January 26, 1911:
The first seaplane takes off.
While a number of seaplane prototypes that could land on water had been built, none had managed to take off from the water before then. Glenn Curtiss, an early aviator and one of the founders of the aviation industry, developed a pontoon design that allowed him to take off and land in the water.
Taken From: This Day in History by Jim Daley; Copyright 2019; Publications International, LTD
The search for life on Venus has a fascinating history. Carl Sagan famously and sarcastically said there were obviously dinosaurs there since a thick haze we couldn’t see through covered the surface. 1,143 more words
A Private Mission to Scan the Cloud Tops of Venus for Evidence of Life — Universe Today
Are you a nature lover who’s looking for your next big adventure? Do you enjoy taking hikes in fascinating places that include beautiful waterfalls? Do you want to explore the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? 1,363 more words
Top 11 Smoky Mountain Hiking Trails with Waterfalls — Hiking Pursuit
Be sure to check this work out!
Bull Mountain Original 14″ x 11″ oil painting SOLD
Wall Art Prints and Prints on just about anything are available at this link
https://kendall-kessler.pixels.com/featured/bull-mountain-kendall-kessler.html
Well, we did dodge the virus! Yea! Only two of the wedding guests contracted Covid and they are feeling better.
My mother-in-law is not doing so well. She refused to get the vaccine and now has Covid. She has been in the hospital since lastWednesday and she is very ill. Her blood oxygen is still too low so hopefully it will be up soon. She is on oxygen and that should help.
On a brighter note, I am so pleased to sell another mountain painting to a great Virginia patron! Bull Mountain is one of my favorite impasto oil paintings and I am sorry to see it go but, like I always say, I live to paint but I can’t take them with me…
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January 25, 1924:
The first Winter Olympic Games are held.
The inaugural games were held at the foot of Mont Blanc in Charmonix, France, and included curling, bobsledding, ice hockey, skiing, and ice skating events. Athletes from 16 countries participated in the Games. The Nordic nations dominated on the scoreboard, winning more than half the medals between them.
Taken From: This Day in History by Jim Daley; Copyright 2019; Publications International, LTD
I HAVE ALWAYS HAD A CURIOUSITY with how things are created and started. When I was a young kid, I used to break apart my toys to see how they worked. One of my favorite toys that I had for an extended time finally met its demise, when I smashed the plastic globe that held these small hard plastic, colored balls that were smaller than golf balls. Attached to this globe that was on wheels was a long handle. As I rolled the toy that got the name “Popcorn Maker,” due to something in the middle popping the balls up against the inside top of the globe, the balls would be bouncing around accompanied by a popping sound. I loved this toy; but eventually my curiosity got the better of me, leading me to destroy it to see what was making the balls pop up whenever I rolled the toy…
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Wow! That was an unbelievable weekend of divisional round playoff games, wasn’t it? It’s hard to believe that the three games that ended with walk-off field goals to catapult the lower seeds into conference championship contests served as the undercard to the Chiefs-Bills all-time classic! And how will the NFL possibly top it this weekend? I’m not sure that is feasible, but let’s talk about the matchups anyway.
AFC Championship Game:
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
I am still in disbelief that the Chiefs pulled their victory out over the Bills. What team, and what quarterback, can be left with as little as 13 seconds and get into position for a game-tying field goal attempt? Patrick Mahomes is special, folks.
Any other season, and we would be talking about the emergence of Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow, especially since leading Cincinnati to its first two playoff victories in 31 years. Yet, Burrow is almost forgotten, the curse of playing in the first game of the unforgettable divisional round weekend.
I get the feeling Burrow and the Bengals don’t mind flying under the radar, although I am impressed by the signal caller’s moxie in telling us to get used to more playoff victories. Burrow is certainly capable of putting up big numbers in this game, as well. The problem is the Bengals will probably need every point the offense can muster.
Mahomes is on fire right now, and I struggle to picture Cincy’s defense putting a stop to Kansas City’s attack. I’m afraid it will take the D creating a few turnovers and the Chiefs uncharacteristically shooting itself in the foot in order even remotely slow down Mahomes and company at this point.
A key to the game may be the ability of Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu to clear concussion protocol to suit up. His absence clearly was exploited by Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen and receiver Gabriel Davis in the divisional round. Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase certainly would attack a weakened Kansas City secondary should Mathieu not play. This could allow the Bengals to remain competent in a shootout.
Alas, the Chiefs have too much firepower and too much momentum to stumble at home in this one. I applaud the Bengals for the enormous strides they have made, however, we may be a year away before we are ready to put them in the same breath as the battle tested Chiefs.
Kansas City 37 Cincinnati 21
NFC Championship Game:
San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams
The Niners are rolling now, aren’t they? Playoff wins at Dallas and in the snow at Green Bay, combined with its playoff-clinching victory at the Rams in week 18, have San Fran believing it can win anywhere. And the 49ers are more than capable of extending this streak. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo simply wins. He’s not putting up the sexy and gaudy numbers of a Mahomes, Burrow, or even his counterpart in this one (Matthew Stafford), but the man who is deemed to become Wally Pipp to first round pick Trey Lance keeps winning big games.
The Rams enjoyed themselves for approximately two and a half quarters at Tampa Bay in the divisional round before Tom Brady had us all believing again, although much of the Buc’s big comeback had to do with the Rams making egregious mistakes. That said, you must admit you were totally expecting another Brady miracle like the rest of us, weren’t you?
I do not have an expert analysis on this one and won’t pretend to (I wish some of the blowhards on TV would follow suit). I have a difficult time thinking the Rams will shoot themselves in the foot as much as they did in the second half this past Sunday.
The 49ers have won the past six meetings between these two teams and seem to have LA’s number. I am always leery of the “Beat a team three times” scenario, which SF will have to do to advance to the Super Bowl. I like the Rams in a close one to advance to play in the big game on their home turf.
LA Rams 23 San Francisco 20
New research shows that Mars has faced a constant rain of meteors during the last 600 million years. This finding contradicts previous research showing that the impact rate has varied, with prominent activity spikes. 1,295 more words
It’s Been Constantly Raining Meteors on Mars for 600 Million Years. Earth too. — Universe Today
Whipped Owl 