Outdoor Fun In The December Sun

The weather here has been gorgeous and very warm so we decided to get out in nature a little today and go to a wildlife sanctuary nearby.

Emily was our leader...

and took us down many different paths.

Everett liked stopping along the way, showing Grandpa what he found,

 and then running to catch up.

One of the coolest things to see there were the woodpeckers...

and their granary just off the path.

There were also very large grey squirrels along the way.

It is clear that they are very used to people passing through.

 Everett found some of the squirrel's seeds and ran over to see the squirrel...

and throw the seeds to "feed" him.

I am not sure the squirrel thought Everett was being helpful.

Before we moved over to the science center, we stopped for a little picnic break.

Then we went in to see the animals (including snakes) up close. 

There were also cool discovery drawers to peek in.

One was a touch and feel drawer.  Everett liked the pinecone but avoided some of the others.

So, when he moved on to the caged snakes, frogs, and lizards...

 I surprised him with the rabbit fur he had been too afraid to touch.

As if all of the hands on fun inside wasn't enough… they also had crafts outside (and cocoa and cookies!).

We made picture frames, Christmas trees, butterflies, and bracelets before our final event… a hike!

 (Again, Emily was in the lead.)

It wasn't a super long hike and pretty easy with built in stairs, but it was still fun to reach the top...

and look back out toward the sanctuary.

We had a great time and the shade cover on this 77 degree day was perfect.  The only time we warmed up was when we hiked in the sun.  Ahhhh...