This is a shout-out to anyone that has been a traveler to, or resident near, places that [...]]]> “Be careful of the Jedi, Anakin. Only through me can you achieve a power greater than any Jedi. Learn to know the Dark Side of the Force …” – Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith

This is a shout-out to anyone that has been a traveler to, or resident near, places that were once part of the Wild West. For the past nine months or so, Dad Windu has thrown himself into learning about the people and places from this unique period in American history, particularly Wyatt Earp and his ilk. Padawan Learner and I briefly covered this time period at the end of last year and are revisiting it again early this year, so it is a fortunate merging of interests.

Considering the stressfulness of the past year, particularly the past seven months, we’re considering a trip to visit some of these places. Regardless of what happens to his position within the Galactic Republic, Dad Windu needs a break. “Financial insecurity, be damned,” I say. He’s earned this road-trip.

We would most likely be going sometime in early- or mid-winter (can you say, off-season), and we’re looking to do our roaming in either Texas and New Mexico or New Mexico and Arizona (via Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma). Do any of you have places you’d especially recommend for a visit, or recommend we avoid? Are there any places that have maintained their Old West history particularly well, or that have sadly turned their history into too much of a kitschy circus to bother? Inquiring minds want to know!

We’re huge fans of the National Parks as well, so we may try to fit a few of those in too. It just seems wrong to go all the way to Arizona and NOT see the Grand Canyon, or New Mexico and Carlsbad Caverns, or Texas and Big Bend. I know. I know. I sound like a former co-worker who flew in from The Netherlands and expected to see NYC, Disney World, the Grand Canyon and LA during his week-long visit – to the Midwest. The US just seems so much more manageable on Google maps. Oh well, at least we’re planning to give ourselves three weeks…

Fellow homeschooler M-T’s Mom and I are taking a van full of kids to a science and engineering career expo today. This is a huge expo, with kids coming from around [...]]]> “I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father.” – Luke Skywalker, Star Wars IV: A New Hope

Fellow homeschooler M-T’s Mom and I are taking a van full of kids to a science and engineering career expo today. This is a huge expo, with kids coming from around the state; last year over 15,000 kids showed up. Our group is pretty excited about seeing all the displays and the demonstrations. I’m sure it’ll be worth the five hours that we’re going to be trapped in a moving box. Thankfully, I won’t be the one driving.

One of the big draws for me is that Dad Windu’s alma mater is putting it on and they don’t do anything halfway. The careers that they’ll be emphasizing are robotics, space exploration and travel, and special effects for the movie industry because, let’s be honest, those are the fields that are sexiest to most 13-18 year olds. But there’ll be a good number of “regular” science and engineering careers represented as well. I’m looking forward to seeing if anyone tries to make the waste water treatment process hip and exciting.