Dear Liza,
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.
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 