A trip to the zoo

I went to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park today with some of my friends. It turned out to be a great day for the zoo, not too cold out which means we were able to see the animals. 

We saw the lions, reptiles, invertebrates, small mammals, elephants, even otters. As I walked through the zoo I used scvngr to keep track if where I went and what I saw.  For example, the picture on the right is of a chameleon I saw in the Reptile Discovery Center. I am sure he wanted to hide, but from my angle I could still see him, can you?

Since it's winter time, there were a few animals that were not out today because they prefer warmer climates.  There still were plenty of critters to see in the different indoor areas as well as along the outside trails. 

Elephant

 

If we came after dark this time of year, winter holiday season, we would have seen the zoo lights. I have only seen pictures of it from a friend of mine who went.

The pictures I added are from today. Looking forward to another adventure, Meet Me Outdoors.

Otters... They kept moving around, hard to get a close-up.

Lion!

Two lions!

Butterfly in the garden

I was working in the garden with my nature class and came across a butterfly. I didn't want right scare it away before getting a good look at it and maybe a picture.  What you see is the first shot and last as I got closer.

I have narrowed the species of butterfly down to a variegated fritillary. I am still questioning the exact species but it is in the fritillary family.

Outdoor Discovery Schools-LLBean Freeport, ME

LLBean's Outdoor Discovery Schools allow people to try out various activities such as kayaking, archery, fly fishing and more.  They are introductory classes where they take you out on location and teach you new skills. Today, I chose archery.

I signed up for the discovery course day of at their booth, but you can sign up on their website or by calling in advance. It is something I can see families doing or group of friends. Most of the courses have an age minimum.

The picture of me in front of a giant boot is right outside the retail store for LLBean their flagship store in Freeport, Maine. I was standing far enough away that it looks like it is the same size as my head. If I was standing up next to it the toe of the boot is about chest high.

After you are signed up all you have to do is show up at the booth 10 minutes before class time.  From there, they gather the group and take you by bus to the location. For archery they took us to a archery range, went over safety rules and then gave the group an introductory lesson.

As you can see from the picture of me holding my target I did it pretty well. Most of my shots hit the target paper and I even got 3 in the bull's eye yellow circle.  The instructor was very good at helping us improve our aim.  When I really focused, I did well.

I might do another discovery course later this week if there is time. Enjoying the adventure, Meet Me Outdoors.

A Train to Maine

Trying a new perspective for travel today. Instead of simply flying up north to Maine I decided to take a train.  I am looking forward to watching the landscapes change from city to rural and everything in between.  

The pics are blurry because I am on a moving train. I am enjoying the scenery as I go. From creeks to small towns to views of a bay with boats sailing through, even a glance at New York City all of which are missed when flying over and only seeing a patchwork of land below.

This vacation is about slowing down and exploring the last bit of northern part of the East Coast, USA that I have yet to see.  No real plans once I get there but for me that is part of the adventure.  Take a break from you busy life, Meet Me Outdoors.

Robinson Nature Center

Recently I visited the Robinson Nature Center in Columbia, MD.  There is a great exhibits with lots hands-on and interactive features, which is great for all ages.  A section that talks about the local wildlife through the Chesapeake area as well as how the land was used where the Nature Center is located. 

While many who know me would think my favorite part was the NatureSphere, a digital planetarium and dome-style theater (and don't get me wrong it is up there as a favorite) I really enjoyed the nature trails out around the Nature Center.  The building has a roof garden that rolls off with lots of flowering plants to the tree cover where the trails are found.  Among the garden and flowers I found butterflies.  The two you see in the pictures are of the swallowtail family.  They get that name because their hind wings have a little drop shaped part similar to the tails of the swallow bird. The swallowtail butterfly is the largest butterfly in the United States.  Most swallowtail butterflies are found in more tropical climates.  The two common ones you see in the US is Tiger Swallowtail, with the yellow and black stripes, and the Spicebush Swallowtail, with the colorful dots along the bottom of its hind wings. Other butterflies which seem to not want their picture taken are the little white ones.

 Butterflies are pollinators going from flower to flower spreading the pollen around as they enjoy the nectar for food. The second picture has another pollinator buzzing around the flowers, can you see it?  It's a bee! The nature center actually has a bee hive that you can see into as the workers come and go.  No worries, the hive is fully inclosed but outside in the gardens you can watch as they collect the nectar to bring back to be made into honey.

The trails weave through the forested areas, over and around creeks and along streams. Trails are all less than a mile to explore and are nicely labeled with little trail markers (blazes) of either a hiker or an arrow. 

Whether you are inside exploring the Nature Center's exhibit area, seeing a show in the NatureSphere or simply exploring nature itself this is a great place to do it.  Find a nature center in your area and have an adventure, Meet Me Outdoors.

