A Second Trip to Zoo Lights

The second time we went to the Tacoma Zoo, we combined a trip to see Zoo Lights with a Shark Tank Dive we'd given the boys as a Christmas present. The zoo allows four people to lower themselves into a cage in the South Pacific Aquarium for an hour with sixteen sharks. The boys got to see Nurse, Sandbar, Sand Tiger, Blacktip, and Wobbegong sharks.

The boys were fitted with dry suits, masks, and regulators. They also learned how to clear water out of their mask, how to descend comfortably, and how to signal underwater. 

The zoo diver made sure each person lined up on the side nearest the glass for pictures.

Here's Sam trying to relieve pressure in his ears.

Tom is giving a wave. He said that he could see us through the glass very clearly, which means that when you think a shark is looking at you through the glass there, you aren't kidding yourself. The sharks are very curious and come over to check out each new group of divers.

Then they open the door.

And the kids are allowed to peek out, one at a time.

The black and yellow stick at the top left corner is a prod the zoo diver would have used if any shark had actually tried to enter the cage. One shark did come right up, but immediately turned away after a gesture from the zoo diver. Needless to say, all of the sharks in the tank are nonaggressive. 

Jellyfish, Summer 2016

The waters of Puget Sound teem with jellyfish in the summertime. Here's a nice shot of Sam looking down at one.

Winter weather

Here are two shots of the beach, and one of the chickens dust bathing by the side of the house.

Christmas, 2016

We had a lovely, low-key Christmas. Here are pictures of the tree, a favorite gift, the boys doing what they do best, our conure, and Tim making the Christmas trifle.

Early Adventures in Laying

Our hens showed minimal interest in the nest boxes in installed in their coop. As shown they laid eggs behind the woodshed and in the rocks under the stairs near our front door, flying out of their pen to do so. They stopped laying in October when they began to molt and won't start back up again until the days get longer.

Our First Trip to Zoolights

We went to see Zoo Lights for the first time this year. (Last year we had just moved in.) We will be going again next week, so I'll try to capture some actual pictures of the lights then, but in the meantime here are pictures of Sam and Tom on the carousel.

Christmas cookies with friends

Here is what happens when cookies are decorated with abandon. The boys had some friends over and this is the result. We all had a wonderful time!