Today we spent 7 glorious hours trompsing around Miami Metro Zoo. The zoo is one of the top 10 in the country so we feel pretty blessed to be near it. We started out in the wings over Asia exhibit and spent at least an hour looking at the birds and fish. Garrett has gotten to be a little bird-watcher from our balcony so he paid really close attention to the birds and would follow them with his eyes all over the open-air aviary. He would startle every time they would fly too close to him- so cute. He also really loved watching the fish because we could pull his stroller right up to the glass for a perfect view. He noticed the elephants this time but not much else stands out in my memory from all of the exhibits. If the animals are too camouflaged or slow he doesn't notice them really.
Some highlights Geoff and I loved: harpy eagle, clouded leopard, river otters, baby warthogs, cheetah and porcupine thing from the show in the amphitheater.
I totally recommend the zoo to everyone no matter the age! there are little water play areas for kids but then we also saw dare i say senior citizens with their binoculars in the bird aviary, and professional photographers at almost half of the exhibits. if you do end up at the Miami metro zoo someday do be prepared for HOURS of walking. it is very spread-out which i appreciate because it gives the animals a better habitat but i also don't appreciate because we were almost running to the car at the end of the day because we couldn't wait for the walking to be over.
aviary: most birds were just flying right over our heads (or at our heads in some cases) like this really large, ugly member of the pheasant family. sorry the pics aren't great. the only birds that were in their own area were the hornibills. did you know hornbills have to throw their food in the air and catch it on the way down because their beaks are too large to allow them to eat normally.
we took a lunch break in air conditioned car. this was garrett's first try at a whole strawberry. also, the token tiger picture for my dad. again- the pic is really stinky so you cant really see them but there are 3 tigers lounging under the tree. two are orange and one is white.
some flora:
Saturday, May 9, 2009
a zoo-rific day!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
yummy yummy in our tummies!
sorry it's taken me so long to report on the outcome of the recipee search.
First, thank you! so many people contributed and over the past month or so i've been busy trying all your suggestions. i have a word document with all of the goodies. ill be sending that out to those of you i emailed in the beginning, but i do need a few bloggers' emails. (it is just way too much to post and i wish i were disciplined enough to commit to post a recipe a week or something but knowing me i probably wont. so, beth, megan c., and anyone else that wants the results will you email me with your email address. i still have the same email. tingeyb@)
in addition to your submissions i got a number of suggestions of good places to look in the future:
thepioneerwoman.com
bunchofcooks.blogspot.com
kraftfoods.com (I planned two weeks’ worth of dinners from one magazine, Kraft Food and Family! plus online they have a budgetwise section that tells you how you can make5 dinners out of 1 bag of groceries)
This side is one we're planning for next week. I found the recipee on kraftfoods.com.
What You Need!
Make It!
COOK bacon in nonstick skillet 3 to 5 min. or until crisp, turning frequently. Drain bacon on paper towels. Discard drippings from skillet. (Do not wash skillet.)
PLACE asparagus in microwaveable casserole or 10x4-inch dish. Add water. Microwave on HIGH 4 to 5 min. or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Meanwhile, add onions to skillet; cook and stir 5 min. or until tender. Stir in dressing.
DRAIN asparagus; top with sauce and crumbled bacon.