Nature Hike

Here are some pictures from a nature hike we did just before the end of our vacation.

 

At The National Zoo

We took a trip to the National Zoo with the kids and family. It was the most engaging zoo trip we've taken to date. Most of the animals were really active when we stopped by their pens and many were being fed when we arrived so we got to witness some remarkable behavior.

Elliott liked the colorful animals, especially the marine invertebrates. However, he slept for a good portion of the trip and missed a lot of the really charismatic animals, like the komodo dragon below. We got to see this chap being fed. The keeper basically opened the door a crack and stuck a fish on a stick through the opening. It may not be obvious from this image, but the komodo dragons are huge - about 5 or 6 feet long, and they're really smart. This one clearly was aware that freedom awaited it behind the door, so rather than go for the fish, it crept around the back side of the door (the zookeeper's blindspot) and made a beeline for the opening rather than for the fish on the stick. The caretaker slammed the door shut just in time, leaving the fish behind, where it was swallowed with one nonchalant gulp. The lizard then paced around the viewing window for a good while afterward, sniffing after us with its enormous yellow forked tongue.

Alden had a great time both looking at the animals and in the rest of the zoo environment What's a trip to the zoo if you don't get to climb the aardvark statue?

Alden gravitated toward the stranger animals. He was fascinated by the naked mole rats and also really liked the hissing cockroaches and giant spiders. At the hissing cockroach display, the zoo solicited poems from the viewing public about the cockroaches. Alden came up with this poem on the spot and we loved it so much that we wrote it down and submitted it for him.

The day was cool, but not cold and the sun was bright and cheerful. 

Here are some other animals we liked. 

A lions-eye view of Alden watching from behind the glass. 

One neat thing at the zoo is the zip line that runs from the monkey house to the animal learning center. We were able to watch some Orangutans make the trip from their main house to the "Think Tank" where they get to play puzzles with researchers. 

Elliott and Herb

Here's a really cute little video that my Uncle Sam shot of Elliott meeting my Grandfather.

Passover 2013

With our car situation still in flux when it came time to make our holiday travel plans, we decided to fly to Maryland for Passover this year. Alden's new ear tubes seemed to help with his airsickness. We had a handful of barf bags at the ready, but didn't use a one of them on either flight. We were very proud of Alden but I think he was the most excited of all. The only drama on the way down was a freak snowstorm that blanketed much of the mid Atlantic region. Our flight was delayed by an hour, but we were able to make it down just fine when the weather warmed slightly by midday. There was about 2 inches of snow on the ground in Baltimore when we arrived in mid afternoon and by the next day, it had rained and all the snow was gone. Still, this is the first time in my memory that the seder was marked with a snow storm. Usually the holiday falls when spring is well underway down there.

Alden received some wonderful gifts from Auntie Kay, several of which were wrapped in pokkadot ribbon. Kerstin, quick on his toes, fashioned a tie out of this ribbon for Alden for the seder, since we were unable to find him a proper tie in the kids clothing stores. Alden was really excited about it.

Geoff joined us for the first night of Pesach.

Alden still hasn't learned how to sit still or listen quietly during the seder itself, but he loves to entertain us with funny faces and still can't help banging the silverware together or reducing the tablecloth to moist shreds.

Elliott slept through most of the first seder, but he was awake for the second and sat in his car seat for a good portion of it. He got to meet my grandfather on Monday night and the two of them really hit it off.

The dinner always runs late and by the time we finish all the courses and find the afikomen, it's usually way past bedtime for the kids. Despite being cranky and tired, Alden got to stay up to open the door for Elijah this year.

It was Elliott's first time meeting Rob and Kay and he really took a liking to them. He especially liked the Mayan calendar on the wall of Kay's kitchen. It quickly became our go-to object to avert meltdowns.

Kay made amazing meals, as she always does, with several courses, and decadent desserts. We ate our fill and then some because there were so many tempting options.

Alden wanted to take his own pictures of the seder as well. We forgot to pack his camera so he borrowed ours. He took this picture above, which is a surprisingly well-composed and focused image of his gefilte fish plate. He loves gefilte fish. But most of the pictures he took were nasal numbers like this one of my mom.

