Vacation’s almost over – Paul will head back to the Twin Cities, Andy to New Haven – so it wasn’t surprising when the old Brio set came out last night. Nor was it surprising, when the first layout we designed proved not to allow a train to get everywhere from everywhere, in either direction, that a discussion of graph theory ensued. (As you see, the discusison led to a couple improved layouts.)
I don’t have the math to understand much of the conversation, which was still going on when I went to bed. What I could understand was that skills developed in childhood play – skills of planning, analysis, problem solving, patience, and flexibility; skills of communication, cooperation, playfulness, and creativity – had flowed seamlessly into adulthood.

A scientist in his laboratory is not a mere technician: he is also a child confronting natural phenomena that impress him as though they were fairy tales.
Marie Curie
Imagination is more important than knowledge…
Albert Einstein