The Power of Questions

We’ve been traveling a bit since I retired earlier this summer. Tonight, we returned home from a short trip to San Francisco where my husband, Randy, had meetings with the California Public Utilities Commission. Randy attended the University of San Francisco Law School, so visiting here is special and brings back memories of his days as a struggling law student.

Since we began implementing project-based learning at our school, I noticed that I was much more curious about generating questions and researching to find answers. ("The World Looks Different from a PBL Perspective.") Last year, one of my friends, Julia Myers, posted photos on Facebook of a family trip to Montana, and I was intrigued by one particular photo. I wrote a blog about how we collaborated to find out additional information. (“What Can We Learn from a Photo?”)

When we traveled to Las Vegas earlier this month, I saw a sign on Fremont Street outside the Golden Gate casino and researched to find more about this piece of history. I learned that the first telephone number in Las Vegas was “1” and that the first paved road and stoplight in LV were on Fremont Street. I know that when I return to visit (my son and grandsons live there), I am going to look for more pieces of history about Downtown Las Vegas.

This is the plaque that sits at the spot where the first telephone was installed in 1905.

Yesterday, we drove down to the Fisherman’s Wharf area in San Francisco, and decided to visit the San Francisco Maritime Museum. While there, I learned about two people whom I would never have known about before. The first is Hilaire Hiler, the artist who was commissioned to do the artwork at the Maritime Museum. I often wonder what inspires artists and how they come up with their ideas. One room is covered with sea-themed murals of vibrant colors. The other, a room which he titled, “Prismatarium," shows a color wheel on the ceiling. His theory about the relationship between color and the human psyche is certainly novel. 

The photo above shows the artist who was commissioned to work on the murals at the Maritime Museum. Notice the  colors of the murals which cover the walls of  one room in the Museum.

At the Maritime Museum, I also learned about Kenichi Horie who, at the age of 23, made a solo voyage in a 19-foot sailboat from Japan to San Francisco. The voyage took 94 days. The story of his journey is amazing and is captured in a book and was made into a movie. Since then, Mr. Horie has traveled solo across the Pacific in solar-powered, pedal-powered, and wave-powered boats, some of which were made from recycled materials. Clearly, he is a visionary! 

This is the Mermaid , the boat that Kenichi Horie sailed in on his 94-day voyage. He gifted it to the San Francisco Maritime Museum. As you can see, it’s not very large. Can you imagine being in that vessel for 94 days in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?

This is the journal Kenichi Horie kept while on his voyage. Everything is in Japanese, but I was struck by how neat his penmanship is. Beautiful handwriting!

Finally, I noticed this home and the sign when Randy and I were walking to breakfast one morning, and I went back to take a picture. I wanted to know more about the person who built this home. After I posted these photos on Facebook, one of my FB friends shared a link to a newspaper article about Captain Cavlary’s death so I was able to learn more about him. He was quite an accomplished steamer commander. Isn't it wonderful to be able to research our questions about people and events?

I love these old-style homes in San Francisco! That sign intrigued me; the house is 140 years old.

There are so many opportunities to ask questions and research to find out information about what's around us. All it takes is a bit of curiosity. Lifelong learner - that is what I strive to be!

Dear Jace and Jayden

Dear Jace and Jayden,
Grandpa and Grandma really enjoyed spending time with you last week on our last trip. I always feel that these trips are much too short and this one seemed to be more so because you were still in school. Nevertheless, I love that we got to share some quality time with you.

While we were with you, our 41st United States President, George H.W. Bush, passed away. I learned that he wrote letters to his grandchildren, letters that they cherish to this day. I decided that this would be a great time to write you a letter, too, and share some of my thoughts with you both.

Jayden mentioned that I remind him of Mama Bear in the Berenstain Bears books. Did you know that  your Dad, Uncle Jarand, and Uncle Jordan loved those books? . We read and discussed each one when they were published because they all were very applicable, addressing problems like messy rooms, too much TV, and sibling rivalry. I guess that thinking I am like Mama Bear is not a bad thing; she just wanted the best for her little bears.

After sharing time with you last week, I thought I’d suggest two bits of advice. I imagine that these could be themes in a Berenstain Bears book.

First, BE RESPONSIBLE. I know it’s hard to keep track of your things when you go from your Dad’s house to your Mom’s house. That’s why you need to figure out how to be responsible for your things for school and for activities like soccer and tennis. Maybe you will make a list for yourself or maybe you will get all your things ready the night before or maybe you will have another system that works for you.  Being responsible will help you tremendously as you get older. Start developing good habits now and you will be ahead-of-the-game.

Second, BE KIND. I asked you to share with me how you were kind to someone that day. Remember when I read you “Wonder?” When kids were kind to Augie, they realized what a neat kid he was. You might not realize it at the time, but a kind word or a compliment to someone can make a difference for that person and turn a bad day into a good one. You will discover that once you start being kind to others, your kindness might start to spread to others. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone were kinder to others?

Take care and do your best. I can’t wait until we see you again in a few weeks!

Love,
Grandma