Rocket Department Prepares for Maker Faire 2016.

I've had the opportunity of working out of the same space as Rocket Department for the last few years. Last spring I met up with them at Maker Faire 10 in San Mateo, Calif. Their Prism Challenge was a laser and mirror feat of engineering technology that was so well attended they had little down time last year.

This year I met up with them as they prepare their most recent light technology installation piece, Project Obelisk. They first showed this installation at TBD Fest 2015 in Sacramento, Calif., a music and food festival organized by Clay Nutting and Michael Haggis.

After spending most of the week preparing for the Eleventh Annual Maire Faire in San Mateo, Calif. the Rocket Department packed all their goodies into a U-Haul and headed off to the event location two hours away in the heart of Silicon Valley, the San Mateo Event Center.

This, their third year coming to the Bay Area Maker Faire will be the year that they have two booths, one showing off the light installation, Project Obelisk, and the second selling their learn to solder kits for emerging makers and engineers of all ages.

Emma Fletcher, a five year attendee and one of the Rocket Department teammates, said the Maker Faire has been instrumental in creating awareness about the learn to solder kits,

"Its been a huge inspiration... This is our first year having a vendor booth and we are really excited to bring the learn to solder kits here and the reception has been awesome. We launched Hue this weekend with our first run of 100 and we're almost sold out. There's about five [units] left. We brought 150 Blink and we're down to the end of that as well."

I met up with Rocket Department Sunday morning, while Andy C. searched out Adam Savage from the TV reality show, "Mythbusters." A little earlier, Andy A. and Kaleb worked the Project Obelisk installation. They occasionally had to tell a few of the youngest faire attendees to please get down from the polyethylene cubes and to stop climbing on them.

One exciting transaction at the Learn to Solder booth Sunday afternoon was when a customer bought 30 of the Blink kits. The company has been selling the kits online for several months, but this was their first large scale in person product sale.

Keep your eye out for what Rocket Department lights up next. I know I will be.

Your Best Pathway to Health Los Angeles Clinic

I had the chance to spend a week making images with friends and family in Los Angeles about a week ago. In total about 4200 volunteers helped over 8500 Los Angeles residents with medical, dental and optical procedures over a three day clinic at the LA Convention Center. Coordinating with city and state agencies and local unions volunteers came from across the country to care for patients' needs.

Kevin Martin was one such patient. He had been feeling ill for about a year but didn't have any insurance to cover the medical costs. He is pictured in the cardiology department waiting for an EKG test with his two daughters (Madison, pictured, and Aurora) while the mother of his girls is in surgery. He mentioned coming to this mega clinic was faster and better, especially for the kids.

Karina Brinkhaus, an ICU nurse in Arcata, Calif., takes blood in the laboratory area. Quest Diagnostics stepped in to cover the lab testing with less than a week before the clinic started and at a better rate per unit. This was on of many miracles that happened for the clinic to be a success and a witness for God.

Janet Barnhill, a former k-8 teacher,  helped on the first day of the clinic now channels her passion for service with Adventist-laymen's Service & Industries.

If you are interested in volunteering with the next clinic, click to www.yourbestpathwaytohealth.org.

Circus Society and the Art Hotel

I had a chance to go to Art Hotel on February 5 and make some impromptu images for my Circus Society project. This Circus Society project is about how people are stifled into normalcy when they can't express who they really are. The intent is to create a discussion about art with a population who doesn't experience art very much in a meaningful way.

What's been most interesting and exciting over the last few months are the discussions about art here in Sacramento. Whether its a big name artist like Jeff Koons or the million dollar fund for local artists or Portal or a temporary space that had over 100 artists contribute to every nook and cranny or a view of the sky from under an overpass or Block Parties. It all lifts up the conversations that are happening in this fair city around the subject of art. And what could be more monotonous than a city that doesn't talk about art?

What would you do if no one knew it was you doing it? Share your thoughts with me.

A special thanks to Felix, Nicolette and their team at City Scout for setting up the second time getting in last Friday afternoon.