Tag: indoor games

Jelle Marble Runs!!

Dear Liza,

Jelle Bakker

Yesterday I learned about a really cool thing. Since there are are no professional sports to watch because of the corona virus shut down people have been missing having games (any games) to cheer at. John Oliver featured something called “Jelle Marble Races” on his show, “Last Week Tonight”. We were curious, and went to the Youtube site to see.

These are so much fun! In 2006 a fellow named Jelle Bakker, who lives in the Netherlands, created this YouTube channel that shows marble races. These are run on enormous tracks that he creates, both indoors and outside in the forest. He even creates marble sized arenas from Duplo bricks and fills them with marble-fans.

Jelle’s Duplo arena filled with marble fans, cheering their favorites

The runs are interesting and well-made, and the marbles are the big fat ones so we can see them easily. The filming and commentary are comparable with professional sports, with wide angles and close-ups, even split screen and slo-mo for the photo finishes.

The logo (every league needs a logo, right?)

We chose our favorites and were soon cheering. Auntie Bridgett cheered for Blue Moon and Deep Ocean, and Grandpa Nelson and I rooted for an orange and black marble named Nemo. We didn’t win, didn’t care, and had so much fun!

The eight-year-old in me is inspired! Jelle uses sand for his outdoor tracks and smooth wood for inside, but even if you don’t have either of those, I’m sure you could come up with a way to make a fabulous marble run!


Love,

Grandma Judy

Winter Comes Dripping In

Dear Liza,

I know winter doesn’t really start until December 21st, but it feels like it has already landed here in Portland.

The leaves have fallen from most of the maples. The ginkgoes are still blazing yellow, as if trying to hold off winter’s arrival. But it is cold. It is dark. And it is wet.

Inside where it is warm and dry, we are planning for Thanksgiving. The turkey will be bought pre-cooked from New Seasons Markets but the rest will be homemade…two potatoes, two breads, and maybe three pies, as Auntie Katie has offered two!! And cookies, of course.

Evenings are long now that it gets dark at five o’clock. I have gotten fabric out for another ‘Circles’ pillow. I’ve gotten some books from the library to read to help me with my Teacher Voice problem.

Scrabble games are a regular thing. Last night’s went wrong in a spectacular way….we managed to play ourselves into a corner and almost couldn’t finish!

And, although it seems a bit premature, Christmas movies are being listed, researched and pulled from their boxes. The Bishop’s Wife and Charlie Brown, We’re No Angels and way too many of the Christmas Carols. We have our priorities, after all.

We are ready for winter!

Love,

Grandma Judy