Not For The Squeamish!

We are back from New York; had a great time, but we are exhausted. The flight back turned into a marathon thanks to a storm front that ran right down the middle of the U.S. We actually went north from New York City and flew in Canadian air space for quite a while (thank you Dykewife for letting us use it). It's weird to go north when your destination is Las Vegas, then San Diego and finally Sacramento and home. Luckily we have nothing to do today.

Cassie got off to her Peace Corps training just fine; Andrew graduated from Columbia; we all celebrated Mother's Day and my brother's 51st birthday. On Monday, my brother and Kerry went to MOMA. His wife, Charlotte, and I are not big fans of modern art so went to the Bodies Exhibition. Here's the link:
http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com

It was oddly fascinating. I have a much better appreciation for just how complex the human body is. The photos below are just a few I found on Google Images. The bodies were dissected in China so all are Asian. According to the web site all died of natural causes. My brother refused to go because he said some of them were prisoners who had been executed. Don't know if that is true or not.

The process for preserving and dissecting them is rather long and complicated, but essentially they are first embalmed, then dissected to show whatever you want to show, then placed in acetone to remove all moisture, then they are put in a silicone bath and sealed in a vacuum chamber. Under vacuum the acetone leaves the body in the form of a gas and the silicone replaces it in each cell and body
tissue. The result is some pretty weird looking creatures, but they are us. The bright red one is the circulatory system in our body. The one where the specimen appears to be smiling is designed to show many aspects of the head. The other tells you more about facial muscles and nerves. It was fascinating. It's traveling all around the U.S. and the world. Don't miss it if it comes to your area.