Steph Calvert, of Hearts and Laserbeams, knew exactly what I wanted. She took my thoughts and ideas and made Dylan’s dreams come true. Without her generous sponsorship, Dylan’s Animal Adventure Camp would not be possible. Thank you!
Year: 2013
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The journey to Tiger Trail continues
On a recent visit to the Safari Park, Dylan was stopped dead in his tracks when he saw this sign.
He read it, turned around to face me and said, “Mom, that’s me they are talking about.”
Yes it is Dylan. Yes it is.
He was so proud and overwhelmed with joy. He just stood there.
Touching the sign.
Bonding with the tiger in his own way.
I will admit I had tears in my eyes watching him. When I asked if I could take his picture with the sign he smiled and said, “You better!”
He then proceeded to give the tigers a little more – because that’s just how he rolls …
and I wouldn’t have it any other way! -
San Diego Zoo Garden Festival “Shades of Green” – Day 1
As much as I love the animals, the flowers at the San Diego Zoo are nothing short of amazing. I can’t help but take pictures of the flowers – even the little daises that grow along the pathways. So you can imagine how excited I get when Garden Festival comes along. In fact, I have made it our official Mother’s Day tradition!
Today was all about the orchids. The Zoo’s Orchid House, which is open all four days of Garden Festival, is filled with the 900 different types of orchids the Zoo has. These orchids never leave the Orchid House because they are too delicate to have on the pathways. I also found out that some of the orchids were confiscated from people trying to smuggle them in to the country. For this reason, there are some very unique and non-native orchids on display.
I could have spent all day inside the Orchid House.
Every time I turned around there was another beautiful orchid waiting to mesmerize me.
These orchids reminded me of the singing flowers from Alice in Wonderland.
This year marks the 20th annual Garden Festival and the theme “Shades of Green” is aimed at bringing attention to the Zoo as a world-class botanical garden. With more than 700,000 plants and over 900 different types of orchids alone, the Zoos accredited botanical collection gets some much-deserved attention during this four-day festival highlighting all that is green.
There is a quote at the entrance to the Zoo’s Orchid House that reads:
“The only person ever to see some rare tropical orchid might be a bulldozer operator who is clearing the two or three acres that constitute its only habitat on earth.”
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the horticulture staff, I was able to see some of these rare orchids today.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of the Zoo’s botanical beauty tomorrow.
To see more pictures from the Orchid House visit my Flickr album.
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Life is always filled with little surprises
Imagine the surprise on our faces when we saw this last weekend at the San Diego Zoo Global booth. This made quite the conversation piece when people came by.
Have you met Dylan? He raised $500 reading for wildlife.
What will you do?
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One night of camping with my son that I will never forget
So last weekend was a Cub Scout camping trip that Dylan really wanted to attend. However, Grandpa was out of town on business and he is the camper … not me. Knowing how much this camping trip meant to Dylan, I said that I would go Friday night and then my dad would take over on Saturday. How bad could one night be?
We arrived at Irvine Regional Park around 5:30 pm and made our way up to the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center. Looked nice. Buildings, lodges, parking lot, orchard … but we were camping.
In a tent. On the ground.As we walked the 1/3 mile up a steep incline to our campsite, carrying our gear, I remember thinking “What have I gotten myself in to?”
This is dirt with lots of cactus and bushes. Up in the mountains.
Well, with the help of one of the other parents I managed to get the tent set up and air mattress inflated. Hard part done right?
This would be my home for the next 18 hours.
As the boys ran around and played I settled in. This might not be so bad.
I love nature and the surroundings were beautiful. Why did I not bring my camera? At least I had my phone for a few pictures.
The sunset was gorgeous – this picture doesn’t do it justice. Oh, and the moon coming up over the mountain was awesome. It was so close to us, I wanted to reach out and touch the moon with my hand.
So now that the sun had set and dinner was cooking I started thinking about where I was. And how it was getting really dark. And how if I needed to go to the bathroom I would have to walk up the hill and across the dirt road … with a buddy since we always use the buddy system for safety.
Time for s’mores. This will be fun and will get my mind off the idea of what animals would be coming out of hiding during the night. Wood fires are not allowed, so the campsites have these really cool propane campfires that look just like a campfire, but without the smoke in your eyes or any flying embers that could start a fire.
We had a visit from the ranger who informed us of the rules. Most were common sense and of course the be courteous to your neighbors rule of quiet time between 10 pm and 7 am. Great, this meant bed was at 10 and I could sleep. The faster I went to sleep, the faster morning would come and I could go home.
