Bite-Sized Nature

One of my happy places is the James A. McFaul Environmental Center in a neighboring town. I've shared pictures of it before, too. But I don't care, because this winter was long and terrible and I wasn't able to go to my happy place for months on end. So you're getting more pictures, because we (finally!) got to go there for a nice family hike last week.

This is on the observation deck, which gives a beautiful view of the pond. 

Usually the peacocks and peahens roam around freely, but this time they were locked up in here. And from the sounds they were making, I don't think they were happy about it. 

These little bridges are my favorite. 

One of the trees on the far side had a nest of owlets. When we walked over there, a bunch of people were watching them through telescopes. They let us have a turn looking; it was so cool. 

Of course there was geocaching. We're still struggling with one that's supposed to be in this area. 

I think what I love about the environmental center is that it's so accessible. There's even a boardwalk with ramps so that people in wheelchairs can explore a bit. And it's like 10 minutes from my house. And you don't have to worry about packing a ton of water or going to the bathroom in the woods because you're never more than 15 minutes walk from the main building. I like nature - I just don't want to be overwhelmed by nature. 

Wandering Wednesday: The Wildlife Center

The other day, Hugmonkey and I had some free time. It was a beautiful day, but we were already planning on going to the playground that afternoon, so I tried to think of something else. I decided to try the local wildlife center, which I hadn't been to in years. I had taken Lovebug and Ironflower when they were small, but at that time, the main walking area was also the paved parking/driving area and that wasn't exactly convenient with two toddlers. But I figured Hugmonkey might at least enjoy the indoor exhibits - plus managing one almost-five year old would be considerably easier.

But after hitting the indoor exhibits (which aren't all that impressive if your kid is a Bronx Zoo veteran like Hugmonkey), we discovered that they've added a lot of walking trails. 

First there was a boardwalk leading to an observation deck. 

That's the center across the pond. Hugmonkey loved the observation deck and wants to have a picnic there next time. 

Then we discovered hiking trails. 

With cool Hugmonkey-sized bridges. 

It was so peaceful. We didn't hike the whole trail (we didn't have enough free time, as usual) but we will be bringing the whole family back soon. 

Hugmonkey really wanted his picture taken while standing on this rock, so of course I obliged. The trail was really easy and great for little kids. 

The center also has some peacock residents. They absolutely refused to fan their feathers for photos, though.