Baby Elephant Walk

Our stopping point on the way home this time was for a day at the Pittsburgh Zoo. We picked a great day to go - it was Children's Hospital Baby Day. The kids had great fun with face painting, games, and seeing all the animals.

LB released his inner pirate while MM found a butterfly join her.

One of our first views came courtesy of the zebras....

We saw the baby tiger, the older baby elephant,

and many other favorite animals.

And here's Papa Jackson...

It has been years since I've been to the zoo and so much has changed.

The only exhibit space that I still recognized were the bear caves.Kodiak bath time.

The biggest change is the aquarium. It isn't the grand diverse aquarium in Baltimore, but it was fun seeing the fish, sharks, jellyfish, and penguins.


The polar bears put on a great show for us.And one was ready and waiting for his Kodak moment.

The sea otters enjoyed a shrimp snack and then went for a swim.

Ever seen a hanging lobster claw - me neither, but it is a cool looking plant.

Turtle time...

This kangaroo thought he could blend in with the people and escape the enclosure, too bad for him the zoo keeper was paying closer attention.

Hornbill enjoying a grape snack.

It was a great day. Hopefully another trip to Pittsburgh will come again.

Wonders of science

Thursday turned too hot and humid for our planned trip to the zoo, so we headed into Fort Wayne for a day at Science Central.

The kids had a blast from our first steps in. MM especially liked the house - it was set on a steep angle so you couldn't walk on any one plane.

Mirrors gave each of us a different point of view.












LB found his own special place - a nook within the walk wall.












One of the big entertainments was the moon bounce. In a harness the kids got to experience the idea of walking on the moon. LB spent quiet time on line, twice at least, to bounce across the moon. Just another round to confirm his wonders with outer space and the planets.


What a cool dude!


MM was big enough to enjoy a bike trip about 90 feet in the air. Better fun was the big tube slide. Due to length and for added protection, the kids were covered except for head and hands. I love the coordination.







This is my favorite pic of the day, the pin table with my dad and LB's hands. Bummer was the photo of the kids hands didn't come out clearly.

Back home in Indiana

...and after crossing the state line; Mom, Dad, and I sang for the rest of the family. Afterward, DH confirmed that none of us have the a career in music.

Getting in later then initially planned proved that life is small town is so special. Our B&B hosts are currently on vacation themselves so they left the keys in the mailbox for us.

Today was a quiet day, we stuck around North Manchester, visited with Grammie, and enjoyed the park. It is great being in small town USA.

One park with a great playground is just seven blocks up from our B&B which is easily walkable. Heck, there are actual sidewalks through out the Main Street section of town. We also didn't have to check out every inch of the playground for problems, poor maintenance issues, or other stuff. The kids had fun climbing, sliding, and swinging without one of us right on top of them the entire time.

One favorite at this playground is this slide. It is a series of rollers, as some industry uses to move product down the line. Fun watching the reactions of the kids first trips down the slide.











LB also found his own wheels -
Heaven help up us when his wheels aren't firmly attached to the ground.

His inner Spiderman also jumped for
this new option in the playground.



MM's inner desire to fly toward the the second star on the right and straight on till dawn finds a glimmer of possibility on the swings.