been called back by the judges to discuss their solutions. Seriously, we were going to be here a while... Callie and I had not eaten. We Hangry!!!

In the end it was worth it. Their team won the competition!!!

Even though it was too late for them to hand out the trophies, they won. Proud mom moment!

We went to the closest open restaurant to grab some food before going back to the hotel to crash... before driving back home in the morning...  where I intended to do nothing but sleep for a few days.

ACTE Team Programming Challenge

Teams of two to four students are given a series of problems, which they must solve during a two-hour competition time. Four problems of increasing difficulty will be presented in writing to each team. The computer must calculate computational solutions to the problems. Each team must be able to design the program, enter their programming code, execute the solutions to the problems and demonstrate the code and solution to the judges on their computer.Each team will be awarded points for each problem solved correctly. The team with the highest number of points will be declared the first place winner.

Montgomery Trip. Part 4

What do the girl's do?

Callie and I had to figure out what we wanted to do since Jackson was at his computer competition until 8 pm... yes, 8 pm! It was time for me to get sentimental, and also take Callie somewhere educational and fun.

Blount Cultural Park

This 250-acre park homes the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and the Hannah Daye Ridling Bark Park. It has ponds, walking trails, amphitheater, and picturesque views. I was glad to be here with Callie.

We lived in Montgomery (many years ago), when Callie was just a baby. She learned to walk when we lived here. I am sure she does not remember visiting this park, but we did. It is directly across the street from where Jackson went to school. St James Academy may have been my favorite school he ever attended.

One of my favorite memories was taking a family portrait in this park for my Mother's Day gift. It was the one thing I wanted that year, all of us together in one picture. 

Of course I found that picture. Back in 2008... when Callie was just 1 and Jackson a whopping 8... where has the time gone?!?!

And now 8 years later I'm taking pictures by the same bridge!

 

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival

On our way to the Art Museum, I took a wrong turn and went to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. It is also located in Blount Cultural Park.

The building looks like the art museums. It is beautiful and surrounded by sculptures. The theatre produces a number of plays each year, including my favorite (and its namesake) playwright William Shakespeare. I was sad that there was nothing playing today, or we would have gone.

The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts

The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1930 and is the oldest fine arts museum in the state. It also has ARTWORKS which is mainly for kids to learn about art through experiential learning. It's a hands-on, exploratory gallery. It has a large-scale kaleidoscope, interactive activities, and some fun art stations. ARTWORKS is free and open to the public!

Pool Time

After two extremely hectic days and this one not even close to being over (remember I have to go back to get Jackson at 8 pm) I needed some down time. We decided to go to the hotel's rooftop pool and enjoy the scenic downtown views as we played in the pool. 
Where I got a few minutes to lounge around before heading back across town to find out how Jackson did in his competition at AUM.

Montgomery Trip. Part 3

Montgomery Zoo

I am not sure what other kids do before they go to a state computer programming competition, but in our house we go do something fun, like the zoo.

Even though it was stinkin' hot, we opted to endure the heat and wander around the Montgomery Zoo. It had some new features, like the Zoofari Skylift Ride. While Jackson opted to be a fuddy-duddy, Callie and I started the zoo with a sweet ride.

 

We spotted Jackson' relaxing at a table under a tree when we made our way back around. And of course, we (I mean me) called out loudly to him. I believe he must not have heard me...

Once we were all back together we walked around looking at all sorts of animals. Here are some of the kid's favorites, and some of the candid pictures I love to take while they aren't looking!

White Tigers...

Large Rhinos...

 

 Baby Giraffes...

 Wild Beast Wondering the Paths...

 Stealing a Kiss, Hoping No One Saw,,,

We ended our zoo tour with a ride on the train. Unfortunately, so did a bunch of rowdy elementary students on a field trip. We soon found out their loud screaming would only be amplified in the tunnel. My kids handled it beautifully, even though they were glad when the train ride was over!

We went through the whole park in record time, but by noon Jackson was getting anxious about meeting his team for the competition. So, we went to lunch with his friend and then he went to Auburn University in Montgomery... to go be a computer genius.


Lesson about a Train Rid of Screaming Kids in a Tunnel:

What is Sound? "In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as a typically audible mechanical wave of pressure and displacement, through a medium such as air or water. "

Sound waves of screaming children on the train before reaching the tunnel was loud, but because we were outside the air absorbed some of that sound.

