I went to the Zoo with Grandpa Nelson this weekend, and I have never seen it so busy! To celebrate the Season Opening, the Zoo was offering half price $12 tickets, and the place was packed with kids and their grown-ups.
Fortunately, the animals were also out, being social and interesting. Nora the Polar Bear was doing whatever this is, every now and then looking out to the crowd.
The new Amur Tiger “cubs” were out and about. They are brothers named Dmitri and Luka, each eighteen months old. They were MUCH bigger than I had imagined, and covered a lot of area stretching out in the sun. Grandpa Nelson would have brought one home if he could have.
Our couch might hold one of them, but there wouldn’t be any room for the rest of us!
The birds in the Aviary were active. This long-tailed What-cha-ma-callit was wandering through the crowd and not getting his feathers ruffled. I would have looked up its proper name, but the signs were covered in KIDS.
This other fellow was having his lunch and telling everyone what he thought of them.
Overall, it was a pleasant visit with our animal buddies. But sometimes, I think, too many people is just too many.
This week, Grandpa Nelson and I went to the zoo. It was the day of the first rain of Fall, and it was particularly lovely.
I took this picture at the train stop downtown, showing the reflection of a new building in a cobblestoned puddle. I was celebrating everything that was wet!
The zoo is different every time we go, of course. Different animals are active, new habitats are opened and old ones are under construction. This time was got to see a sleepy snowy owl and a grumbling brown bear who looked like we had interrupted his nap.
But it was the big cats that we enjoyed the most. The cheetah looked adorable, taking a nap in her nest by the window. I wanted to give her a snuggle!
And there was a lot of gnawing and interaction in the lion’s enclosure. The lionesses were all chewing on some large (I’m guessing beef) knuckles by the pond.
After a while, the largest got up and walked over by a rock, just as the male came by. They sniffed and snuffled a bit and the lioness walked off into the shelter.
The lion stood for quite a while, then seemed to yawn (it looked like a roar, but was silent).
Then he walked into the shelter. I wish I spoke Lion, I would have loved to understand what was going on!
We learned quite a bit about polar bears this visit. One of the docents explained that polar bears are not an isolated species, but closely related, and sometimes interbreeding, with Kodiak bears. When they are in captivity, they are more omnivorous that you would expect, eating the clover and grasses that are in their enclosure. We got to see Nora Grey rolling a log around to get at the grubs under its bark! That was cool.
We enjoyed the peace of the nearly empty walkways, the cool air, and the lovely plants. And when we had seen it all, we hiked back up to the entrance, said goodbye to the bronze goat, and headed home.
I have told you about the McMenamin brothers an all the wonderful hotels, restaurants, bars and concert venues they create by restoring historic properties.
This weekend we drove clear out to Forest Grove and saw The Grand Lodge. This property was built in 1922 as a retirement home and care facility for members of the Masonic lodge. It has a large hotel building, smaller out buildings, and large gardens.
The Masons struggled to keep it open through the 30s, and it suffered major roof damage in the 1962 Columbus Day storm. In 1999 the McMenamin brothers bought and renovated it, creating a hotel with a spa, soaking tub, two restaurants and five bars and lovely gardens.
The hotel is delightfully quirky. The main floors are bright, with murals telling about bits of local history. There are incredible mosaics and artifacts from Asia, reflecting the women’s auxiliary of the Masons, which is known as the Eastern Star.
The basement also has rooms to rent, the spa and soaking tub, and even The Doctor’s Office Bar.
But the third floor is the weirdest of all. The walls and ceilings are painted dark and the rooms have names like “The Left Hand of Darkness”. I took a bunch of pictures, not really knowing anything about the place. It was creepy but beautiful.
Once we got home and I looked at my pictures, I saw odd green circles in some pictures from the third floor. These are called “ghost orbs” because they sometimes show up in pictures of haunted places. The thought is that they show the energy of spirits hovering around.
