Zoo lights 2009

bamboo
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen.

I went to the zoo lights this weekend.

Dazzling lights are in the entry plaza. Animated deer leap over the top of the ramp. Bobsledders wind around the down ramp. They are officiated by a whale at the end of the ride.

On the viewing platform on the ramp there is a spectacular vista of the lights all over the zoo grounds.

Lights were all around me everywhere I walked. Smells of elephant ears and elephants. Green and yellow orange Bamboo trees by the elephant yard.

I saw Rose-Tu put her baby Samudra to bed in the elephant barn, covering him up with straw.

The Zoo lawn is a big lake with crocodiles and hippos.

The farm is open with plenty of animals.

Open November 29 to December 28, 2008. Closed December 24 and 25, 2008. Hours are 5 to 8 pm Sunday thru Thursday, 5 to 8:30 pm Friday and Saturday. Admission is free at the plus level of membership. Otherwise: $8.50 for adults and $5.50 for children. More information about ticket prices and the train on their website. Take Max and save $1 on your admission.

www.oregonzoo.org

Kathy Mattea at the Oregon Zoo

I really enjoyed the performance that Kathy Mattea gave last night at the Zoo. The harmonies and instrumentation were tight and wonderful to listen to. Her songs told stories, many of them sad. Kathy is excellent at engaging her audience. She got the dancers up front all to move in the same direction. It was fun watching the dancers sway to the music. I enjoyed her concert.

I was disappointed with the new rules for the concerts. You can not bring in any beverages to the Zoo. That means no water bottles or juice boxes. You can bring in containers to put water into. There are big orange jugs of water near the concert lawn. The concert lawn doesn’t open until 5 pm, not 4pm. If you get there before 5 pm you stand in a hot long line with out any water. They check your tickets twice, once when you go into the zoo and again when you get to the concert lawn. There is stroller parking.

www.mattea.com

www.oregonzoo.org

Oregon Zoo dinosaur exhibit

dino
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen.

The Oregon Zoo has a new dinosaur exhibit. We went there on one of the hottest day of the year so far. The zoo was very full that Friday with lots of people enjoying that first warm sunny day. Almost six year Colby was happily scared by the T Rex dinosaur. He wants to go back and see the exhibit again this summer. The life like automated dinosaurs represented gentle plant eaters and ferocious meat eaters. There were eggs hatching and young dinosaurs, small to the very large T Rex.
After paying Zoo admission pricing for the Dino exhibit is $4 for general admission, and $3 for Zoo Members.
The Summer Concert Season at the Zoo starts June 15, 2008
www.oregonzoo.org
4001 SW Canyon Road
Portland, Oregon 97221