Da Vinci Drawings

Here's a link to Da Vinci's Drawings

"The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding." - Leonardo

I like this quote. :)

Although, who says you can't be logical and creative?

Now that I think about that, who exactly says that a person has to be left or right brained? Perhaps that's just an excuse for someone elses lack of ability, and they want to inflict that thought on everyone else, so they have less to live up to.

Not to say that Da Vinci was typical, cause, obviously not, but, I think when you study people who were extraordinarily talented above all the rest, you should put aside some of the stereotypical "crap" and think outside the box. ;) which is unfortunately where I prefer to spend most of my time. Outside of the stupid box. I think I'm not ever finding my way back to that damn box again.

Anyway, a person like Da Vinci was so out of the norm, i wonder if he was always somewhat unhappy? Most people don't think about that, but you have to wonder, who did he have that he could talk to or where did he go to just chill and find some peace? I imagine that his mind was turning gears non-stop. Enough so, to give him ample opportunity to learn so many different skills. Yes some had to do with the education he was afforded, and the early work as a studio boy, but still, to see some of his sketches that have almost more clarity than my digital camera, that's a very developed skill.

It makes me also wonder if he had to reach a certain level of perfection for himself, just so he could find some sort of peace with whatever it was that he was working on. That sounds strange, but, I can sort of relate to that concept. I have to reach a certain "level" before my mind will be content to let me rest a little on that topic. I think Thomas Edison had a similar issue, if I remember that correctly. Not that i am anywhere near their brilliance, I just usually have a lot of little "projects" running through my mind.

MMMM . . . . . it's something to give some thoughts to.

Ok Wow . . . Da Vinci was totally awesome!

Yeah. I haven't studied him in a long time, but, wow, is it possible to be in love with a dead man? ;) Just kidding. I still just can't imagine how one man can not only think up these ideas, but then have the talent to actually draw, every single teeny tiny detail.

That totally amazes me. It's not very common for a person to have the logic and reasoning to design many of the things he designed, but, then to also have the creative ability and artistic side to be able to sketch them. It makes me wonder if he had a close companion, (not that kind) but another kind, that perhaps he was able to work with or discuss things and ideas with.

I do know that it's so much easier to come up with things when you have someone who understands you and your ideas enough to be able to discuss them with them without too much criticisms and nit picking. It would be interesting to see just who he hung out with on a regular basis.

This blog here has some cool information on 15 Da Vinci War Machines.

Inventions - where to begin

My oldest child has an almost unnatural affection for firearms, as does my third child. So we may begin with the history of guns. I did find some very interesting info on them:

Science and civilisation in china

Great info overview here of "Handgonnes"

The firearm blog had this little tidbit of history here.

Of course I have a mild obsession with Da Vinci, so I'd rather study his numerous inventions, so I'm gonna have to find a happy medium.

Actually I think he has a drawing of a mechanism that was later incorporated into guns. Let me see if I can find that one.

Thinking of ways i can use cinci museum center in my lesson plans this year. They have great stuff there.

Molly and her kittens

The one in the bottom right corner is badly deformed. It's not gonna make it, but she still keeps taking good care of it. It's so sad to watch her with it knowing it's gonna die.
I had to hand feed her as a newborn, and now she treats her kittens the way I treated her. She tries to hold them with her paws, and she puts them under her chin and cuddles with them. And when she lays down, she lines them up next to her and puts her arm around them to keep them close. I used to do that to them, cause they slept in my bed with me, and i didn't want them to fall off the edge. Animals are so strange, you wouldn't believe what a momma cat has to do to her kittens. If I had to be that meticulous with my kids, I wouldn't have had more than one, maybe two. I had to keep them at 100 degrees, bottle feed them every three hours, all through the night. I eventually put them in a bag and carried them with me everywhere. I even took them to Kings Island. Of course I left them in the car, but I would walk out and feed them every three hours.
So many people thought I was crazy, and I guess I am, but they were born during a windstorm in the attic of our house, they then fell down between the walls of my bedroom and bathroom, and the other one the kitchen and the bathroom wall. I happened to be pregnant with twins at the time, and I kept hearing this little crying sound, there was no way I could leave them in there to die, so I knocked holes into the walls, nine holes to be exact. But, hey, we saved them.

It was kinda funny, cause we had just started watching the wonderpets, so as we were trying to rescue them, the kids and i were singing the theme song to the wonderpets. (yeah, we're a little crazy) I took them to two different vets, and they said that they wouldn't make it, and they recommended that I put them to sleep. So I was willing to take care of them until they died.
They are both healthy grown cats now! Max and Molly. Max thinks he is my child. he jumps from the floor into my arms and kisses me all over my neck and ears. He actually puts his paws around my neck. He's so confused. I have to admit that they have me totally spoiled. ;)

I actually had to teach them how to groom themselves. I did almost everything short of licking them. No, I did not lick them. I would wipe them down with a wet wash cloth after every time i fed them. Imagine that at 3AM. I finally just dumped them into a tub of warm water, it was so much easier.

It did prepare me for my twins though. I got boy and girl kittens, a boy and a girl twin babies. Only me!!

Better view of the bridge from the Ky side

View of Cinci from Ky