I listened to the back-and-forth for a while. Then I did what I do: fixed things. The boys got holiday projects.
Younger Son and I have been pulling apart an old lawnmower. We've got the motor completely free, and we're in the process of cleaning it and hopefully repairing it. (Or we were until Natalie lost the petrol tank. We're gonna need one of those, I think.) If we can get it running, the next step is to figure out how to make it push a go-cart. That'll be fun.
Jake, in the meantime, has been taught the basics of stop-motion animation. I've mentioned it before around here. These days, anybody with a digital camera, a tripod, and a bit of free software can do a pretty fair job of putting together basic animations.
This is Jake's second effort:
The plasticine bloke in the middle is, apparently, me. I'm dancing with the Doctor, and K-9, and a Dalek, with the TARDIS in the background.
Heh.
Happy birthday? Well, yeah. It's kind of cool to see something you've taught to your kid work out like that. And, you know... dancing with the Doctor, and everything!
That is so cool! I would've bawled my eyes out. :) Jake's amazing.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! That's definitely one up on a hand made card, eh?
ReplyDeleteJust a technological shift. Handmade cards rule; this is just a 21st century equivalent.
ReplyDeleteTook a bit more time, though. In teaching him to do basic animation, I had (as so often I do) an ulterior motive. One doesn't do animation without exercising a lot of PATIENCE -- and this is something that Jake can use.
Steph - I was pretty pleased, yep. But I'm far too manly to weep. So I ruffled his hair and told him 'good one'. He knows what I meant!
That was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThat boy adores you Dirk. Such a beautiful thing.
ReplyDelete