Sunday, September 05, 2010
no grasslands
So the sad news is that we're not currently camped in the middle of grasslands national park, watching cute little black-footed ferrets and prairie dogs scamper about on the plains, a herd of majestic bison grazing in the distance. That was, after all, the plan.
Unfortunately, my ongoing battle with possible giardia (I will be taking some, er, samples to the lab on tuesday for analysis) meant that I just wasn't quite feeling up to it (plus it would have unnecessarily complicated the collection of said samples to be in a backcountry where you have to pack in all your water). So it was determined that Grasslands would be best saved for another day. I'm sure looking forward to that day though, as I think it will be an incredible place to visit!
Instead, we are spending the long weekend in town. We watched the show at the Saskatoon Fireworks Festival - including a reggae concert with Oral Fuentes last night. Visited a specialty salt shop where we picked up some Green Chili Salt, which we have yet to try. Went to Dad's Organic Mart for some delicious pears and some local natural meat among other goodies. Various other errands/etc.
Today we biked (almost entirely on separate bike/walking paths) out to the Saskatoon Zoo and Forestry Farm. There we met some cute goats and a pair of lions (the current feature exhibit.. I'm not sure where they go in the wintertime?), some bison, ungulates of all varieties, curious poison dart frogs (though apparently not quite so poisonous in captivity due to a changed diet), and a bunch of other creatures. I haven't been to a zoo since I was little - oh wait, there was that one in Malaysia. Anyhow, the 'habitats' do seem rather cramped... and it can't have been all that restful for the bear we saw laying in a little dirt nest while a little girl repeated about 10 times in a row in a loud voice "Look daddy, that one's sleeping!". A sign titled "Why People Should Visit Zoos", or something to that effect claimed that for some city dwellers, zoos are their only access to 'wild' animals - if that is the case, I don't think zoos are the answer to the problem. On the other hand, another point made on the sign was that it is a site for captive breeding programs of animals that face extinction in the wild, and that I do think holds some merit. Plus many of the animals are orphans or for various reasons would not survive in the wild so perhaps a zoo is as good a place as any to put them? In any case, I saw a few creatures I had never seen before, and it was certainly a nice bike ride to get there!
The good news is that my Saskatchewan teaching certificate arrived in the mail on friday, so on Tuesday morning I will be able to finish my paperwork at the school board and get myself on the sub list! Hooray for income!
Oh, looks like it's time for Mint Chocoloate Frozen Yogourt dessert - YUM (I never saw this before I moved here!). Time to say goodbye!
kat
Unfortunately, my ongoing battle with possible giardia (I will be taking some, er, samples to the lab on tuesday for analysis) meant that I just wasn't quite feeling up to it (plus it would have unnecessarily complicated the collection of said samples to be in a backcountry where you have to pack in all your water). So it was determined that Grasslands would be best saved for another day. I'm sure looking forward to that day though, as I think it will be an incredible place to visit!
Instead, we are spending the long weekend in town. We watched the show at the Saskatoon Fireworks Festival - including a reggae concert with Oral Fuentes last night. Visited a specialty salt shop where we picked up some Green Chili Salt, which we have yet to try. Went to Dad's Organic Mart for some delicious pears and some local natural meat among other goodies. Various other errands/etc.
Today we biked (almost entirely on separate bike/walking paths) out to the Saskatoon Zoo and Forestry Farm. There we met some cute goats and a pair of lions (the current feature exhibit.. I'm not sure where they go in the wintertime?), some bison, ungulates of all varieties, curious poison dart frogs (though apparently not quite so poisonous in captivity due to a changed diet), and a bunch of other creatures. I haven't been to a zoo since I was little - oh wait, there was that one in Malaysia. Anyhow, the 'habitats' do seem rather cramped... and it can't have been all that restful for the bear we saw laying in a little dirt nest while a little girl repeated about 10 times in a row in a loud voice "Look daddy, that one's sleeping!". A sign titled "Why People Should Visit Zoos", or something to that effect claimed that for some city dwellers, zoos are their only access to 'wild' animals - if that is the case, I don't think zoos are the answer to the problem. On the other hand, another point made on the sign was that it is a site for captive breeding programs of animals that face extinction in the wild, and that I do think holds some merit. Plus many of the animals are orphans or for various reasons would not survive in the wild so perhaps a zoo is as good a place as any to put them? In any case, I saw a few creatures I had never seen before, and it was certainly a nice bike ride to get there!
The good news is that my Saskatchewan teaching certificate arrived in the mail on friday, so on Tuesday morning I will be able to finish my paperwork at the school board and get myself on the sub list! Hooray for income!
Oh, looks like it's time for Mint Chocoloate Frozen Yogourt dessert - YUM (I never saw this before I moved here!). Time to say goodbye!
kat
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