Hot Fun In The Summertime.

Morton Arboretum, 2007.

We have been busying ourselves with trips to Brookfield Zoo and The Morton Arboretum. The zoo is almost exactly as I remember it growing up as a kid. Shockingly so. The arboretum I had not gone to much growing up. It is very kid friendly and I believe they added the childrens garden recently.

More cicadas and a pond.

Though kids have the opportunity to wade through this pond, it is a living body of water, teeming with life. After a few trips I remembered one of my mother's motto's on all family day trips anywhere. Bring a change of clothes. It's priceless comedy to watch your son completely disrobe in front of a group of strangers.

While I was changing Patrick, I tried to brush some dirt off his feet, but it stuck to him. On closer investigation, a leech had stuck to his toe. I peeled it off and turned to ask a staff member if there were leeches in the pond. I have kind of a loud voice and luckily stopped myself before I caused a general panic amongst the kids and parents with, "Hey, are there leeches in the pond?" After quietly asking, he informed me there were. Cool.

Pond frog, Morton Arboretum, 2007.

The kids went crazy for this frog.

Patrick and Ava, Morton Arboretum, 2007.

Ava goes crazy for water in all it's forms. She loves the pond.

Philip at Xanadu, Morton Arboretum, 2007.

This is a sculpture called Xanadu, by Patrick Dougherty. It is made from various, large sticks all woven together. It took the artist fifteen days to sculpt, with help from volunteers. I wasn't blown away. The act of making it is impressive and the finished product was fun, but even so, I thought it would have been much cooler had it been grown and manipulated to this form, yet remained alive.

Ava, Goat and Patrick, Brookfield Zoo, 2007.

We didn't get to many pictures at the zoo, but this one of them brushing the goat turned out super cute.

Goat, Philip and Patrick, Brookfield Zoo, 2007.


Zoo lunch, Ava, Philip and Patrick, Brookfield Zoo, 2007.