Stopping to Smell the Flowers

Today we visited Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. What a place!

Liz and her friend Karen try to go at least once a year to hike the trails, birdwatch, and look for wildflowers. Today there wasn't much in the way of birdwatching - mostly robins, red-winged blackbirds, and turkey vultures. Oh, yeah, and GEESE! Canada geese were just everywhere. We got pretty close to a few and it got a little scary. They are really big birds! We're sure that two stripey socks from Kansas would be no match for them.

Karen was disappointed at the lack of decent birdwatching - Liz was o.k. with it though. She was more interested in looking for spring wildflowers and just getting out in the trees to hike. As a group we hiked three different trails today. We really put in some miles! We think we went farther today than when we went snowshoeing!

After our first trail we went to a scenic overlook and had our first ever picnic. It's the closest we've ever been to food. Left seems to be a bit of a junky and wanted the doritos mix, while Right (who has become concerned over Liz's increasing weight - ahem) went for the carrots and broccoli. As we enjoyed the fresh breezes and listened to Liz and Karen crunching down their lunches, Karen spotted the Bald Eagle nest far across the pools at the overlook. Even though it was very far away, Liz and Karen could see an eagle sitting on the nest when they used their binoculars. We couldn't see for ourselves, but we've decided to take their word for it.

We spotted many spring wildflowers in our travels...

hepatica

trillium (not open yet, darn!)

and the biggest field of bloodroot Liz has ever seen! (This is only a very small portion!)

We also saw six snakes today! They were all garter snakes, and quite small. And we heard many birds and frogs - toads, green frog, gray tree frog, and spring peepers. We did have one exciting bird sighting. We saw the biggest woodpecker in the area - the pileated woodpecker.

We didn't actually smell any flowers today. Most of the flowers blooming now are of the non-stinky variety. Still, we did smell many other things like the soft scent of pine while we hiked through a stand of evergreens, the mild stink from the swampy wetlands, and the fresh green smell that kept reminding us of just how wonderful spring can be.

Whoa-a-o, take 'em to the zoo...

This morning Liz was singing a peculiar song as she slipped us on her feet. She was headed for an interview that would prove to be another exciting field trip for us - the zoo!

We know about animals and all, living with a precocious rabbit who seems to be constantly shedding and spreading her hair over every inch of the apartment - including us! But the animals at the zoo were a little different than the rabbit. During Liz's interview some fancy gray parrot-like bird was giving us the eye and rudely squaking whenever the impulse struck. We heard the lady doing the interview talk about how this bird had thrown up on her only a short time earlier and then Liz had to wait to take a seat because of the poop on one of the chairs (also from the bird).

We know it isn't PC but, we like animals better in cages. Behind bars we don't have to worry about stepping in poop, becoming covered with hair, or being used as nesting material.

Liz spent the morning promising us exciting adventures like climbing on the giant rope spiderweb and getting out-of-shoe peeks at the animals but, she forgot one very important thing about this week - spring break. The zoo was overrun with moms, strollers, and drooling, whining, screaming children. We prefer small children in small numbers. And since Liz was by herself, and carrying a camera, she received many suspicious looks from the mothers. (Apparently it is a crime to be single in this state.) In light of all of this, she thought it best that we stay safely tucked in the Merrells.

We did our best to stir up some adventure - beyond navigating hordes of small children and "enjoying" the best the zoo had to offer in animal odors. We saw a chance near the polar bear exhibit and Right jumped up on the railing, determined to get a better look at the bears. Liz caught on to us before Left had a chance to follow and our plot was foiled. She gave us some lecture about how no matter how deep the moat seperating the edge from the bears looked, it still wasn't safe to cross the fence. Whatever. We'll catch her napping soon and then - look out!

Our favorite animals were the meerkats and the rhinos. The meerkats were very alert and kept staring out of their glass enclosure like they had spotted something exciting. No matter how many times we looked, we couldn't see what the excitement was about. Maybe they missed the rhinos now that they were in their outside enclosure instead of inside across from the meerkats.

Liz mumbled something under her breath about the "darn glass in the way" as we left the building. She seemed to think thier excited glances were due to the warm weather and the yummy crunchy insects that such weather brings. And then she told us a naughty story about her adventures at a zoo in Wichita...

The rhinos were very exciting. They spent a lot of time challenging each other and having what we guess were the rhino version of wrestling matches. They would face each other and knock horns (what a sound!). One seemed to be in control and would stalk the other until it was backed into a corner. It just seemed like rough-housing though, nothing mean really. When their heads would slide against each other the sound of their skin meeting was like giant sheets of sand paper being rubbed together. It was easy to imagine what that skin felt like.

Our First Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! We weren't sure what to expect, this being our first Easter and all. But, this afternoon, while we were snuggling up to the warmth from the baseboard heater under Liz's desk, what should we see?! The Easter Bunny!

She left Liz a rabbit made out of chocolate and some fancy cream candies from that sweet smelling candy store we visited in February. Liz got her some carrots from the fridge and an Easter feast ensued!

Adirondack Adventure

What a week! We haven't been out much lately but the wait was worth it! Liz took us to Lake Placid in the Adirondacks. We stayed at the Adirondack Loj which is owned and operated by the Adirondack Mountain Club as part of the Heart Lake Program Center. The property includes access to trails leading to all of the high peaks in the Adirondacks. It is a very busy place.

