In Which We Visit Some Animals

We had a busy day today!

This morning Connor and I hit a couple of thrift stores looking for supplies.  I needed a fake fern and some leaves for this year's Steamcon (the local steampunk convention) costume, and if there's one thing that thrift stores carry a ton of, it's fake flowers.  Since my studio is mostly set up now, I know where everything is and apparently that compels me to make stuff.  Lots and lots of stuff.  My costume's headdress is mostly completed now and I've started work on a wire nest that will hold a bird and a couple of clockwork eggs.  We'll see how it turns out.

After the thrift stores Connor went down for a brief nap and then we hopped in the car to meet a couple of friends at Northwest Trek!  Northwest Trek is a wildlife conservation center focused on native species of animals, and it contains a huge free-range area for animals like bison, elk and caribou.  It reminds me a lot of the Arbuckle Wilderness theme park I used to go to with my family as a kid, only minus the ostriches trying to eat the inspection sticker off the car.  Ostriches will eat anything.

It was a beautiful day and the temperature was just about perfect for Connor, so we didn't have to take any breaks.  He could have cared less about most of the animals (except for a sleeping raccoon curled up in its den near the glass, which he seemed to appreciate) but he loved the wind on his face in the tram and was pretty good natured as long as we kept walking.  I'm glad he enjoyed himself; we'll have to go again sometime soon!

This evening our new potential respite care worker is here for orientation as well.  I'm hoping that she'll be a better fit for our family; so far, so good!

~Jess