Kanga and Roo: Live and in Person

Facebook is my source for weird and entertaining events. As I was scrolling through my feed, Woodman's informed the Kangaroos were coming. Woodman's is on the other side of town... much closer than the other side of the world. I told Danielle there were kangaroos at Woodman's and she was like Kangaroos?!? Yes Ma'am... I don't know why but I didn't care I was going to see Kangaroos.

Since Danielle had too many things to do and we told Gavin the kangaroos were cancelled, I asked Grandma if she wanted to go see the kangaroos on the way back from Elvis. Of course she did. She loves animals especially the more exotic kind.. the ones you don't get to see every day.

After getting turned around a few times (Grandma doesn't like the highway... can't say I blame her), we made it to Woodman's and located the kangaroos. I figured they had to be outside and they were... under the overhang in the pick up area. I parked and got Grandma a wheelchair because it was a bit of a walk.

The line to hold a baby kangaroo was only a few people long and moved very quickly. The little joey was about six months old and was still in the pouch (aka purse). The joey was the most adorable little bugger out. Both grandma and I got to hold him. You hold him just like you would a human baby.

Then it was feeding time.. bottle feed. We got there just in time.

There were three other adult kangaroos in a plexiglass enclosure. 2 of them were sleeping and the other one at first was a bit more active. All of them were red kangaroos which are the smaller of the two breeds of kangaroos. Gray kangaroos are much bigger. All of these were about the age of a 20-something adult.

Sure all this was an advertising ploy for Timbavati Wildlife Park in Wisconsin Dells but I am not complaining. Where else can I go see kangaroos for free and hold a baby one? I am glad that Timbavati brought out their kangaroos and was able to educate people about them. Both of the "zookeepers" were very knowledgeable and answered any questions Grandma or I had.

This was the perfect way to end a busy weekend. I will have to keep scrolling through Facebook to find more cool events. Who knows maybe I'll cuddle with a koala next.

Getting My Art On: Community Art Day

After I ran the Cellcom, I was to meet Tara downtown Appleton for Community Art Day. Danielle and Gavin decided to come with me.

Community Art Day is sponsored by the Trout Museum of Art and it is free to the public. There are various tables with different crafts for kids, big and little alike, that were manned by volunteers. Some tables were tied to a book, others were tied to an artist. It was outside this year since it was nice out. Last year I guess, it had to be moved inside because of rain. There were also community art projects as well.

In order to get Gavin excited about going, I mentioned there was face painting and he was a willing participate for at least a little while. He was really excited to get his face painted (but after that it was pretty much down hill). After waiting in line for a good 10 minutes due to shift change, Gavin got to get his face painted and he wanted to be a cat. He ended up being a very realistic looking cat. Danielle got a star on her face. I probably would have gotten something on my ankle (since the hubby had a game at the stadium later) but I was anxious to move on.

While Gavin and Danielle were in line, I scoped out the other tables and decided on the ones I HAD to do and which ones I could skip because I knew I couldn't keep Gavin's interest in art projects very long.

Once everyone was done with face painting (Tara joined us by then), we headed over to do some watercolor painting. We got to pick a picture to paint and went to town. I picked a butterfly. It wasn't too difficult and actually could be hung on the wall. Watercolor is easy when you just have to stay in the lines. Plus we got to use "professional" watercolors instead of those itty bitty like Crayola ones.

After we all painted a watercolor, I wanted to add my touch to the community painting. Because we got there later, there wasn't much left to paint. I was able to paint a rain drop while Tara's daughter helped paint strawberry... Now when I find the painting I can say I helped paint that.

The other thing I HAD to do and was the whole reason I wanted to go to Community Art Day in the first place was make a homespun bookmark. Basically I twisted a piece of wool while a member of the area Spinning Guild held on to it. Once it was spun nice and tight, I dyed it with Kool-Aid and vinegar over night. Now I have a blue piece of yarn that I "made" to use as a bookmark. Honestly it's cool but I wasn't that impressed.