Liz was there for a job interview but it was sort of like a mini-vacation as well. We arrived Monday night and set up our stuff in the bunkroom of the lodge. At dinner, we made some new friends who were vacationing at the lodge to ski and snowshoe the high peaks. After dinner we sat with our new friends around the Loj fireplace and Liz worked on her quilt while one of her new friends was working on knitting an afghan (it made us think of our roots!). Check out the Moose over the fireplace!

In the morning we took a moment to enjoy the view from our loft window before going down to breakfast.

Since the interview wasn't until 2 p.m. Liz got us all geared up for an Adirondack adventure. We went snowhoeing! We snowshoed with some of our new friends. We took the trail towards Marcy Dam (about 2.1 miles one way). We arrived at the Marcy Dam lean-to before our friends and sat down to have a rest and wait for them. As we waited we were accosted by greedy chickadees hoping for a handout. A few moments later Liz spied something brown and furry scurrying across the nearby snow - it was a marten! We startled it and it wrapped itself around a small tree trunk and stared at us. We learned later that he is a regular visitor to the lean-to and that, like the chickadees, he stays close hoping for human handouts.

We made our way back to the Loj by 1 p.m. and had a rest before Liz's interview began. What nice people! We really hope that Liz gets the job so we can become 46ers (people who have climbed all 46 peaks in the Adirondacks). Sadly, we had to leave after the interview was over and head home.

Liz said she wore us for luck, we hope it all works out.

Our Latest Adventure

Today we went to the Jell-O Museum. I know it sounds like a strange choice, at least we thought so, but Liz explained that she needed to visit a museum in order to complete her latest homework assignment. She wanted to go somewhere she had never been so she could get an honest first impression. The Jell-O Museum is reasonably close, and somewhere she had been curious about for a long time. http://www.jellomuseum.com/

Well, let us just tell you - the Jell-O Museum totally rocked! What a great place! Did you know that Jell-O has brain waves?! It's true! Years ago some scientist hooked a plate of Lime Jell-O up to a brain reading machine thingy and voila - brainwaves almost the same as a human would read. I wonder what would happen if we were hooked up to one of those things? Hmmm.....

In this first picture you see us in one of our favorite positions - we call it "just chillin'." This section of the museum is where you can sit and watch historic Jell-O commercials. Did you know that Lindsay Lohan was in a commercial for Jell-O Jigglers? Maybe if she'd stuck to jigglers instead of shooters she would be in better shape now. He he.

In this picture we are hanging out in the sock's, er, children's play area. Want to buy some Jell-O?

Later we headed downstairs to another awesome exhibit about transportation. We found it particularly interesting since we play a key role in transportation ourselves. After some groveling Liz finally consented to letting us get a closer look at the crazy bike on display. Maybe when the weather gets warmer she will take us out for a bike ride...

Our final destination for the day was someplace Liz called the most important stop of all. It smelled really good and Liz spent a lot of time walking slowly and deliberately through the aisles. Before we left she paused and lifted her pant legs up just enough so we could get a good whiff and see what all of the fuss was about.

Liz would like us to apologize on her behalf for the crazy messed up nature of this post. She says it was a miracle she got more than one picture posted at all and knows that what she is looking at now will not look the same once it is published.

Special Delivery

We couldn't be more excited! Even before we arrived in New York, Liz had been working hard on a special project to send back to where we came from - Newton, Kansas. We've been watching her incredibly slow process but having to keep mum so as not to spoil the surprise. Finally, Liz finished and packaged "it" up to ship to our home state. As you can see in the picture, we made sure to take the time to give it a few pointers before it began its journey. We told it how wonderful Kansas was and how much fun it would have once it arrived. We even took it for a test-run and had a little nap. In other words - we bonded.

Liz was worried that it was too "girly" for a baby boy but we assured her that with all of the frogs, snails, and bugs all over it, it was plenty masculine for "Bubba." He isn't really old enough to know the difference anyway!

A Typical Day

Just look at us. Hanging here between common socks. We are so bored. Liz has this idea that socks have to be hung out to dry - it seems she had a terrible incident a few years ago where she shrunk several pairs of expensive socks to the point that they wouldn't fit over her big feet. I suppose if hanging out to dry will keep us healthy and beautiful, we can live with it.

We just wish she would put us in the drawer once we are dry! In the drawer we are safe and cozy and can just hang out with the other socks. If we move, she'll never know. It's not like she folds us all neatly and arranges us in the drawer in a sensible manner. At least she manages to keep us together when we go in the drawer, but beyond that she seems unconcerned with keeping her socks tidy. Hanging out in the open like this, though, means we have to stay glued to our spot like soft little statues or she'll notice something is up.

And waiting out in the open like this. Watching other socks get chosen before us. Seeing her come in and out of the room in preparation for all sorts of adventures. Seeing her eyes hesitate on us and then move on as she chooses socks for her next outfit. Half of her clothes are blue! We go with almost everything! Come on already! Let's go! It's like waiting to be picked for Dodgeball. She keeps telling us that we are special and the only reason we can't go out today is because she is saving us for a unique adventure. Heck, going almost anywhere would be a unique adventure - we've only been out of the house twice! (On adventures, that is. We're already over the "excitement" of the laudromat.)