Oh wait, I almost forgot the best part of the ranger talk.
“You are out in the wilderness. We do have mountain lions and bobcats. We do have coyotes. We do have rattlesnakes.”
Um, hello? Why are you telling me this at 8 pm.
Long story short. I laid in the tent from 10 pm until 3 am awake. Listening to the coyotes howl and the wind blow. Listening to the footsteps outside my tent that were not proceeded or followed by the sound of a zipper, which meant it wasn’t someone getting up to use the bathroom. Wanting to look outside, but too scared too move. Oh, then there was the low flying helicopter that circled the area around 1:30 am. Talk about your imagination running wild!
I think my favorite part was at 3 am when I realized I had to go to the bathroom. Yes, my son was not too happy when I woke him up to be my bathroom buddy. I believe his exact words were “Really mom?”
Since it had been a full moon the night before, it wasn’t that dark outside. We saw a few bunnies and even some frogs around the edge of camp. I will even go as far as to say that it was quite peaceful. Once back in the tent I fell asleep. Not sure if it was from pure exhaustion or because I had seen that there really was nothing outside. A few short hours later I was awake – along with most of the camp – thanks to the peacocks down the hill at Irvine Regional Park. Those are some very loud birds!
I will admit that waking up to see this was incredible.
… watching my son sit outside our tent and whittle with his pocket knife at 6:30 am was pretty cool too.
I may not be the coolest camping mom, but I sure did enjoy watching my son. He really is growing up and I am so proud of him. Rather than me taking care of him, he took care of me that night.
Breakfast was great. There is nothing like a good breakfast burrito with lots of fresh bacon cooked over a camp stove. I was amazed at the kitchen set up these dads had.
Oh, and we had Starbucks too – thanks to a Dad who made a coffee run at 6 am.
The day would be filled with adventures and all things Cub Scout. On the agenda was zip lining, archery, BB guns, and a night hike. I would stay until lunch time and then it was time for the boys to bond.
I can not tell you how happy I was to see my reinforcement arrive. Grandpa to the rescue!
Once my dad was there, Dylan wanted to have nothing to do with me. He actually told me that I could leave.
He really does like spending time with Grandpa on these camp outs.I stayed just long enough to watch Dylan go zip lining a few times and then I was out of there.
The last time I went camping was when I was a Girl Scout. That was 30+ years ago.
So my famous last words “How bad can one night be?” Well, let’s put it this way … I won’t be camping any time in the near future. At least not the kind of camping that requires me to sleep in a tent.
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Conversations with an Amazon Milk Frog at Aquarium of the Pacific
I am always fascinated with the frogs when we visit the Aquarium of the Pacific. Particularly these Amazon milk frogs. I am drawn to them and will stand next to their exhibit for what I’m sure seems like hours to my son.
These two remind me of old men sitting on the porch talking about the good old days.
I wonder what they are thinking.
They are probably wondering who the crazy lady with the camera is.
They can call me crazy … I don’t mind.
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Simple ways to make every day Earth Day
Happy Earth Day! A day to celebrate the Earth and ways that we can show her respect and keep her looking beautiful a little longer.
I’m not going to tell you how you should celebrate Earth Day, or which Earth Day events were the best over the weekend. Instead I am going to tell you how simple it is to make every day Earth Day.
- Follow the three R’s … Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Reduce the amount you use, Reuse whenever possible, and Recycle what you can’t reuse.
- Reduce the amount of energy used in your home. By simply turning off the lights, using candles at night, watching less television, and spending more time outside, my family has reduced our electric bill by 20%. Savings for me and the planet.
- Reuse whenever possible. Stop using plastic baggies when you pack lunches and start using reusable containers. Start bringing your own travel coffee cup to Starbucks and stop throwing away all those paper cups and plastic lids.
- Recycle more than just aluminum cans and plastic bottles. Start a paper bin for your junk mail, newspapers, cardboard food packaging, and egg cartons. Just place the bin next to your trash can and you will be amazed at how much you can recycle.
- Take it a step further and sign up for a TerraCycle brigade to recycle those items that you can’t recycle on your own. I promise you will find a brigade for something that you currently use in your home or office.
- Plan ahead when shopping and never use another plastic or paper bag again. I have at least 15 reusable bags in my trunk at all times … and if I’m only buying one or two things I just carry them to the car. No bag needed.
- Reduce the amount of water you use by recycling what you can to water plants. Set timers for the kids showers and turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth.
