RenoVous

  Nathalie Emmanuel Damson Idris Keke Palmer Sarah Michelle Gellar Rachel Brosnahan Emma Stone Mariska Hargitay Allison Williams

  The Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River. It is the largest hydropower producer in the United States, generating enough electricity to power much of the Pacific Northwest. It is a gravity dam, which resists the force of water pushing against it through sheer mass.  The weight of the dam, acting downwards, counteracts the horizontal force of water. The dam creates a reservoir on the river, named Lake Roosevelt, for FDR was president during construction. From May through September, a laser show is projected onto the dam, called "One River, Many Voices."  It started in 1989 and is one of the largest light shows in the US.

  The Riverfront Park was designed for the 1974 Expo World's Fair, but the sites along the river and falls were originally a gathering place and fishing camp for the Native Spokane tribes. The tower there is a remnant of a former railyard. An island in between two paths of the river was at one point called Canada Island, but has since been renamed to  snxw meneɂ - a Salish term meaning "salmon people."

  While in Spokane, we came across the Bing Crosby House located on the Gonzaga University Campus. Now a small museum, his music filled the living space, and his history surrounded us. He was born in Tacoma in 1903, and three years later his family moved to Spokane.  He attended the University but did not earn a degree.  However, he did receive an honorary doctorate in 1937. In 1925, Bing and his friend Al Rinker decided to head to California, where they ultimately joined up with Paul Whiteman.  From there, The Rhythm Boys were born. In 1931, he was signed to a solo contract and launched a weekly radio broadcast. He had been in a few movies in a musical capacity, but in 1945 he won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Father O'Malley in Going My Way.

 Though the solstice already occurred, today marks Midsummer. The differences are thought to stem from variations in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Anyway, I'm catching up at work today.  :-)

  Sometimes you don't have to go far. And sometimes you drive all the way to Spokane! We leave tomorrow to visit my bestie and I'll be back next Tuesday.  ^_^

  Andra Day Shaboozey Sydney Sweeney Colman Domingo Carrie Coon Christine Baranski Zoe Saldana Monica Barbaro Jesse Williams Christina Hendricks

 The NASA crew is one step closer to the Artemis II mission - originally expected last year, now planned for April 2026. In early June, the lunar science team ran a mission simulation for the first time in the newly completed Science Evaluation Room in Houston. This room will support the mission's main flight control room, equipped for rapid data interpretation, collaborative analysis, real-time decision making, and seamless coordination between the science and operations teams. Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and build the foundation for the first crew to Mars.  The first launch will be a trip around the Moon, to confirm all of the spacecraft's systems are operating as designed in the actual environment of deep space.

  Meet the Denali Sled Dog Pups! They were born on May 3 of this year through the National Park Service.  They provide the most effective means of patrol for the vast areas of wilderness during the winter season. Mushing is a cultural tradition across Alaska, and the Denali kennels date back to 1922. There is a  Puppy Cam  live through the site, and feeding time is at 11:45 AKST.

 On this day in 1963, Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc publicly burned himself in a plea for "charity and compassion" to all religions. It's one of the most famous photographs ever taken.  Malcolm Browne was in South Vietnam covering the war as Associated Press chief correspondent for Indochina.   President Ngo Dinh Diem was not just fighting communism and North Vietnam, he was oppressing the Buddhist majority.  His sister-in-law, Madame Nhu, joked about self-immolation, offering to supply matches. Five monks followed Duc. The image helped fuel opposition to the war, where the United States was assisting South Vietnam. It won World Press Photo of the Year, and Browne was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. Diem was assassinated in a coup that took place in November of 1963. Rage Against the Machine used the photo for their self-titled album in 1992.

  Born on this day in 1928, Maurice Sendak revolutionized children's picture books. His parents were Jewish Polish immigrants, and his childhood was affected by the deaths of many family members in the Holocaust. He was 12 when he decided to become an illustrator, inspired by Fantasia.   In 1947, he was published in Atomics for the Millions,  a textbook written by his high school Physics teacher.  He would continue to illustrate for other authors throughout the 50's. In 1963, Where the Wild Things Are  was released and praised as, "the most distinguished American picture book for children."  Even in 2012 it was voted number one picture book. The book was the first in a trilogy, followed by In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There,  the latter of which came out in 1981.  The series is meant to represent psychological development from toddler to pre-school to pre-adolescent. In 1996, Sendak received the National Medal of Arts.

  I didn't want to do all Tony Awards, but there are definitely a few. Cynthia Erivo Cole Escola Jasmine Amy Rogers Kara Young Sydney Sweeney Zoe Saldana Ana de Armas Brian Tyree Henry Teyana Taylor Mason Thames