Detroit Zoo, 4/1

No fooling (to be honest I've always hated the concept of April Fool's Day), it was practically summer at the zoo today. All through March I tentatively predicted at least one more major snow fall, and in the end I believe we received exactly zero inches of snow for the whole month. Now here we are on the first day of April sweating in shorts and t-shirts and reaching for ice cream during an afternoon at the zoo. I still won't hold my breath—snow in April is always a possibility in Michigan—but could it be that spring is really here?

Zoo days are here again

The weather has been unbelievable as of late. On Tuesday, with temperatures reaching near 60, Calvin and I spent our day at the Detroit Zoo. This is the best time of the year for the zoo—if you don't mind the occasional mating dance, the animals are the most active in the spring before the heat has set in but after the cold has passed, and the zoo is uncrowded yet warm enough to enjoy. I think this is the first time that Calvin and I have gone to the zoo as just the two of us, and I think it might become our favorite new weekday activity. At least until the schools get out, that is.

The otter was sleeping. I think I have about a dozen other pictures just like this.

The female tiger was busy. Jon and I remember the year she was born—the year we first joined the ranks of zoo membership, six years ago.

The peacock joined us for our picnic lunch, even though we didn't share.

And we took the time to stop in the butterfly house on our way out of the park. We don't usually hit any of the indoor attractions, but now that we have our own butterfly garden at home Calvin thought we might get some pointers from the zoo's butterfly garden, so we stopped. So beautiful.

Drag racing

...(and other things) at the Detroit Zoo.  It's just another part of fall fun.

More pictures in the October 2009 album.

Here, there, everywhere.

That, in a brief statement, is the sum of our Saturday.  From home to Toledo, then to the other side of Toledo, then to White Lake, then home again.  If, however, we're to take that brief statement and make it more in depth we would say: to the Toledo Zoo in the morning, then to a first birthday party on the other side of that same city, then to dinner with friends in White Lake, then home again well after dark.  And if we were to make that statement even more descriptive we would say: After a hurried morning at home, to the Toledo Zoo, where the seals were being fed, the wolves were active, and the sloth bear was snorty; after a quick lunch at the zoo, to the first birthday party of an adorable little girl who belongs to a close high school friend of mine whom I haven't seen in, well, probably fourteen years; after snacks and cake at the party, straight up to White Lake, Michigan, with a short nap in the car (for one out of three of us), for dinner, drinks, and playtime with our good college friends and their two sons. And that about tells the whole story, but to give it color I'd have to add to it: that the wolves are my favorite animal and seeing them up and about was a true joy; that seeing a close friend after fourteen years, being able to talk with him as though that day fourteen years ago was yesterday, and having Jon enjoy that visit as much as I did, was also pure joy; that having some quiet time in the car on the way up to White Lake, sharing a book out loud and talking, just the two of us, was actually enjoyable as well; that a dinner party with good friends when our kids can play together, cooperatively and happily, for extended periods of time–in an entirely different room–is incredibly relaxing and added yet more true joy to the day; that being able to leave for home well past bedtime and have our son, who has been almost impeccably well mannered all day, fall asleep in the car and still go to bed without trouble at home, is the perfect cap to the end of a truly enjoyable day.  And now, that's the whole story.

More pictures from the day in the August 2009, too album.

Friendship at three

We hit the Detroit Zoo today with Calvin's friend, Noah, and the two of them interacting together was a large percentage of the animal behavior I enjoyed while there.  It was amazing to watch them participate in actual conversation, sharing, and cooperation.  They discussed (seriously) the difference between a camel, as Noah called it, and a Bactrian Camel, as Calvin called it; They shared food at lunch; they helped each other get drinks from the drinking fountain; and they did all of this without prompting or help.  I was incredibly proud of both of them.  Watching them grow up, Calvin and all of his friends, is such a bittersweet thing.

There are several more pictures of their wonderful fun at the zoo (remember when I used to take pictures of the four legged animals at the zoo?), and since my mom hates scrolling through the plethera of monthly pictures to get to the most recent ones, you can click here to go straight to the first picture in the series and scroll through from there.