1
May
Posted in Kirby | No Comments »
Here are more pictures from Kirby’s trip to Chicago — Kyle
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Thie Field Museum
There is a skeleton of a dinosaur named Sue in the Field Museum. Can you tell me what type of dinosaur this is just by looking at her?
Kirby with Sue the Dinosaur
Is that my Great Grandcroc??
The American Girl Place
Kirby also got to meet some new friends at the American Girl Place in downtown Chicago.
Kirby's new friends at American Girl
Lake Michigan at Sunset
Chicago is a pretty city. Kirby hopes he gets to go back again.
Chicago's waterfront
Tags: american girl, chicago, museums
24
Nov
Posted in Katie | 1 Comment »
In South Dakota there is a gigantic sculpture of a famous Sioux warrior named Crazy Horse. It is not finished yet, but when it is completed, it will be 536 feet tall. The memorial is being built because Chief Henry Standing Bear decided that people everywhere should know about this Native American hero. The Chief asked a man named Korczak Ziolkowski to create the memorial. Work started 60 years ago, and you can see that only the face of Crazy Horse is finished after all this time. When it is complete, you will be able to see Crazy Horse sitting on his horse. That will take a long time; you will be grown-ups with children of your own before the memorial is finished.
When Mr. Ziolkowski started the memorial, the first thing that he had to do was build a ladder from the bottom of the mountain to the top. The ladder had 741 steps. How many steps are there from the first floor of Sycamore Creek to the second floor? Imagine how long it would take to climb 741 steps. Mr. Z. was using a very old machine to help him dig. Sometimes that machine would stop working just as soon as Mr. Z. climbed up to the top of the ladder. One day he to climb up and down seven times because of that old generator. Today Mr. Ziolkowski’s widow, sons and grandsons are still hard at work on the memorial.
Crazy Horse Memorial
Look at this model of the Crazy Horse Memorial. It tells you what the sculpture will look like when it is finished. When you look up on the mountain, you can see a big hole. This hole was made so trucks can go from one side of the mountain to the other side. When the memorial is finished, the hole will be part of the big space under Crazy Horse’s arm.
Model of Crazy Horse
This is another model of the Crazy Horse Memorial – but it is made out of metal. Can you see the white drawing of the horse’s head on the side of the mountain?
Another Model of Crazy Horse
This is a close-up of Crazy Horse’s face. There will be a stone feather on top of his head, but that will be the very last thing the workers make.
Close-Up of Crazy Horse
There is one day every year when people are allowed to hike to the top of the Crazy Horse Memorial. This picture was taken last year during that hike or Volksmarch. (I wasn’t there.) You can see how big the memorial is compared to the people.
Volksmarch
This is a bison decorated in Sioux colors. It is in the Indian Museum of North America at Crazy Horse.
Bison Decorated in Sioux Colors at the Indian Museum of North America
Tags: bison, Crazy Horse Memorial, museums, South Dakota, Volksmarch
19
Oct
Posted in Kyle | 4 Comments »
The first thing I did today was go to the Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique (Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium). Here are some pictures of the interior of the museum. My favorite thing in the lobby was this globe:
If you look at it from far away, it just looks like a globe. But look at a close-up picture:
It is made out of BUGS!
The museum is split into two sections: ancient art and modern art. I spent most of my time in the modern art area. I got to see lots of interesting things. I could see myself in this mirror — which was a work of art!
Two of my favorites were these paintings. They also look different up close than from far away. What is this type of art called? The first painting is La Seine a la Grande-Jatte by Georges Seurat, and the second was painted by Paul Signac in 1906.
Here are a few more photos of me enjoying the art at the museum:
After the museum, I went to the Grand Place, the main square in Brussels, which was filled with all sorts of interesting things to see and smell and taste. I saw tons of chocolate stores, and I even got to taste some chocolate that was made in a chocolate fountain! I made a new friend there too.
I went into a book store and saw a copy of Harry Potter in another language. Which language is this?
For dinner, I ate some Belgian specialties: mussels, french fries, and a waffle for dessert. It was delicious!
Tags: art, Belgium, Brussels, bugs, chocolate, Harry Potter, museums, waffles
19
Oct
Posted in Kyle | 2 Comments »
On Saturday afternoon, I got a chance to go to the Centre Belge de la Bande Dissinnee (the Belgian Comic Book Center). Some of my favorite cartoons such as the Smurfs and Tintin were created in Belgium.
Central Brussels is divided by a hill into Upper Town and Lower Town, and there are many stairs up and down the hill connecting the two. At the top of the hill is the Palais Royale (the Royal Palace).
The Belgian flag was flying when I walked by, which means that the Belgian king, King Albert II, is somewhere in Belgium.
Here are a few photo from St. Michael’s Cathedral, which was built between 1200 and 1500 — around 700 years ago! I didn’t know there were buildings that were so old.
There are so many languages spoken here. I have heard lots of French, Flemish, German, Dutch, and English. I don’t know much about Flemish. Could someone share some information with me about it?
French is the official language in Belgium. A few French words I have learned: oui (yes), bonjour (hello), au revoir (goodbye), merci (thank you).
Tags: Belgium, Brussels, cartoons, cathedrals, Europe, French, languages, museums, palaces, Royal Palace of Belgium, Smurfs
