Seattle

I love to go to Seattle. The weather there is so invigorating to me as I am not very heat tolerant. We went on several neighborhood walks during my visit. One of them was on the waterfront in Wallingford. This was a view of downtown from that walk.

I have a little fascination with houseboats. The thought of living very simply in a small space appeals to me very much. Maybe it's because of all of my current responsibilities with two houses and all.

 

I've always loved red dwellings. They make me smile.

 

We did a lovely activity this week that was called "A sense of Place." We were to write descriptors while thinking of a very special place we felt we belonged to. I grew up in San Diego near the ocean, so that's what I wrote about (more about that in another post.) Anyway. . . on our walk I saw this pampus grass. I remember in our home in La Mesa (suburb of SD) that we had this grass growing behind our house where there was a canyon. It made me think of La Mesa.

I haven't been back for decades.

 

Another favorite: Craftsman style architecture

 

The porch of the house where I stayed. I spent several house leisurely reading my current fun book. . . "Wild" . . . about a young woman who hikes the Pacific Coast Trail by herself, with no previous hiking experience.

 

I shared my time with two Mexican Hairless dogs. One named Pixel (because he is black with speckles of pink) and one named Zaden (a video game character???). I call them my rubber dogs because that's what they feel like when you pet them. I regret not getting their pictures.

 

Another view. Pretty.

Quite a grand house.

 

Raccoon Statue in the backyard.

 Thank you to my hosts, whom I do not know because my friend was housesitting.

 

 

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Woodland Park Zoo

I'm posting some zoo pictures today of the week I've had. A lot of the pictures I took are "behind the scenes," which I am not allowed to post. So I am putting up public area pictures along with my giraffe feeding today. After this picture, the giraffe did something like a sneeze and slimed the entire front of me. Not many people can say they've been slimed by a giraffe!

This is the giraffe that's not pregnant.

The expecting giraffe's name is "Olivia" and she is due any day!

 

I also had the pleasure of seeing the baby jaguars, but the glass makes photographing them difficult as there is a great deal of reflection.

 

You can see both the people and the cats here.

 

 The pictures are not great because this was the one day (of course) that I forgot my camera.

 

Playful Zebra.

 

Barn Owl.

 

Spectacle Owl.

 

Grey Wolf. These wolves can actually be several different colors. They used to range over most of the US, but now are only in the northern most latitudes of the states and in Canada. Their reappearance has been extremely controversial in Washington State.

 

One of the lion cubs. Sleeping. Of course. . . it's a cat after all.

 

Momma Lioness.  (Nayla) 7 years old.

It's been a wonderful week at the zoo. My class was "Engaging Communities in Conservation" and I have learned a great deal! We were blessed to have a small class, so we got to know one another so much better than some of the other classes we've had. It's so amazing doing work that I love so much!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seattle Musings

I know many of you want to see zoo pictures, but I will be posting some pictures from my wonderings around Seattle first. I am staying with my friend, who is house sitting near the zoo. We are able to walk the neighborhood and see things like front yard veggie gardens and community free library boxes that look like little birdhouses! Here's some of my favorites:

I'm a little obsessed with lichen. I think it's so beautiful!

 

Community Lending Library. Such a great thing to do. . . I want to do one of these!

 

Berries!

 

Beets!

 

Tomatoes!

 

Tomatillos always remind me of Japanese lanterns. :)

 

This is an artichoke that has gone to flower. It looks like I'm not the only one enjoying it!

 

On my walk from the zoo to the house, I passed this building. Of course I had to take a picture!