Concrete jungle - New York City

On a layover in NYC after a conference. I was on a search for vegan food I found myself looking at the Chrystler Building off and in the distance. My walk took me in the opposite direction when I stumbled upon a street festival. Lots of cool shops and food option but my goal was to go to Blossom du Jour and I am glad I did. They have a great variety of vegan food and gluten free options. Yum!

The pictures are of my view of the city and of the street festival. As you can see even in a concrete jungle like NYC there are some trees. Maybe next time I visit I will have some more time to go see the Central Park or other green spaces.  Enjoying the journey, Meet Me Outdoors.

 

  

Richmond, VA - Maymont Park

Spring is here!  It finally feels like springtime and I was able to go visit with some friends down in Richmond, VA. While there we went to Maymont Park which is a great place for families. There are different habitat regions, gardens, and farm animals.

 I really enjoyed seeing the different animals and gardens.  The first animals we found were bison, they were on the way up to the Children's Farm. At the farm there were goats, chickens and a cow. Of course I got pictures.  Though it was hard to get some of the animals to stand still for the camera, the bison were the only ones to sit still. 
Some of the animals at the park that were in the wildlife exhibits had already gone in for the night. But the ones that were still out did come and say hi.

While we stuck to the Children's Farm, wildlife exhibits, and some of the gardens, there was far more to explore than we had time.  There is a Nature Center & Visitor Center which highlights the regional habitat. 

The chickens definitely kept moving around the most.  This is why they are off to the side of the picture.

 No, this isn't a two headed cow, the second one just had to be in the picture. 

This was nice stream we passed moving from one habitat area to the next. We were heading to the Japanese garden.  Walking through the gardens was really peaceful, a nice break from city life. 

This was a surprise find in the Japanese gardens. There was a snake slithering by and it looks like it had dinner recently. The snake is a bit camouflaged on the grass near the tree, but look for an oddly smooth branch like animal with a large bump in the middle.  It was certainly an interesting discovery.

I am looking forward to the new season and getting a chance to explore more outside.  Time for all of us to go outside and explore, Meet Me Outdoors.

Another Snowday in Baltimore

That's right, we have yet another snow day here in Baltimore, MD.  I just came inside after digging out my car, the one near the bottom right of the photo, and it hasn't stopped snowing. I figured I could clear half of the snow now and do it again later this evening when it hopefully stops.  I didn't bring a ruler out with me but I am guessing it was 6-8 inches of snow, it was about the same height as a stair step.  We are supposed to be 15 days away from the start of spring, but the snow just keeps falling. 

While I was out there clearing a path, two people were cross country skiing and there were kids pulling their sled to the sledding hill which is maybe a half mile from my house.  The neighbors kids were running around in the snow earlier, too.  

Last snow day my housemate decided to build a snow-person, the odd blob in the center of the yard is what is left of it.  Not far from my house there is a snow-sphinx that someone built.  People have been finding some fun ways to spend their snow days.  I am thinking of doing some knitting. What will you do? Meet Me Outdoors.

Snowing in Baltimore

Why did the toad cross the road?

I decided to take a quick evening stroll down my street and saw something different in my path.  All along the way I saw many leaves and twigs scattered around the sidewalk and road. Then I saw a lump in the path that was out of the ordinary.  I stepped closer to the lump and it hopped! It was a toad.

I was able to get a picture of the toad. It is the green lumpy thing near the center of the image. When I first saw it in the sidewalk its green coloring stood out more compared to the white cement. On the mud it is a little more camouflaged, but still easy enough to see.

I am glad I took the evening stroll.  It's good to have some fresh air and get outside after being stuck inside from all of the raining over the last couple days. The surprise toad was a nice bonus.  Take a chance and go for a stroll what will you find, Meet Me Outdoors.