Auntie Bridgett did some research and learned that this floor is said to be haunted by a lady named Rose, a resident of the Masonic home who passed away just shy of her 100th birthday. She was known to use lavender cologne and sometimes her scent lingers in the hallway.
Of course, being on the top floor, there are delightful windows bringing sunshine into the spookiness. I don’t know that I would want to spend the night up there, but it sure was fun to visit!
It has been a long time since I went to the Oregon Zoo with the cousins. These two pictures show how the three years between visits have changed the Cousins.
This photo, with everyone wearing masks, was taken Monday. Look at those long legs!
Cousins with goat, 2021…
This was taken just three years ago, on our last visit. No masks and really small cousins! Time just keeps on slipping, as they say…
Cousins with goat, 2018
A lot has changed at the Zoo itself, too. There is a new Polar Bear enclosure, but makes me feel sad. The enclosure has grass and trees, but no water or snow-y looking things. It feels like they were trying to get the Polar Bear used to living without snow. He doesn’t look too happy about it, either.
But, not counting the whole global warming thing, it was a good day. I enjoyed watching the Cousins as they visited their favorite places. We watched the sea lions zoom and swish through the water.
We explored the new Primate habitat.
We visited garter snakes and mongooses, which I want to call mon-geese but have been told that is not right.
And of course we found lots of ways to be silly. Grandpa Nelson found sort of a shrine to hands …
There were also lots of ape hands to compare ours to…..
And Cousin Kestrel sat and listened to Dr. Charles Darwin talk about The Origin of Species.
It was altogether a wonderfully delightful, exhausting, and heart felt day!
Auntie Bridgett worked all day at the SideStreet Gallery today, so Grandpa Nelson and I went to the Portland Zoo, taking the number 15 bus and Red Line train. Of course, we have been to the zoo with Cousins Jasper and Kestrel, but going with just grown ups is a whole different experience. We were like our own island of calm in a sea of chatting, fussing, small people.
Masai Giraffe
It was a perfectly Portland fall day, cool and cloudy but not raining. The animals were mostly up and about and, since I had no children to keep track of, I could really enjoy the critters.
On our way to the giraffes, which are Grandpa Nelson’s favorites, we stopped at the Columbus monkey enclosure. There was quite a crowd watching the new baby, sitting on a branch with his mom and learning to handle branches. His balance was precarious and every time the branch shifted, the crowd gasped. After a few minutes the father came over, and the baby became much less adventurous, seeming to keep Momma between himself and Big Dad.
Baby Colobus monkey keeps an eye on Dad
The giraffes were delightful, walking elegantly around their enclosure, or leaning gracefully down for a drink. Grandpa Nelson says he likes them because they are quiet.
Having no children to keep track of, I got to watch everyone else’s. This was a zoo-going experience, too, watching this species of small human interact. I loved seeing the kids play with Jim Gion’s bronze sculpture group called Lunch Break, especially this little guy trying to be a cub.
Cubs
It was also fun to see older siblings explain things to little brothers and sisters. “See this snake? See how you are red? He can tell you’re not a rock, so he can eat you!” And, on cue, the little brother squeals.
Heat sensing snake
Something I had never seen was an elephant enjoying a swim in the big pool. A keeper was fielding questions and telling us all about elephants, while we watched this giant animal duck and squirt in the water like you do in your bathtub. I imagine it’s about has hard to get him out, too, when it is time!
We noticed that the zoo is already getting ready for Zoo Lights, a wonderful night event held in December where the zoo is open very late and all the trees are lit up, and animals made of neon tubes glow and move. It takes weeks to take the lights down after the holidays, more time to refurbish them, and then another few months to put them all back up. But it is a delightful, if chilly, outing that we will certainly do again this year.