Some of you may already do these things and others may be overwhelmed just reading the above list. Either way, just take baby steps and before you know it you will be doing all of this and more.While this may all seem too small to make a difference, it does. Every little thing that you can do will snowball with what others do to help fight climate change and make the Earth a happier place for humans and wildlife to live.
I don’t even think about it anymore – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is a way of life for me.What will you do to make every day Earth Day? -
California condors – Bald, Beautiful and Back from the brink of extinction
Most people associate vultures with darkness and death because that is how movies, television, and books have portrayed them for so long. Yes, they do feed on carcasses of other animals, but this doesn’t make them bad. On the contrary, vultures are a very important part of the food chain and in turn the ecosystem as a whole. Try to imagine a land filled with rotting animals carcasses … it’s not a pretty picture is it?
The California condor is in the vulture family and at one time, not too long ago, was teetering on the brink of extinction. Once widely spread throughout the western United States and Mexico, in 1982 the number of California condors dwindled down to only 22 in the wild.
Destruction of habitat played a big part in the loss of birds, but an even bigger role was played by lead poisoning. Lead bullets used for hunting were being ingested by the California condors, which resulted in lead poisoning and ultimately their demise. So once again, the carelessness of humans was to blame for another species fighting to stay alive.
In 1982, San Diego Zoo Global was given permission to start the very first captive breeding program for the California condor. At the time, this was quite controversial because eggs were being removed from the wild. Well, all controversy aside the captive breeding program was put into motion.
Just this week, three of the four original eggs that were the first to be hatched celebrated their 30th birthday at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. These three condors, Saspe, Sisquoc, and Almiyi helped form the foundation of what we know as the condor recovery program.
Dylan and I have a great appreciation for the California condor. They are powerful and majestic animals who deserve just as much love and respect as the cute and cuddly animals. On a recent visit to the San Diego Zoo, we had the opportunity to see these birds up close at their exhibit. Unlike other visits when the birds were perched high atop the branches, they were right up at the glass. As we watched them and admired the beauty of the black feathers cloaking their necks and the different shades of pink and varying degrees of baldness; we overheard some things that were not very nice. In fact, they were pretty upsetting to us.
“What ugly buzzards”
“Freaks!”
And my personal favorite …
“Why would anybody want to have this at a zoo?”
Dylan having a conversation with the California condors at the San Diego Zoo Obviously these people are uneducated and unable to see the beauty of these birds. Rather than put down the California condor for its appearance and the folklore that has given them a bad name, these people should be thankful. Thankful to San Diego Zoo Global for starting the condor breeding program. Thankful that they are able to see a California condor in real life instead of just a picture in a book listing extinct animals.
San Diego Zoo Global stated that the Safari Park has hatched over 170 chicks and released more than 80 birds in the wild. Currently there are now more than 400 condors, more than half of which are flying free in California, Arizona, and Baja California, Mexico. That is a far cry from the 22 California condors in 1982.
A prime example of how together, we can make a difference and bring a species back from the brink of extinction.
To learn more about the California condor and the condor recovery program you can visit the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy Success Stories page.
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Reading for Wildlife update – An awesome journey
It has been a little over a month since the last update, but if you have been following along on Facebook or Instagram then you know that on day 66 of the I READ for Wildlife challenge Dylan reached his goal of $500 in sponsors.
This was a great day for Dylan because the hardest part was now done. He had reached his fundraising goal and from here on out all Dylan had to do was continue reading.
Now on his third and final book – the end was in sight. The goal of reading 15 pages per day increased to 20 pages per day. The boy was on a mission and there was no slowing him down.
Today is day 89 of the 100 day challenge and I am happy to report that Dylan has read all 1500 pages of fascinating animal facts.
When I asked Dylan to describe this experience in one word he said … Awesome!
Dylan was able to combine his love of reading with his love of animals and raise $500 for endangered wildlife across the globe.
Dylan and I are so grateful that San Diego Zoo Global asked him to be part of this special team. Not only were we able to test and help improve a program that will launch to the public soon, but we made new friends and were able to share our journey with others. I truly believe that the new I _____ for Wildlife program will be a huge success.
Doing something you love has got to be one of the most rewarding ways to raise awareness and in the end raise money for a wonderful cause. Be sure to check out the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy website and start your own journey … What will you do for wildlife?
I would like to thank everyone who supported Dylan along the way. Whether you gave money and were a sponsor or were one of the many who commented/liked his videos and fascinating animal fact updates on Facebook … he couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you!
Visit our YouTube channel to see more of Dylan’s video clips from his Reading for Wildlife journey.
Life with Dylan 