Visit to Roger Williams Zoo

One of the great treasures locally is the Roger Williams Park Zoo located in Providence, Rhode Island. We took at quick family trip up to see the wonderment of the animals in their recreated natural habitat.

We actually opted to become zoo members which I think is worth it from several standpoints - if you come back a second time, it pays for itself, and you can also use the pass at other area zoos around the country like the Boston Museum of Science, and lastly, it supports the work that the zoo is doing to provide education to children and adults that visit.

The zoo seems to be in the process of expanding the habitats for the Elephants and Giraffes which is a sign of great things to come. Plenty of activities for young children, and enough to keep adults interested.

This bird was interested in getting up close to the glass and seemed to take about as much interest in the visitors as the visitors did in him.

The flamingos pretty much kept to themselves. It's understandable why people would adorn their lawns with plastic replicas of this amazing bird.

My daughter was taking note of the camels and enjoying each and every exhibit.

While not technically a "petting zoo", there is a barnyard area that houses a number of sheep and other mild animals that are found around domestic farms. It's a great touch for the zoo to include these friendly animals too.

Here my daughter is visiting with an Ox. He didn't really want to get to close, he was more than happy 10 feet out from the kids' little hands!

The monkeys are a blast. There are a two very large windows to view the monkeys from and they don't mind showing off their acrobatics on their swings, toys, and trees. They seem to almost pose for the camera like movie stars and move on to the next group of photographers to make sure that everyone gets a chance to take a pic.

We were fortunate to see the Elephants from up close. There are special feeding times for some animals including these mammoths and also for the giraffes as well. The three Elephants were seven years old and seemed more gentle than one would imagine for such a heavy creature.

The zoo also has kangaroos like this one. The Kanga looked more annoyed with his or her surroundings. S/he occasionally looked up to see who was disturbing her nap!




Aside from animal exhibits, there was also this nice lady playing the harp. My daughter took an interest in the instrument, and she was even allowed to try it out.

Here are the baby giraffes outside of the feeding barn. It's pretty amazing to see these animals from 10 feet away. It gives you a whole new perspective on some of these majestic creatures. And its also an added reminder that as custodians of the land, that we need to preserve areas for these creatures to grow and roam.

So if you haven't been to Roger Williams Zoo Park, then I'd strongly recommend a visit.

Birthday Party a success!

First things first -- where's the ibuprofin?

Yes, we had a grand time with my daughter's second birthday, and everything went off as planned with plenty of fun in the sun. As usual she was spoiled (as she should be) and received so many nice gifts from all of our friends and family.

It's a lot of work, but these are the events that bring folks together to celebrate and enjoy the good times in a child's life. So we are all grateful to be able to take time out from our busy lives to just soak in the happiness and blessings that you receive from spending time with those who you seem to never get a chance to see enough of.

And of course, being able to see your daughter break out into a huge smile and laugh while being surrounded to a chorus of "Happy Birthday" is simply -- priceless!

With another birthday come and gone (well, sort of - today she opens up presents from us - these never made it to the present pile, I guess), we are happy to enjoy the rest of the weekend recovering and getting things back in order.

Fourth of July/Fishing/Back to work

We managed to sneak in a great Independence Day despite the rain trickling down at about 3 p.m. and then disappearing and reappearing later in the early evening. By fireworks time, not only was it wet, but I was zonked out and probably couldn't have kept my eyes open even if they were being ignited in my backyard.

The morning was probably the best part of the day. At about 5 am, my dad and I seized the "free hours" and headed off to the shoreline for some fishing in the Sound. While we do this more for the purpose of spending some quality Dad to Son time, I did manage to catch a nice 30" bluefish. I'm sure it would have been good eating, but after declaring victory by making the catch, we happily returned the beautiful fish to the sea. But we put in four and a half hours of fishing and relaxing and just enjoyed the time. Unfortunately, these time with dad are too rare as it is, so we just make the best of the time we have.

I really enjoy the time fishing with Dad. It reminds me of earlier years when trips were more frequent to the shore to cast a line in the sea and then retreating back to our campsite to cook the spoils of our capture. Distinctly, I remember the steady hunt for flats by rowboat outside of Clinton/Westbrook, and the days of easy fishing off of Meigs Point Hammonasset Jetty for the waves of hundreds of snapper blues - who were easy game for a my cheap - single button casting - Zebco Fishing pole and spoon jig. Those were great days with Dad. Although I think that some of the more comical moments were watching my father do battle with Sandsharks, Eels, and Sea Robins. In any case, the whole fishing experience is something I'll need to remember to replicate with my kids when they get older.

(And a brief note to parents - while researching some pics for this entry - Zebco had a recall on children's fishing poles due to lead paint. So be careful if you buy one used or off of Ebay. See the press release here).

The afternoon was made up of family time, my dad and mom played host to my family and my brother's family and we had a nice picnic - burgers, hot dogs, macaroni salad, potato salad and the rest. I was pretty beat from the fishing trip, so the best I could muster was to sit and watch some of the great series The Revolution on the History Channel while holding my new daughter. The younger daughter enjoys Grandma's and enjoys family gatherings so she can play with her older cousin.

So, it's early morning in West Hartford. I'm at the computer in a sort of tired daze, and getting ready to restart my week. I swear that driving home, yesterday evening, felt much like a Sunday with the though of going into the office and tackling complicated issues and matters again in the morn. I hope the next few days will be "light duty" from a mental standpoint with none of the usual crisis's popping up here and there. Plus I have to conserve my energy - we will be getting ready to host this weekend for my older daughter's second birthday!

Screaming kids and cranky adults will all be headed to West Hartford this weekend. Rain, Rain, stay away!