Woodland Park Zoo Visit and Review -- Everett, WA

Watching hippos eat their breakfast.

The husband and I took the kids and a friend to the Woodland Park Zoo, where we managed to walk through about two-thirds before lunch. This zoo is very large, and has some nifty amenities that make a go-to place even during the rainy season. We arrived at opening, shortly after all the animals had been fed, and the whole place smelled like oat hay. After raising rabbits and alpacas for many years, it was absolutely homey. We saw the elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions, hippopotamus, tapirs, orangutans, snakes, a lot of birds, and many other animals that I can't think of right now.

The orangutans also had hay.  They were using it to make nests.

The selection of birds was pretty impressive; they had many different kinds of fowl, including bufflehead ducks, pheasants, and even guinea hens. There were various cranes, and some keas, as well. In one of the aviaries, there were the most adorable Blue Jays (and I mean Blue Jay, not Western Scrub Jay like we see in the wild here), and they were so close -- they didn't seem afraid of us at all.

Elephant, elephant!

We saw a handler give one of the elephants a bath. They wash each elephant's feet several times a day to monitor its condition and keep it healthy. The elephants have a large barn that's sided with glass, so you can look inside from on the patio and watch without being disruptive.

Checking the map while riding on a hippo.

One nice aspect about it being so large is that it never felt crowded. There was enough space in between exhibits to give a bit of a breather in between crowds. On most of the walks between areas, there were things to look at; there were many statues that were available to look at, and in the case of my children, climb on. We didn't realized how crowded the zoo was until we went to get lunch, and there were tons of people.

Beating on the drums.  We were pretty loud.

In addition to the regular zoo fare, the Woodland Park zoo also offers an indoor play area. It had an area for little children to run around in, a playground with slides for older kids, and a variety of blocks and building toys. It was a welcome break for both us and the kids, as they could run around more and do some self-directed activities.

Hiding in a meerkat burrow.

Also in this building is the Nature Exchange, where you can bring in objects you've found in nature --like rocks, leaves, shells, and so on -- and then exchange them for points.  The more information you bring in with you, like if you research what kind of tree a leaf comes from, you get more points.  You can then trade those points for things in the zoo's nature collection.  The husband and I think this would be a great thing to incorporate into our homeschooling efforts, and would be something that the kids would like.  My middle boy all ready has a collection of pinecones, so we'd only need to collect information about them, and bring it with next time we go.

Trying to climb into the animal enclosure.

Next time we go, we're planning on hitting up the entomology building, the farm area, and the arctic area. We'll probably swing around to see the elephants again at the barn, because that's really cool.  And we're definitely going again.  All summer, and probably all winter, too.

I have no idea what's going on here.  I just thought the expressions were funny.

What-What?! Week of June 29th

Life here is moving onward.  It feels more normal now, though I still reach for the drawer in the bathroom to get my hairbrush, and I caught myself thinking that I could visit my parents, since we were going to Costco and all.  I've been taking the children down to the local park nearly every day, both to give us something to do, and just to get out of the house and see the sun.  The weather's been good -- a bit like California in the spring, really.

Early this week, the husband and I got our Washington drivers liceneses.  It was surprisingly efficient.  In this state, the drivers licensing and the car registration stuff happens at separate locations; this means that the only issues happening are drivers license related.  To get my Washington DL taken care of took maybe 10 minutes total, from the time I stepped in the door to the time I left.  It was so easy.

Last Sunday, we also attended the Everett farmers' market.  I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but was disappointed nonetheless.  The husband and I will miss the produce and farmers markets in California greatly.  In contrast to the neat rows, and the division between producers (farmers) and purveyers (prepared food vendors), the Everett market was a giant mess.  Its rows went this-a-way and that-a-way, and the produce was all mixed about.  The selection of produce was also pretty small, especially in terms of veggies (I wanted to buy carrots, but found none to buy).

And there were lots of dogs in the market as well.  Not that I dislike dogs, I just don't particularly care for them around my food that much.

News:  Time Stands Still in Locked Off Cave via The Japan Times

This is a fascinating article about the Chauvet Cave in Paris.  Discovered in 1996, the cave holds some of the oldest and best preserved cave paintings in the world, and now stands locked and monitored 24/7, to ensure its longevity.  The article discusses more of the details, as well as the replica cave being built not far away.

What-What?! Week of June 22nd

The view out our back porch.  You can see the playground, geese, and lake.

We're approaching a week of living in Everett, Washington.  It is very different here.

One of the most stark differences between our old apartment and this one is the noise; at the previous place, we were very near both a highway and the main street of Hollister.  Even late at night, there would be sirens, and the low din of traffic.  Here in Everett, the back of our apartment faces a lake.  We're the fourth aparment building back in the complex, so we're pretty far from the street.  In the evenings, after the children go to bed, it is extremely quiet.  Sometimes you can hear the ducks or geese.

Peter with some neighborhood children.

Our first day here, the husband and I decided to unload some of the lighter things out of our truck, in preparation of having movers help us the next day.  After 20 minutes or so, this kid comes up and asks if we need help.  By the end of the day, we had four of the neighborhood kids helping us -- we thanked them with some pizza.

The first kid who came to talk to us actually thought that my husband was my father.  Even kids think I'm 12. D:

The other day, we went down to the local park.  I was expecting a small neighborhood playground, but instead it was huge, with all kinds of climbing equipment, and many spinning things.  It's only about three blocks from here, too, so well within walking distance.

We plan on going to the farmers market today, which I'm pretty excited about.  At the Safeway here in Everett, the term "local" is defined as coming from Washington or Oregon.  Coming from California, that's a pretty broad definition of local.

The apartment itself is pretty nice.  The flooring is all new.  The kitchen is very small, which presents some issues just finding places for the basics.  We've set up a bookshelf next to the counter on one side to give us some extra space.  I miss the counters and cabinets from the last apartment, but it seems common for apartments here, as most we looked at had kitchens set up like this.

My small kitchen.  This will take getting used to.

Next week, we need to work on car stuff, getting more things unpacked, and maybe looking for jobs.  Oh, and figure out how washing clothes works. xP