More animal pictures

I had two favorites at the Calgary Zoo so took many pictures of them:

The Red Pandas had just been fed so were out and about in their enclosure.

They look like the cutest stuffed animal toy. They are however nocturnal and territorial.  Firefox web browser is said to be named after a red panda's nickname.

I had to post this one as it reminded me of a photo I posted from Mallorca of a large pig surrounded by almond blossoms.

I think tigers are my all round favorite. They are so fierce, regal and have gorgeous markings

and

they

behave

so

much

like a cat.

Calgary zoo with kids

Friday night we drove to Calgary amid rain and lightning and cranky kids. The weather forecast for Edmonton was more of that for Saturday but in Calgary it was partly sunny, a comfortable temperature and a perfect day for the zoo.

First stop was the Penguin Plunge.

Inside Avery just about climbed over me to get to the penguins.

He loved watching them swim.

Next stop the Dino Walk. Avery keeps wanting to see this series of pictures. "See dinosaurs"

He was scared of touching the dinosaur statue but with encouragement stepped up and hit it on the head. I didn't get that picture but he must remember it.

But I got this one, which I love.

Meercats were also a hit.

Actually he wanted to climb on just about everything.

There was a lot of sleeping in the sun going on.

I've never seen one of these before and Avery thought the ears were hysterical.

"Baby 'ogs". He has a hard time with the letter "h".

As well as animal watching there was also just a lot of running around.

When we ask Avery what was his favorite thing at the zoo he says "fishes".

There are plenty of animal themed play areas scattered through the zoo as well as snack bars and picnic areas.

We had the double stroller with us but both kids wanted out.

We  were there for about 4 hours

and they lasted about three and a half

Duck Bubbles

One of Avery's favorite places is the pond that is just a couple of blocks away. He is almost beside himself with excitement as we head that way. He can clearly say "water, water". I am not sure if his speech is getting better or if my ear is getting tuned to it. Mike says it is a bit of both.

And we're there - "duckies, duckies"

Pair of Bufflehead. Also known as "duckies"

I thought he was going to jump out of the stroller in excitement when the ducks started walking towards him. Even Maya got into it.

A rather blurry Red Necked Grebe (alias "ducky")

For some reason he can say "goose" quite clearly but can't manage "geese".

So these are "baby goose".

There's a lot of water fowl comings and goings on the pond. When ducks fly in and land they create "duck bubbles". An expression coined by Avery that he thinks is hysterically funny. Every time we pass a pond, creek, river or even a puddle he starts demanding "duck bubbles".

Kaffe and kids

On the Sunday of the OHCG Annual I took a course with Karen Kaiser on Kaffe Fassett inspired rug hooking.

Kaffe Fassett designed very colourful textiles; weaving, knitting, rug hooking.

Karen had knitted one of his sweater patterns but had only completed the back and thought that she probably would not finish the garment due to the complexity of the pattern.

I forgot to take a photo of what I completed in class but I have worked on it periodically in the evenings while here, in Edmonton, when not too exhausted from "grandchild chasing".

I used the few odds and ends left over from the pattern in the border and then whipped it with the wool Karen provided.

Now on to the "grandchild chasing":

Avery climbing into his car (the door opens on the other side)

Maya observing the technique for future use.

"Sometimes I feel like a ride"

"Sometimes I don't"

Two for the road.

They love the park.

The swings,

really

LOVE them.

Maya likes gentle little pushes and Avery likes to go as high as he can.

The slide is also popular.

Actually, Avery

loves

pretty well

everything

about

the

park!

Aimee had said the Maya would either watch everything from her seat in the stroller or would stand in the middle and watch the kids play.

Not!

She was a

climbing,

looking,

crawling,

exploring

machine.

Kept Nana

on her toes.