We have decided to go and visit my parents in the mountains this weekend. Our plans were to leave in the morning, but it looks like we're going to have to shift our travel plans out by one day due to several real estate things happening with my husband's clients tomorrow. He had suggested we go on ahead, departing at eight o'clock in the morning and then he would follow in the afternoon on his motorcycle. This would have been a nice alternative to him as he's been wanting to go for a multi-day drive for some time to the mountains.
Let me be clear her in that I don't mind him going up on his own. But I also have to be honest and say I like it when he drives because I can do other things in the car and I don't have to focus on the road for hours on end. I don't know why he likes to drive for long stretches, it's never appealed to me, but he likes driving. So, from a selfish perspective, It would be nice to all go up together, my husband driving and me being helpful with the children in the back and doing my own thing when they're occupied. But I also want him to have the opportunity to ride his motorcycle as well. Dilemma. For us both.
What swung the balance towards leaving a day later all together was the lateness of the day in which some things would be happening tomorrow, causing him to miss most of a day with us. It also gives my husband the chance to take a real two-day trip on his motorcycle to the locations he wants to go to, irrespective of where my parents live or our travel plans. He can pick two days and ride in supreme social distanced relaxation for hours on end. (This seems like anything but fun to me, but then again, he has no interest in organizing a craft room for two weeks and counting.)
I'm packing and preparing for the trip now, but this delay gives us time for something else both my husband and I have been excited about. We did decide to get a 3D printer, which will arrive this afternoon. That gives us precious little time to unpack, set up, configure and do test prints before leaving tomorrow.
3D printing takes time. Lots of time. Some models print for over a day or longer. He and I have been doing preparation of another kind, mostly of the YouTube variety in this case. We've been looking at tutorial videos on 3D modeling software, 3D printer slicer software, model libraries and models themselves. The big question is: what will we print first?
I've fallen asleep for the past three days, lying in bed with my iPad playing a tips and tricks or Ultimaker CURA tutorials for beginners or top ten best calibration models to print type of videos. I'm no where prepared for what we'll get into when we actually have the printer later today, but it'll be an adventure, that's for sure.
I'm more interested in selecting already created models to print, of which there are hundreds of thousands, created by others, many of which are free to download. My husband is more interested in creating models himself to print. The question I had was what would we need to create? What would be a model that was actually useful? My husband already has something in mind, namely a weather shield for the outdoor camera that aims into the back yard, recording everything that happens there. He had difficulty with the prior camera with the company sending a replacement one under warranty. He thought a weather shield would be added protection and he says he can model it easily.
So we have an extra day and hopefully will be able to get a few small prints completed. For now, I'd better get back to packing so I have time to help when the printer arrives.
The Big Boy Update: My son was excited to go see Mimi and Gramps but then this morning when I handed him his backpack and told him to put whatever he wants in it for the trip, he lost his mind. It was enraged tantrum time with him yelling at me saying we said we weren't going for two weeks. I told him that was about two weeks ago. He's excited to go, but sometimes he can't handle the thought of transitions well. He went to his room for a while (read: was grounded) but came out happy with his bag packed, looking forward to the trip again.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: I ordered what are without a doubt the most expensive plastic beads ever. They are little rectangular beads with braille on one side and the letter on the other. I put off ordering them because with the small volume they're made in, the cost is so high. My daughter wants to make bracelets, necklaces and other things with the beads now. I've packed the up for the trip and when we arrive, I'll let her sort them by letter into a container with lots of little slots. My plan is to recycle the beads after she's made something that has lost its interest back into the pile. Hopefully the beads will last for many years, although I equally hope she'll make necklaces or bracelets for friends and family members. They're quire cute, if you don't mind rainbow plastic beads as a fashion statement.
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