Centrifugal force

The Flying Steamroller: we stumble on this strange art-work, owned by a private collector and family in Switzerland. Designed by Chris Burden, the steamroller is a huge sculpture of a twelve ton steamroller that is attached to apivoting arm with a counterbalance weight. The streamroller is driven in a circle until its maximum speed is reached or about 15 mph. At the same time, a hydraulic piston is activated and pushes up the beam from which the steamroller is suspended, causing the steamroller to lift off the ground. Because of the combined weight of the steamroller and the counter-balance, which is approximately 48 tons, the steamroller, once lifted off the ground, contineus to spin, or "fly". On this evening Chris Burden "drives" the thing, and we chat with him afterwards. Neat.

Today we meet Mike & Gretchen Bransford with their kids William (3 mos.), Rose and Henry. After lunch, we go to their closed garden in Kensington where the boys make a "potion factory and a dirt factory" from water, dirt, sticks, rocks, leaves and berries. When asked what for: "you poor it on the badies - it will kill them" (duh).