Why was it louder in the Tunnel? "When a sound wave in air reaches the surface of another material, some of the sound is reflected off the surface, while the rest of it goes into the material. For example, when sound hits a wall, some is reflected and some passes into the wall."

Sound waves of screaming children on the train in the tunnel was louder because the waves hit the tunnels walls and reflected back into our ears.

Why did it sound like a million kids? "Echoes are the sound of your own voice reflecting back to your ears. The sound you hear ringing in an auditorium after the band has stopped playing is caused by reflection off the walls and other objects. A sound wave will continue to bounce around a room, or reverberate, until it has lost all its energy. A wave has some of its energy absorbed by the objects it hits. The rest is lost as heat energy."

Sound waves of screaming children on the train in a tunnel was not only louder because they used their outside, screaming voices to bounce and reflect off the tunnel walls, but their sound waves were like a million loud echos reverberating in our ears even after we departed the ride.

Science in action!!

Montgomery Trip. Part 2

Montgomery here we come...

Or at least one of us was aware that we were going somewhere.

It seems that the two very, very exhausted children napped their way to Montgomery.

Once we arrived they were awake, hungry, and ready to be adventurous. And one very tired mother was going find the energy to try and keep up.

Our hotel was in downtown Montgomery and we decided to head out to the Riverfront Park before eating dinner. It was only steps away from the hotel.

Set on the banks of the Alabama River, the park offers some interesting historic sites, amphitheater, and more.

Of course the first thing that Callie wanted to see was the Harriot II riverboat. A part of American history, Harriot II was built during the 1800s. It still in operation and offers the opportunity to eat and enjoy the idea of what it would have been like traveling down the Alabama River.

History Lesson, see below

As you can see Jackson was thrilled to be part of the history lesson.

But it wasn't over. Riverfront offers some other neat glimpse into the history of the river. So off to the next thing!

There's a small hill near the riverboat that was not only fun to climb, but offered some insight into not only the fact that people actually lived here during the Colonial Period, but about the way cotton was transported during the late 1800s.

History Lesson, see below 

With all that adventuring around the Riverfront, the kids were starving. It was late and they were ready to eat. Montgomery has changed tremendously in the last few years and downtown was very nice to just stroll around in.

We headed to The Alley, a small section of restaurants and shops. We debated between places to eat, but didn't want to go somewhere we could eat at home (and one that wasn't overly crowded), so we tried Jalepeno's. It was pretty good.

Afterwards, we strolled back to the hotel to get some rest, because tomorrow was going to be a busy day too!

History Lessons. What the signs said:

Major Charles W Davis:

A native of Montgomery, Major Davis was awarded the Medal of Honor as Executive Officer, "For distinguishing himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on Guadalcanal Island. On 12 January 1943, he volunteered to carry instructions to the leading companies of his battalion which had been caught in crossfire from Japanese machine guns. With complete disregard for his own safety he made his way to the trapped units, delivered instructions, supervised their execution and remained overnight in this exposed position.

"Above and Beyond"

The following day, Davis volunteered to lead an assault on the Japanese position holding up the advance. His rifle jammed, he drew his pistol and led the assault. Electrified by this action, his soldiers followed and seized the hill. The capture broke Japanese resistance and the battalion was then able to secure its objective." During a distinguished 32-year career, he served on the Army General Staff and graduated from the National War College. Among many important assignments, he commanded the 503d Regiment of the 11th Airborne Division. During the Vietnam War, he advised the South Vietnamese Army in combat. Retired as a Colonel in 1972, he died in 1991. He is buried in Arlington.

High Red Bluff

(Chunnanugga Chatty in Creek Indian Language):

Also called Hostile Bluff or Thirteen Mile Bluff, this spot located in a deep bend of the Alabama River was once the key to the Southeast and a strategic point in Colonial days. The first steamboat, the Harriet, arrived at this point in 1821, and the first railroad came in 1880, making Montgomery a transportation hub for people and commerce. When cotton was king, millions of bales were shipped from the wharf here by steam boat to Mobile and thence to the mills of England. The tunnel under the railroad tracks was built in 1879 so that horse-drawn wagons of cotton could be brought to the wharf without crossing the tracks.