Petting Zoo

Virginia recently became gripped with barnyard animal fever! I believe it started in earnest with our trip to the county fair out in Modesto. Since then, the topic of barnyard animals just keeps popping up. No matter what, Virginia is an eager participant in the discussion.

Virginia avidly points out barnyard animals in the books we are reading. Virginia is transfixed by the little scholastic DVD about barnyard animals our nanny Kim gave her. And this week, still early in her quest to learn words, Virginia is becoming proficient at making the sounds that barnyard animals make. She definitely knows "moo" for a cow, "quack" for a duck, and "meow" for a kitten. She also seems to say "baa baa baa" for a sheep. And she is looking with great interest every time she sees a horse or a rabbit.

This past weekend at the Park Street Fair in Alameda, one of the attractions was a small petting zoo. Virginia toddled around with the pigs, goats, chickens, and ducks. But by far her favorite animal was the white rabbit who was quietly nibbling by itself in the corner of the pen. Virginia kept returning to pet its soft fur, give it hugs, and bend down to inspect its face at close range. I did my best to ensure it was tolerable for the little rabbit.

New Bikes!

One of the items Leslie and I had on our list this summer was a pair of new bikes. Alameda is an ideal bike town -- centralized, flat, safe, and serious about its 25 MPH speed limits. So not long after we arrived on the island, Leslie and I began eyeing bikes. As usual, I was not comfortable making a purchase until I had researched everything to death. After much investigation and hand-wringing, we all settled on buying at the local shop, Alameda Bicycle. They had a really friendly, helpful, and low-pressure staff, good selection and service policies, and the advantage of being within biking distance of our house! It also happened that they have a big annual sale on Father's Day weekend, right as the summer is getting into full swing.

Leslie and I got some great bikes along with a cool trailer for Wormy. Although it took her a few rides to become comfortable, she now loves it and enjoys shooting down the street with us. We've been taking the bikes to the park and checking out some of the nearby neighborhoods that we never quite managed to visit in our car. I had forgotten just how much fun it is to ride.

Modesto

This weekend we drove out to Modesto to visit my old buddy Brian Zarka. Leslie and I had been wanting to catch up with Brian for some time, as well as get to Modesto to enjoy some of the central California hot summer weather.

We had brunch at the Velvet Creamery, a old school diner in town. Leslie had her usual short stack of pancakes, and I enjoyed "The Very Hungry Hobo." Virginia sampled from everyone's plates.

We then cruised over to the Stanislaus County fair. It was over 100 degrees, but somehow the weather felt pretty good. Virginia loved the Rainforest exhibit, which took guests on an interactive nature walk through the rainforest featuring dozens of live animals including tortoises, parrots, monkeys, and snakes, some of which you could touch. Here's Virginia posing in the tortoise pen.

And here's mommy and Virginia in the mushroom forest:

One area where Stanislaus County really can't be beat is in farming. There was an unbelievable display of produce, homemade foods, historic tractor engines, livestock, and prize-winning animals. Virginia personally was a huge fan of the petting zoo.

Here she is with her favorite animal from the petting zoo, a leopard-spotted trash can.

What county fair is complete without a pony ride? Some guys were running a pretty funny pony ride pen complete with scenery and stetson-wearing guides. I asked if Virginia was old enough, and the ticket taker told me that a 15-month old girl was "right in our wheelhouse." Virginia put on her best John Wayne face and trotted that pony around the pen like an old hand.

All Tied Up

We took an unannounced summer break from posting on this blog. Various events at work and at home have been keeping us busy. Sorry, folks.

But rest assured that we have been having lots of fun with Virginia, and that we will be updating soon!