My Snowball Tree

No, it's not really a Snowball tree...it's a Bradford Pear. Every year after it buds we get some sort of nasty weather to try to kill it. Today started with flurries, changed to sleet-snow mix, then rain-sleet-snow, then big, fluffy flakes.

 Those WERE little buds beginning to open into beautiful blossoms this morning.

 Now they're little snowballs. *sigh* Hopefully they will blossom without browning or other damage in a few days and turn this tree into a giant flower. In the meantime, we're enjoying the beautiful winter scene from inside our cozy living room. ;)

Kansas City Zoo

One of our favorite family outings has always been to go to a zoo. When we moved to Missouri, we found the Kansas City Zoo on a school field trip. Back in those days it was much smaller and less modern than it is today. We have greatly enjoyed watching it grow and improve over the past decade and a half.

These days we often take the opportunity to reminisce about the first time we visited the zoo. The Valley is currently closed for improvements, but it hasn't yet been completely disassembled. In fact, some of the first pictures we ever took at the zoo were in The Valley. Back when the girls were little - Alli was in first grade - The Valley was open and most, but not all, of the cages contained animals.

This cage, however, was not only empty but accessible. They had me get in and took a picture of me through the bars. Momma on display at the zoo. ;) Of course, that was long before we had digital cameras, cell phones...not even sure if we had internet service in our area yet! 
I'm glad the old classic zoo is not totally obliterated by the current zoo. Many of the original buildings are still around, if renovated, and have pictures of their original days. Some are still awaiting renovation.

The original primate house still stands, though now empty. The primates have been moved to larger dwellings for many years now. This building is not one of the very oldest, but it still holds historic significance and I hope they find a way to repurpose it eventually rather than destroy it.
Looking down the old alley in The Valley, the enclosures are still visible, the railing newer than the walls. It's a quaint old area waiting to be reclaimed by the zoo.

I could suggest a historic walk down memory lane. They could certainly renovate these enclosures and make them suitable for the right kinds of animals. I would like to see a few displays of old pictures and walk-through areas where today's visitors can experience something like what the zoo was like before and how it has evolved.

Wouldn't it be fun to walk into an old cage and see pictures of its former inhabitants, historic events from the zoo's history and Kansas City's pathway to today's Zoo? Maybe a hands-on training about why and how the zoo has changed over the past century and what it meant to be a zoologist then and what it takes now.
We nearly lost the KC Zoo a few years ago due to lack of funds. Now it's busier than ever and thriving. If you happen to find yourself in Kansas City, Missouri, on a nice day, take a drive over to Swope Park and take a look.

Lake Michigan

I have lived in West Michigan my entire life, and one of the reasons I love about it is Lake Michigan.  Its waves can rival those of the ocean, and its fresh water is...well, refreshing.

One day in late July last summer, my family decided to check out the big lake.  The wind was pretty brisk, resulting in huge waves for the kids to enjoy.

I caught this snapshot of Bug just as she was jumping backwards into a wave.  Then I took this one of the only body part the wave didn't consume.

The kids enjoyed every minute we spent at the lake that evening.  We stayed there well after sunset.

The pictures above and below are of my nephews enjoying the waves in their own ways.

 This beach is called Pier Cove and is one of the few public beaches that doesn't charge a fee to use.  Pier Cove did have a pier at one time, which was used to load peaches and other produce grown in the area onto ships heading to Chicago.  Nothing of it remains visible above the water, and Lake Michigan has taken over quite a bit of the shore since the pier's heyday in the 1800's.

But it is a very popular beach and suits our purposes whenever we want to enjoy the lake on a late Sunday afternoon.

From Michigan to Missouri

I have some pictures on my school computer that I *ahem* borrowed from a website that used to post wonderful pictures of Michigan...well, mostly. The author/photographer had a site through an Ann Arbor college and had some stunning views of winter, fall, the Upper Peninsula.

on my way to work in Sedalia, MO

Anyway, I happened to notice my screensaver the other day showing a picture of rocks and I thought it was my Missouri rocks...

Osage Beach, MO, January 2011

but it was from the Michigan page! So I decided to revisit my old online haunt at randomSPACE and found some new Michigan pics:

Iced Cliffs at Pictured Rocks

Lover's Leap

Near Chapel Beach

Cliffs southwest of Mosquito Beach with pancake ice

 The whole site is filled with gorgeous pictures of the author's travels throughout Michigan. It gives me a nice trip home anytime I need one :)