A Bondi tradition since back in the 50's, once a week we gather on the beach for a bonfire and a cookout. Tuesday is the night, and this year it coincided with Brian's birthday.
We've got four birthday celebrations on the go this week, and two anniversaries, so it's pretty much a non-stop celebration.
The ducklings adore Tuesday nights. We're pretty sure they have the date circled in their calendar. And, on the shore-side, the kids adore having the ducklings show up.
And no Wiener Roast could possibly be complete without the traditional Seed Spitting contest. It began with Watermelon seeds -- and, yes, we have records stretching back close to the 50 years... When genetics bred the seeds out of the Watermelons (another story altogether) we had to find alternatives. Many were auditioned, and rejected. Too bulky, too expensive, poor balistic qualities... But popcorn has saved the day.
Now, lest you think this all silly nonsense, let us point out that the records for the Seed Spitting go every year to the University of Massachusetts, where they are used in a Statistics course. Over the years we have also had mathematical geniuses plot the trajectory and wind velocity... factor in the height of the participant, and the average weight of the seed.This is serious science.
It's also silly stuff, and hotly contested, not just by the kids!
So how far will a popcorn kernel fly? Last night was not a world record night, but still pretty fair. David, with years of practice, 34'6". Closely followed by Dr. Steve, who professed not to have tried his lip at this before, at 30'. And Madison, 11 years old, popped the kernel 22'11.
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