Sightseeing

My parents came for a visit earlier this month.  We decided to spend our time seeing some of the unique natural wonders in our local area.  My dad is a geologist at heart, and thrilled over the formations at Red Rocks.  The bottom wall of the amphitheater offered good climbing opportunities for Ezra.  The stairs and trails gave us all a good bit of exercise on such a perfect fall day.  We also stopped at the Dinosaur Ridge museum, which certainly helped me appreciate what a treasure trove this area is for the paleontologist. 

I love this picture!  Ezra is saying, "I love you," with fingers, and Maren is trying to say, "Thumbs up!," with fingers.  She hasn't quite figured out how to stick up just a thumb, so a raised index finger is her way of saying it.

We also walked through a section of downtown Golden, and enjoyed the view along the creek trail.  Ezra and Maren couldn't leave without throwing several pounds of pebbles into the creek.  We picked a safe looking rock outcrop and gave them some throwing time.

Butterfly Pavilion

The Butterfly Pavilion is our new favorite place.  We recently got a dual children's museum/butterfly pavilion membership, so we can visit as often as we like.  Sometimes we stop over as often as once a week.  The best time of day is usually 11:30 or later, after most of the school field trip groups are winding down, and the museum is quieter.  If we head over to the pavilion directly after Ezra finishes preschool, its a quick ten-minute drive.  We bring a picnic lunch and stay awhile. 

The butterfly pavilion is devoted to butterflies, of course, but also celebrates many other types of invertebrates.  At the facility you can pet live hermit crabs and starfish, see a baby octopus, lobsters, fish, sea urchins, shrimp, and dozens of types of insects and spiders.  Rosie, the Chilean Rose Hair tarantula, is available to hold--briefly, and Ezra got up his nerve and did it!  The half dozen varieties of scorpions are always fascinating and frightening.  Ezra seems to have a special love/phobia of these nasty critters.  Maren loves to go digging for earthworms in the indoor soil bins and watch the indoor bee hive buzz with activity.  The butterfly conservatory is actually their least favorite part; they aren't too keen on hundreds of small winged creatures swooping in random flight patterns over their heads.
    

Science and biology are fun topics for me too, and I am excited to have an interesting, indoor, nearby destination for the kids when the weather turns colder.