One of the first things new parents around Portland do is take their children to the Oregon Zoo, and while the zoo is a double edged sword in terms of child education vs. animal incarceration, it's still a worthwhile experience.
We started with a great breakfast at The Babica Hen in Dundee, and arrived at the Oregon Zoo at about 10:00am.
The bears were out, the cats were sleeping, and kids from the Boys and Girls Club were running about.
Shot with Nikon D750 and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens
Excursions
HITTING THE BOOKS
in Excursions
Sometimes you have to start them young.
Sometimes you have to be social for your child even though you're an introvert.
Sometimes it's time to take your ten month old to the library for story time.
And so we did.
It turns out the Newberg Library has some history haunting the halls, walls, and architecture. Personally I was surprised as I expected our little, small town library to be pretty minimal-- but alas it has character.
Regardless, every Tuesday they put on a thirty to forty five minute story/activity time for babies under a year old, and it's really quite brilliant.
REFUGE TREKKING
in Excursions
We are fortunate enough to live in a beautiful part of the country, the Northwest, and with it comes the wildlife, the trees, the hills, the water, and yes the rain– lots of it.
But there are days when the rain takes a break, the jet stream decides to keep the arctic cold at bay, and what we are left with is a stunning display of color– the greens from the foliage are vivid, the skies are deep blue, and the sunsets cast the colors that only winter sun can conjure.
My wife decided to tempt me with a photography opportunity, whilst also giving her an excuse to get the family out of the house, and get a little exercise.
We proceeded to take off down the road to Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, and we indeed had a break in the weather, my wife had the day off, and our daughter was finally back to full strength after another bout with a cold a few weeks earlier. Quite a bit of the refuge is roped off until the beginning of May (presumably the water needs to recede before it is deemed safe), but there was plenty to shoot, especially as the sun started making its final decent for the evening.
