Danger Days with Dah-Dee-Doh 2012 (MN Trip Part 2 of 3)

In our family, there is no "Grandpa's Camp."  Nope.  In our family there is only "Danger Days with Dah Dee Doh."

And if we'd made t-shirts for this little trip to Minnesota, they probably would have to have said something like, "More Days, More Danger."

Before we arrived, my parents had wrapped the garage door and front door with "Danger" tape.

 

When Grandpa opens the door wearing a face shield, you just know it's going to be a good week!

First off, there were water bottle rockets. 

Waiting for a pop bottle to launch.

This has been a favorite of ours since we were kids.  Of course, when we were kids, between each launch you had to refill the 2-liter bottle with the hose and then use a bicycle pump to pressurize everything.

Dad has since made a few modifications.

Now there is a hose attachment, so the bottle fills itself; now there is an air compressor that pumps it all.  *That's* how to do a bottle rocket Danger-Days style.

Up, up, and away!

Pinkalicious ready to rocket away.

That pink blur is Pinkalicious on her way up.

Minnie Mouse got a turn too.  (We accidentally paralyzed quite a few Barbie Dolls as kids doing things like this...)

We also played with chemicals.  It turns out twenty-year-old chemicals don't work as well as fresh ones (this was my chemistry set from FOREVER ago... :) but it was still a good excuse to mix things up and start things on fire.

These little people have been weighed in the balance and found wanting.

When Robyn wins a Nobel prize, we'll be sure to get out this picture again.

 And, after you've messed around with chemicals it isn't much of a stretch to start playing with gasses.

Now, Dah-Dee-Doh is, of course, aware that there is a helium shortage.

And Dah-Dee-Doh is, of course,concerned, like any good citizen, about the irreversible losses of this irreplaceable element (once helium is released into the atmosphere, it's gone forever and ever and ever and ever).

But every so often along comes a reason worthy of releasing a little helium out into the universe.  In this case, the reason happened to be a great, big, giant, remote-controlled, flying shark:

Totally worth sacrificing a few helium atoms.

From gasses, it was onto liquids (and solids.)  In high school I competed in the Science Olympiad and a couple friends and I created this beautiful balsawood tower that has sat around collecting dust for the last decade or so.  5 gallons of water later, we found out it would have taken about 35 lbs to fully crush the structure (and fully soak Bryan's shoes).

Filling a bucket of water on top of my old balsawood tower.

There were also a few slightly less dangerous activities, depending on your tolerance for toddlers and indelible ink.  Dad got out his old stamp set one morning.

He also spent an afternoon playing with the girls and the big marble drop contraption.  

And, since no science-y experience with little boys should be complete without involving a few dinosaurs, they also put together a dino skeleton puzzle.  (Thanks for letting us play with it, Aunt Lynda!)

Interestingly, we mentioned to my high school friends at a get together while we were in Minnesota that Dad was doing "Danger Days" with the grand kids.  No one seemed surprised.  In fact, two of them responded that they had been experiencing Danger Days with Don Draper since their first times sleeping over when we were in middle school.  (Dad may or may not have done things like show our friends how to melt Styrofoam cups with gasoline or how to turn a bicycle tire into a gyroscope...) Still, at the end of the week, we are happy to report that no children or grandpas were injured in the making of these danger days.

Which might mean we'll have to crank up the danger dial a little more next time...? :)