Passover 2011 - Trip to the D.C. Zoo

Alden and I did Passover in Maryland at my Uncle Rob's and Aunt Kay's house again this year. Like last year, Kerstin had to teach a class and was unable to join the fun. This was my nephew Levin's first Passover trip and the first time that he and Alden have been old enough to enjoy each others company. They got acquainted by playing on Rob's exercise bike.
We then sallied forth out to the zoo in D.C. We took a train into the city, which both boys thought was pretty great. It culminated in the largest escalator ride that Alden had ever experienced. I think we had to climb about 5 or 6 stories to get back to the surface. Alden's mind was completely blown.
At the zoo, we rented a double buggy for the kids to get around and they had a great time mostly sharing snacks. Alden helped himself to Levin's stash of Cheerios and Goldfish, but made sure to give some back to Levin. "One for me... one for baby Levin". Levin was satisfied with this arrangement, although I'm confident Alden ate more than he shared.We also met up with Alex's (Ben's girlfriend) brother Greg, who has a plush government job giving tours at some big house on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. He and his girlfriend April also joined us for the first night of seder. My cousin Sarah was back in the states for a brief respite from her veterinary studies in Scotland.
Alden's favorite animals were the meerkats and tamarins and other little creatures in the Hall of Small Mammals. The bigger animals (lions, apes, elephants, etc.) were a big yawn for him. Levin seemed to be more interested in a wider variety of critters.
At the end of the day, both boys got pretty tired and that's when the squabbling in the buggy began. Alden was banished from his seat when he started hitting Levin, and Levin passed out shortly thereafter so Alden got his place back. He then promptly fell asleep within minutes of the deadline to return the buggy. Luckily, Uncle Ben had the arm and back strength to carry Alden a mile or two uphill back to the train station. Both cousins had great naps on the way home.

My camera ran out of battery life shortly thereafter and since I forgot my charger, I don't have any more images of Passover. I should be receiving more from other family members soon and I'll post them as they come in.

Jospeh and Sandy Visit

Joseph and Sandy visited us for a few weeks at the end of August. It was great to finally see Sandy again, who missed the last visit because her mother was having health problems. Sadly her mother had health issues on this trip too, but she was stuck in an Italian hospital for the whole time, so there wasn't much Sandy could do.
Alden showed off his new undies. The visit by the grandparents marked the start of potty training boot camp, which I'm sure was more than they had bargained for. Our Superior plum bore fruit for the first time this year and they ripened right on the day that Joseph and Sandy arrived, so we all got to enjoy them.
On the first night we went to the Theater at Monmouth, which is pretty well known for its summer Shakespeare programming. The production we saw was a bit disappointing, but it was nice to get out nonetheless.
We made lots of delicious meals at Karen's and our house.
Joseph fired up the grill for our first barbecue of the season (I'm ashamed to say) and made us a wonderful meal celebrating the harvest in the garden. We used a lot of our garden vegetables in most of the meals.
Karen had guest passes to her fitness club, and took Sandy, Ilana and Alden with her one day. Alden liked the pool a lot, but also really liked the elevator in the facility.
We took a trip to the Portland Children's Museum on a rainy Wednesday thinking no one would be there but the place was packed. At first Alden was sort of tweaking on the energy in the place, and did pretty well considering, but had a sensory-overload meltdown after a few hours.

Alden discovered the firetruck this time and was really into it. There were lots of buttons to push to make noises and lights flash and that's what he's all about these days.He's also way into fake food, for some reason. He plays with it all the time at daycare too.
There was a great little puppet theater in the basement and Joseph did a stirring rendition of Froggie Went a Courtin'. Alden just wanted to mash the puppet's faces, mostly and drag them around on the floor.
There was also a fun little exhibit with a theremin-like instrument that the kids could control using the wheel mounted to the wall.

Sandy left a little early to try to connect with her Mom, leaving Joseph with Alden all to himself for a few more days. They went on long walks in the stroller to the park and to the Gardiner library, where he entertained in another puppet stand.
They also got ice cream from the farmer's market, which he usually is not allowed to have. That's what makes Grandfathers so awesome!