Getting ready for Zoo Lights
By the afternoon we were worn out and got back home for snacks and naps, because we had a date for the evening, as well. Auntie Katie’s book store, Books with Pictures, was sponsoring a showing of the 1984 movie, “Supergirl”, at the Hollywood Theater. I had never seen it, since in 1984 I was up to my eyeballs raising your Daddy David and Auntie Katie.
It was exciting to see Katie in her element, sharing her love of comics with a theater full of people. The movie wasn’t fabulous, but it did feature three strong female characters: Supergirl, Lucy Lane (Lois’s younger sister) and the villain, Selena, played by Faye Dunaway in all her evil glory. We enjoyed the silly camp and headed home, totally worn out.
Auntie Katie presenting SuperGirl
For being retired, I am certainly not bored! As my dad always said, “If you’re not having fun, it’s your own darn fault.”
It is still very sunny here. Mouse enjoys sitting in the south facing glass and screen door, feeling the sun and watching the bird and dog action. Fortunately, the door keeps the cold out. The low has been 32 degrees, (freezing, actually freezing) and the high temperature only 44.
Cousin Kestrel reading
Last night Grandpa Nelson and I picked up the Cousins at their school. Then we walked over to Auntie Katie’s shop, Books with Pictures, and we all took the bus and train up to the Oregon Zoo for Zoolights. The train and elevator were packed with families. This is something a lot of zoos do, but it was my first time.
Waiting for the train downtown
At the zoo, since most of the animals are asleep or in dark corners away from the fences, the trees and lights become the attraction. All sorts of animals are outlined in lights.The trees become a fantastic forest of lights with the people just moving shadows underneath. It is eerie and wonderful.
Glowing Ostriches
Bremen Town Musicians in lights!
It was also cold! After about an hour, we were feeling chilly and empty. We stepped into the Africafe for corn dogs, hot cocoa and some warm conversation, and soon were feeling cheerful again. More walking, including racing a lighted cheetah, and then we were done.
Auntie Katie and her dear friend Chelsea drove the tired cousins home, and Grandpa Nelson and I took the train and bus back. The newly painted train station was quiet and almost empty.
Beautiful train station under Washington Park
Sparkling Forest
We will take you next year, if you come up during winter. Bring your mittens!
I haven’t written on this blog for a few days, and you know why…you were here in Portland! It was so good to see you and your daddy after these long months. You have gotten taller and smarter. Daddy is just as wonderful as always.
Of course, when you got here, there were snickerdoodle cookies to hold us until dinner. Grandpa Nelson had made reservations at a restaurant we had been saving for your daddy especially: The Laurelhurst Market, at NE 32nd and Burnside. Their specialty is meat: beef, steaks, pork, sausages…and they do it all very well. I had flank steak with chickory, which gave it a nice crunchy outside to go with the rich goodness inside.
After dinner we walked home through the neighborhood and talked about all the things we love about Portland. The tiny book-sharing libraries, the huge trees, the friendly people.
The next day we got up early and took the bus/train/elevator to the ZOO at Washington Park! It was fun seeing things I had missed the last time, and showing you some of my favorite animals. Somehow, we missed the fruit bats, which I really like, but we’ll catch them next time.
When we were too tired to smile, it was time to head down the hill and get lunch. Grandpa Nelson found The Picnic House, which is a beautiful old lobby of the Heathman Hotel, on Salmon at the South Park Blocks. The ceiling is at least 30 feet high, and there is a stuffed bear head wearing a hat and a monocle over the bar. The food was delicious and the slow pace gave us time to relax and rest from our long morning.
Too tired to smile, even on a goat….
The bus trip home was very quiet. At home, you and I had naps, and Grandpa and Daddy sat and talked for hours. Then it was time for the SECOND big activity of the day: Picnic dinner with Auntie Katie, Uncle Dave, Cousin Jasper, and Cousin Kestrel! We packed dinner, wine, toys, and chairs, and headed off to Laurelhurst Park. The rest of the family came a little later, and we ate, played, talked, threw sticks and frisbees, and dug holes in the dirt.
