ZooLights

Yes, the deer is wild from Rock Creek Park, which surrounds part of the zoo. I can't tell you how often I'm in the zoo and people tell their kids not to touch the deer on exhibit. If they only knew....

Last year the National Zoo started a holiday event called ZooLights. Using LED lights, they craft a number of animals in different colored lights. It's a fundraiser--corporations and organizations sponsor the different displays, and there is a ticket charge to the evening. We all figured I'd have the most fun of the group, and we weren't certain about Bree. Turns out we all had fun, although the consensus is that I did have the most fun, followed by Bree.




Really! Of course the crab is blue! (Blue crabs are a keystone species in the Chesapeake Bay, and a favorite summer food of Marylanders.) Roadrunners, which reminded me of my friends in the southwest, and an octopus! I think that was my favorite light of all. (That's he'e in Hawaiian, by the way.)


The zoo has several very famous and very successful species breeding programs. Golden lion tamarins are one. (Bree roared like a lion at these lights.) Pandas are another. Through a special loan agreement with China, we have a pair of pandas and their cub.



Bree has a thing for pumpkins. She pointed out every pumpkin on a doorstep during our morning walk. She also ate 1.5 pieces of my pumpkin bread after she ate her breakfast. Needless to say, this set of lights captivated her. For a while, she was my best friend, holding my hand and skipping through the zoo. Seriously, she did this the entire way UP HILL. That did tire her, and on the way down, she wanted to help mom push her stroller instead. She's really very helpful.



YES! Naked mole rats. The zoo has a wonderful sense of humor.


A pretty spring scene, including tulips, my favorite flowers. And kudos to the child winner of this year's contest for choosing the cuttlefish! Kati, I'm sure you agree that this is a remarkable kid.




Now Bree was tired, and chilly. So only Uncle Greg could hold her. It's really funny how she gravitates to him when she gets like that. I love this photo, except that I wish I could have caught them making dinosaur roars together.