So here we are in Minneapolis and the weather is absolutely fantapolis. We are told by our friends, Justin and Shelley, whom we met back in Glacier, that this is unseasonably warm and the leaves are a little behind. I don't care because I had on SHORTS and SANDALS two days in a row.
Kevin had to fly back to Tampa for business and that left us with a couple of days to explore. Yesterday we took full advantage of the beautiful conditions and headed for the outdoor sculpture garden downtown. My main focus for the next couple of days is "free or pretty close to it" and the sculpture garden fit the bill. We even found free parking, but it was a one-hour limit so we sort of rushed through.
Kevin had to fly back to Tampa for business and that left us with a couple of days to explore. Yesterday we took full advantage of the beautiful conditions and headed for the outdoor sculpture garden downtown. My main focus for the next couple of days is "free or pretty close to it" and the sculpture garden fit the bill. We even found free parking, but it was a one-hour limit so we sort of rushed through.
After getting our culture on with the public art, we headed across town to the Como Park Conservatory and Zoo. We were told the Minnesota Zoo is better, but remember, this is all about the free. We saw the San Diego Zoo in February and we have enjoyed Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo on numerous occasions and we still have the national zoo in DC next month. Incidentally, I just learned that a group of baboons is called a congress. Awesome.
We began our visit in the conservatory, which houses a Japanese bonsai exhibit and a collection of excellent ferns in a very humid enclosure. Walking in there was like going back to Florida. The other thing that reminded us of home was the tarantula exhibit. Not that we have tarantulas in the Sunshine State, but we do have spiders large enough to take on small alligators and there is not really much difference, in my opinion.
We began our visit in the conservatory, which houses a Japanese bonsai exhibit and a collection of excellent ferns in a very humid enclosure. Walking in there was like going back to Florida. The other thing that reminded us of home was the tarantula exhibit. Not that we have tarantulas in the Sunshine State, but we do have spiders large enough to take on small alligators and there is not really much difference, in my opinion.
Como Park is not a very large zoo. They have all the usual suspects: a few big cats, penguins, primates, a polar bear, and a small assortment of African beasts. One of our favorites was the giraffe family. They had a baby that could not possibly have been more than a few days old because it had what looked like a bit of umbilical cord still attached to it's belly. There was no signage and no staff on hand to query and I don't feel like googling for newborn giraffe info right now. Also, I feel like adding another photo block here so I can quickly scroll far enough down my own page to get this tarantula out of my view.
Anytime I see giraffes I stare for several minutes, amazed by their intricate coat patterns and their soft, meek eyes. But it is not long before I am inevitably struck by their oddness. Aside from warthogs, I think there may be no greater proof that God not only exists, but He has a sense of humor.
I don't know if all the animals were bored or hot or holding a grudge of some sort, but no one cooperated for photos. The result is a few random images of various goofy faces and wildly patterned backsides. I did not even try to photograph the gorillas because big apes give me the creeps worse than arachnids.
I don't know if all the animals were bored or hot or holding a grudge of some sort, but no one cooperated for photos. The result is a few random images of various goofy faces and wildly patterned backsides. I did not even try to photograph the gorillas because big apes give me the creeps worse than arachnids.
I have to add in a cute kid hugging a sculpture. THAT'S a subject I can manage and enjoy.
-Jenni
-Jenni