Making goop with Cousin Kestrel
It made me so happy to see everyone together and getting along so well. There aren’t a lot of cousins in this family, so we need to appreciate the ones we have. When it was too dark to see, we all came home and played Legos, while the Dads talked computers and airplanes downstairs. We ate the last of the cookies and sent everyone home to bed.
Legos for everyone!
This morning, the cousins went to school and you and Daddy went to the airport. I was sad to see you go, but I know we’ll get together soon.
Today Grandpa Nelson and I went to the zoo with Cousins Jasper and Kestrel. We took the #4 bus from their house to Pioneer Square downtown, then the Blue Line Max train to Washington Park, where the zoo is. The zoo is on top of a hill, but the train doesn’t go up the hill…it goes through a tunnel underneath the hill, and when we got off the train, we took an elevator straight up to the top. The train station is 260 feet below the surface where the zoo is, so the elevator is as tall as a 28 story building! That is almost 5 times as tall as the tallest building in Salinas. The elevator went really fast and we were at the top in about 10 seconds.
We got became members of the zoo, like we did for the Art Museum, so we can go whenever we want. It is also a way of supporting the zoo, because wild animals are expensive to take care of.
The first animal we had to see was Lily the elephant. She was born at the zoo when your cousins were babies, and they have sort of grown up together. When we got to Lily’s enclosure, which is in the area of the zoo called Elephant Lands, she was far away and hard to see, but the kids shouted hello to her, anyway. We walked down a hill and found a big grassy field called the Amphitheater.
Kestrel watching the flying birds
The people in the show, both young ladies named Bree, had wild birds fly from different parts of the field, right over our heads! There was Eagle Owl, which is the largest kind of owl. They live in Africa and hunt African Hedgehogs at night. Bree and Bree also showed us a Red-Tailed Hawk, which is an Oregon wild bird that has learned how to live here in the city. They nest in large trees on the hillsides and hunt rats and pigeons, so they actually help keep the city clean.
We learned that different animals have different names for their groups. Just like there are herds of cows and flocks of birds, there are dazzles of zebras and crushes of rhinos. I don’t know who makes up the names, but they sure are interesting.
We visited bears and penguins and got sprayed by a fountain, and then we found the The Discovery Zone. There was a building with all sorts of activities and critters inside, like a place for kids to make up their own puppet shows, baby turtles being raised in big tubs, and games to learn about how animals live.
Jasper making a puppet show
Kestrel and Grandpa Nelson…Jasper in the background
There was also the insect zoo, a room where there were glass boxes with really interesting bugs. There were two kinds of tarantulas, stick insects a foot long, and even a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, as big and your daddy’s thumb, which I got to pet! Cousin Kestrel watched, but didn’t pet it. It felt smooth, like it was made of glass. There were more games and young people telling all about the insects.
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
By this time, we were hungry for lunch we walked to the Sankuru Trader, way out by the giraffes, and had hot dogs and pretzels, with a blue raspberry icee for dessert. We felt so much better after the rest and food!
We walked all the way to the other corner of the zoo to visit the Great Northwest area. It felt just like hiking in the forest! There were beautiful trees and waterfalls, with windows that let you watch the ducks paddling on top of the water and diving underneath, too. There was a model of an eagle’s nest, and Jasper, Kestrel and I pretended we were a Momma eagle and her babies learning to fly. It was so much fun.
There was even art at the zoo. There was a wooden carving showing bears and silly cats, and a mosaic showing the stages of a salmon’s life, and a statue of mountain goats that we got to climb on.
Kestrel, Salmon mosaic, and Jasper
Silly Cat Carving
Grandma Judy, Kestrel and Jasper on the goat statue
When we had seen all we could see, we took the elevator back down to the Blue Line Max train, changed to the #4 bus, and took the cousins back to their house. It had been a fun, but exhausting day. We all took naps that afternoon before dinner.
Dear Liza 