random thoughts – Day 2,379 (Saturday) – goats, kinetic sculptures, kitties

Goats ready for head rubs.

After a couple years of missing it due to scheduling conflicts including dance troupe performance commitments, today my friends and I went to the Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race. It was a beautiful day to be outside watching people powered machines race on cobblestones, in a mud pit, and in the Merrimack River. 

On the way to Lowell, we passed an arts and crafts fair on the common in Townsend and stopped to check out the booths and especially the goats, because, well, goats! The goats were eager to receive head rubs and kind words and we were happy to deliver. As we got back into the car we noticed there was also a pen with pigs and sheep.

Godzilla exits the mud course.

In the race area, we caught part of the procession down "Boneshaker Alley" on the rough and rugged cobblestones. Then, as we walked from the cobblestone area to the mud pit zone, we encountered some of the machines that ran into various troubles with snapped chains that hindered their progress on the paved asphalt streets of Lowell. 

Individuals and teams with racers of all ages (usually in costumes) pedaled the rigs on land and mud and added oars and rudders in the water segment. Some of the teams were STEM programs from regional schools and the kinetic race feels like the best group project ever.

The mud pit had several sections of bleachers on each side of the mud section, added since our last time attending. It's fun seeing the event grow.

Sculptures included a fire truck, Laika the Russian Space Dog (1957), a lobster, a snail, a big black dog, Godzilla, Bender the robot from Futurama, and other things I can’t recall. Spectators cheered and enthusiastically encouraged each rig.

Big Dog powers through the water.

The mood was festive at all three locations. At the river, food trucks selling Thai, sausages, sweet treats, and other foods were on site, but we opted to dash across the street to Heritage Ice Cream for sandwiches and fries and enjoyed the shade, A/C, and restrooms before settling in under the sun on the river wall for the water action.

After the race segments, we checked out LaLa Books on Market Street and then the Lazy Cat Lounge on Merrimack Street which has cat themed artworks and products, coffees and teas, and a room dedicated to interacting with cats. Two tuxedo cats napped in beds in a window.

Kitty plotting an escape?

A beautiful creamy white and tan cat was in the shop when we arrived, but was soon moved into the cat room when the shop got busy. The kitty wistfully peered through the window into the shop, looking like it was plotting an escape.

A group of young adults had a reservation for a birthday party in the cat room which features the Lounge’s “house cats” and cats available for adoption. It seemed like the best birthday party setting ever, and I wished there was such a place in Gardner. My friends said I should open one. Hmmmm.