A Day Outside: Berry Picking, Orioles Game AND Concert in the Park!

What a day!  I basically just spent the whole day outside.  What could have been a cloudy rainy day according to the forecast on Friday turned into a hot and humid day in the sun.  I brought my big sunhat, sunglasses and lots of sunscreen... still got a bit of of a sunburn but not as bad. Now on the aloe treatment.  Next time more sun screen!

Today started early with a trip to Larriland Farms were I met one of my friends and we picked raspberries.  They have both red and purple variety at this time of year and even blue berries.  We stuck to the raspberries and got over 5lbs worth that we split between the two of us to take home.  It was getting to be really hot out with the sun overhead so we didn't stay much past noon.  I have already eaten a bunch and the rest are in the fridge waiting for me to blend into a nice smoothie that may turn to sorbet if I decide to freeze it.  Seeing that the rest of this week is looking to be another lovely heatwave, having some sorbet might be perfect use for the berries... Boiling them down into jam is a great way to help preserve them, maybe even a fruit pie, but I enjoy quick and simple so blend, drink, freeze.

Right behind home plate!

 Midday, after I sorted and cleaned the berries I brought back I went to the Orioles vs Blue Jays baseball game.  I traded in the tickets (thanks Grandmom) for a seat that was in the lower level and with some shade.  Turns out I got a great seat, just a few rows below the press box and right behind home plate.  Of course there was a tall guy sitting in front of me who blocked my view a bit, but otherwise really good seats... My brothers might be a bit jealous, but I can't control that.  Because I didn't have too many distractions of other people I actually was able to pay attention to the game... O's won!

Panorama view from my seat

Even a dragonfly wanted to watch the game (it's on the wire)

The panorama view is from the game midway through. I took it from my seat above the head of the tall guy you see in the above picture to the right of the frame. My standard baseball game snack is cotton candy but I also got a fruit smoothie as a nice healthier drink choice that also is very refreshing in this hot weather.

After the game continued on to phase 3 of my day outside in the sun... interestingly enough it's a Sunday.  I moved on to Patterson Park for their summer concert series.  Today's musician was Ellen Cherry.  The concerts are held outside on the eastern lawn of the Patterson Park Pagoda.  Bring a lawn chair, picnic blanket, kids, dogs, munchies, whatever and chill out to some awesome music. Concerts are free and open to the public from roughly 6:30p-8:30p. 

Before the concert by the Pagoda

I tried to get a group of people together but only one person found me, it was pretty crowded.  There was a nice ambiance, for lack of a better word. We picked a nice shaded area below the Pagoda to sit and listened to music.  I brought munchies... including some of the berries I picked.

The picture on the left is from before the concert.  I was walking over a bit early and stopped in the shade a bit before climbing the hill.  Did I mention it was hot outside?  People do climb up inside the Pagoda to see the skyline view of Baltimore.  I prefer the ground level maybe a hill view as you can see in the picture below.  I guess you can call it the "after picture" because the hill is filled with people and you can see Ellen Cherry in the white dress on stage singing. The Pagoda is behind me.  As the sun got lower into what photographers "Golden Hour" which is when everything seems to have a nice golden glow at sunrise and sunset.  I wasn't quiet able to capture that effect in my own pictures, but I was able to observe it from my spot on the hill. 

After my long day outdoors I am happy to be relaxing indoors again wondering where my next adventure may take me.  Stay cool everyone, Meet Me Outdoors.

Little purple flowers

When I came home from work today one of my neighbor's kids was out riding her trike along the sidewalk.  She stopped when I pulled up my car and couldn't wait to tell me about some flowers that seem to have gone missing from the lawn of my house. Earlier this spring, maybe around late February or early March (I know spring is technically end of March but it was a mild winter) there were these nice little flowers that popped up around the lawn. They had broad petals, a light purple in color and were relatively low lying along the ground, should have taken a picture.  Anyways, my neighbor was eager to point out that they not there anymore, and wondered where they went. My answer was that the flowers may show up again later but for now there are yellow flowers in the lawn. She pointed to some other smaller purple flowers on her lawn that were near some yellow ones. I was happy that she was noticing all the different plant life in our area, even if most people would identify them as weeds. 

Between when I last saw the purple flowers of a few months ago and today there have been a series of mini-snow storms that could have frozen some of the early bloomers. However the daffodils in the median of our road toughed it out despite the bit of snow and are now in full bloom. Also in bloom are cherry blossom trees, I passed a few with white flowers and pink flowers on my drive. I hope to go out and take some pictures.  Keep exploring your neighborhood green spaces, Meet Me Outdoors.