By the time I got done making my bookmark, Tara and her daughter finished their Matisse Mobile, and Gavin was ready to go home. Tara and I parted ways. I was able to add to the community college on the way out.

It was a fun morning. I will definitely add this to my list of annual events that I want to try to go to every year especially when the weather is nice.

Menasha Girls Getaway Day Fun

Tara was looking for someone to do something with and after a few text messages, we decided to meet downtown Menasha for some window shopping as part of the Menasha Girls Getaway.

Menasha Girls Getaway Day is Menasha's version of Appleton's Ladies Day without the fashion show. Area business were showcasing their products. If you picked up a punch card at any of the business and visited all the businesses, you were entered into a drawing for a basket of goodies. Of course Tara and I HAD to visit all the business just for this reason -- we fully didn't expect to win.

Not that I was planning on buying anything, this was a great opportunity to check out the various business in Downtown Menasha without really feeling pressured to buy anything. It is always fun to browse and see what is available at these local businesses.

To be entered in the drawing we had to visit. I think I remembered them all...

Aunt Ester's Attic -- something for all styles. They have accessories and cute outfits at reasonable prices.

Lemon Loves Lime Boutique -- cute little children's shop. Has adorable kids clothes and ice cream. Tara and I shared some ice cream. Her daughter even let me try her blue moon.

Modify: Hair Studio -- There were messages, mimosas, and cupcakes.

Renewed and Reclaimed -- Very cool stuff inside. Clothes and stuff for the house. They also let you make mini tote bags with stencils

The Wreath Factory -- Flowers, wreaths, and other similar stuff. There was a lot of stuff I wanted to buy.

Studio R -- hair salon.. a bit out of my price range.

Your Daily Grind -- coffee shop with good smelling brews and sandwiches.

Club Liquor -- Classic Menasha Liquor store.. I stopped in and got our stamps.

Wild Apple -- hand made earrings and other hand made crafty items. A lot of cute stuff including a flip flop paper weight.

Overall it was fun afternoon and it gave me an excuse to explore the shops in downtown Menasha. Next year, I save my pennies and buy some cute outfits.

A Perfect Day for A Picnic

Danielle wanted to know if I wanted to go to Heckrodt with her and Gavin. It was the first nice day we had in almost 2 months, of course I wanted to go. She mentioned having a picnic lunch. I was like pack extras.. I like picnics. I told her I had carrots, cheese, and pretzels which we had to cram into Danielle's backpack because I didn't think about how to lug food through Heckrodt.

Before we could actually have a picnic, we had to walk to work up our appetites or something like that. Since I normally go right instead of left when I go to Heckrodt, I was not quite sure where we were going to have our picnic. Turns out it was at the end of the hike (or the beginning of my usual hike).

But we had to get there first. We encountered a few pit stops along the way. First we had came to the play area which I secretly always wanted to play in anyways. They had an obstacle course of sorts where you go to pretend you were animals... You had to scamper like a fox across the log... swing like a monkey on the vine.. climb like a spider up the net.

The log was fairly easy once I found my balance. It's been a while since I had to walk across a balance beam or log.

The vine on the other hand was a bit more challenging. Part of the problem was it was made for kids and I was too tall. I kept wanting to put my feet down. Eventually I was able to make it across the "water" without putting my feet down until I reached the other side. Now mind we are only talking a span of four or five feet. I have to admit as scared as I was (what for not sure since it was like a foot off the ground), it was a blast trying to make it to the other side.

After I attempted to perfect my vine swinging, we continued down the trail looking for wildlife and enjoying nature. We saw a mama goose sitting on her nest.

We also saw turtles and baby turtles. Those we adorable. It's the first time I turtles at Heckrodt.

After our turtle sighting, it was time for our picnic. We crossed the bridge and set up lunch on a brand new picnic table. It was a nice little (healthy) fest in nature. Everything was bite sized and perfect for a picnic. Next time I think though I need to have an adult picnic with adult beverages...

Believe it or not that was only my second picnic I've been on and the first in over a dozen years. I think though Danielle and I have more picnic adventures in our future especially with the Trestle Trail Loop almost done.