Stormy

It was a dark and stormy day. The kind of day that brings out the brilliance of a New England fall. The kind of day that's just perfect for spending time with your sister and nephews. The perfect kind of day to take advantage of the Museum of Science's "Sundays for Educators," an opportunity to get into all the exhibits, including the Omni Imax Theatre offerings, for free for any teacher and two guests.

As it was such a perfect day, my teacher sister and I spent the afternoon with the two boys there. We've been there many times before, and have seen the exhibits enough times to want to just see the movies...so, that's what we did. Mostly. First we saw an amazing account of "John Harlin

III who was just nine years old when his father, the world-famous alpinist John Harlin II, fell to his death while attempting a new route up the North Face of Eiger — the most notorious peak in the Swiss Alps. We watched, breathless, as Harlin approached the mountain that has haunted him for 40 years, journeying in his father's footsteps and revealing the fascinating and inspiring ways in which the Swiss people have learned to live in harmony with such a delicate and dangerous landscape.

The website tells us that the movie "features music by Queen and some of the most spectacular giant-screen imagery yet seen — captured by intrepid helicopter and mountaineering crews — the film celebrates both the unsurpassed beauty of the Alps and the indomitable spirit of the people who live, climb, and explore there. Audiences will ride on the high-altitude Glacier Express train with stops in charming mountain villages, bungee jump off Verzasca Dam à la James Bond, and witness an avalanche triggered by researchers as John Harlin talks to scientists in preparation for his journey into the harsh mountain environment. Finally, the film offers the rare opportunity to experience a triumphant ascent of the Eiger."

That was indeed true. The second film we watched paled by compar- ison, to be honest, although it was interesting in its own right. "Wild Ocean" chronicled the migration of sardines up the coast of Africa. There were spectacular sights of hundreds of dolphins and dive-bombing gannets following the "shoal," and this was about something I'd never heard of before, unlike the Alps movie. If we had seen it first, or alone, I think it would have stood up better.

Following these two movies, my sister and I went to the Butterfly Garden and the boys went to see two 3D movies on sharks and space. The Butterfly Garden was pretty cool with beautiful (although somewhat tattered) butterflies thick in the air and on the flowers. One huge one settled on my arm and latter my sister's shoulder.

We finished the day with pizza at Papa Gino's. It was a dark and stormy and altogether perfect day.

Photos: The view of Boston from the Museum of Science, turning leaves near my house, and butterflies in the Garden