Sub Post

 No, I don't think this post is lessor than any other (ok, maybe a few), but it's actually about a sub. I have this little guy (about three inches long) that I picked up...somewhere.

Yes, it's the ever popular diving submarine! These have been around for surprisingly long (I was surprised, anyway). It seems that they started out as schoolroom teaching aides in the late 1800s! They were made of light metal or glass back then, and didn't look much like a real sub, since there were precious few real subs back then. 

Still, the idea was the same. You put a little bit of chemical in the unit, and it reacts with the water (or vinegar) and makes bubbles that cause it to float. When the bubbles are released into the air, the object loses buoyancy and sinks. Then the process starts all over again and continues until the chemical has been completely consumed by the reaction. Simple, but kind of fun to watch.

By the time this sub was made (1980s probably according to my exhaustive research) the manufacturers had it down to a...well...science! Here you can see that the deck of the sub contains holes to help it sink and rise in a more stable manner.

And here we see that the superstructure is actually a rubber stopper for the baking soda chamber. Who needs nuclear reactors?

And here we see the bottom of the craft, which contains the bubble nozzle. 

All of this is actually balanced extremely well to insure that the sub dives and rises smoothly. 

By the way, in my research it said that prior to the 50s, these were made of light tin. Plastics in the 50s made them very cheap and easy to produce. You can tell this one comes from the 80s or 90s because earlier ones were unsually molded in colors and later ones were brand marked and more detailed. 

These are still readily available (and inexpensive), so you can build your own navy pretty easily!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

Unexpected Pixie Dust

 I have a quick one for today. I was taking a few things out of my closet and pulled out the suitcase that I used a couple of years ago for my trip to Disneyland. On that case, I found this tag...

Yep, just a simple sorting ticket from the Disneyland Hotel. Not even in a "fun" color. But you know what? It made me smile. The Disneyland font gave me memories of that blue carpet leading into the lobby. Heck, the memories of the whole trip! 

So, it's not a big deal, but in a way it is. Anything that brings back good memories is a big deal in my estimation. A nice unexpected nudge of the ol' smile muscles.

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

My First Diploma!

 While going through some old boxes, I found a record of my first step in a rather long educational journey. 

Now, these days kids "graduate" many times. There is kindergarten, from elementary to middle school, from middle school to high school, out of high school, and onto higher education. Back in my day (the late 1960s) you had (maybe) kinder graduation, high school and whatever came next. And kinder graduation was a rather lighthearted affair. The academic requirements were somewhat lower than they are now (where they want the kids reading independantly and doing simple math by themselves). We were more focused on colors and days of the week. 

Anyway, I apparently nailed both and, hence, got this...

That's right, I have my Bachelor of Rhymes! I can still rattle off a lot of them, so I guess my education took. I'm not sure this ability helped in my career, but then again since I was an elementary school counselor, it certainly didn't hurt! By the way, the tattered look came from a few decades in my mom's attic. 

And here is a report card envelope! Yay! I don't really remember Ms. Kelly, and certainly not Ms. Hibbitt, but I appreciate their efforts in launching my education. 1968/1969 seems like a loooong time ago (mainly because it was).

Anyway, I ended up with a Masters degree (in counseling, not rhymes), plus additional coursework, so I guess they did okay. 

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!