Up, up and away! Visit the Museum of Flight, learn about Leonardo Da Vinci and his plans for a flying machine, and hear the story of "Zoro, the Flying Apprentice".

This week we survived a 27 mile bike ride which took us across the floating bridge and up the hills of Seattle (both ways).

Visit The Museum of Flight

Yes, there really is a flying car or "AeroCar". And have you heard of the X-jet? It's a personal transportation device - or what we've dubbed the "flying podium". It goes up 10,000 feet and 60 miles per hour. Take a tour of Air Force One, a Concorde jet and see the original Boeing factory where they made planes out of wood and canvas. And how about flying a plane for a month? Hey, where is our flying motorhome?

The Museum of Flight has an upcoming exhibit "Leonardo Da Vinci; Man, Inventor, Genius" opening October 1st (closes January 28th, 2007). Leonardo Da Vinci was a painter, sculptor, architect, art historian, natural scientist, writer and inventor. The drawings in his notebooks included designs of flying machines.

You will find the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington or online at www.museumofflight.org/

Zoro, the Flying Apprentice

Around 1485 Leonardo Da Vinci drew detailed plans for a human-powered ornithopter (a wing-flapping device intended to fly). And legend has it that a young apprentice named Zoroaste (egged on by the mischievous Salai) took the machine out for a spin.

You'll find another version of this story in a book called "Leonardo and the Flying Boy" by Laurence Anholt.

It's Banned Book Week (Sept. 23-30)

You won't believe some of the books that have banned! Such as "I Am the Cheese", the Harry Potter series, and "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes. Catch the Activated Storytellers performing a live musical production of "Alias, Don Quixote" at a library. Upcoming appearances are scheduled in Oregon and California. Check the itinerary for more information. And learn more about banned books at the American Library Association site.

Happy Listening!

Dennis, Kimberly and Zephyr