Houston Zoo

It’s for the little rutabaga

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I knew when I first laid eyeballs on the quilt kit at the International Quilt Festival last fall, it would be my first purchase. I mean … our daughter and son-in-law will have our first grandbaby in early May. Hooray! Oh, and our daughter also works at the Houston Zoo (www.houstonzoo.org). Naturally, a quilter, and grandmother-to-be, I had to run out and make a quilt for the little rutabaga.

We used to call our grandbaby-to-be a “sprout” for the longest time. It seems now all the rage is to compare their current size to fruits and veggies. Today it is the size of a rutabaga!

Picking which animal quilt option was a no-brainer, as back last October we didn’t know if it was a boy or girl. I figured the giraffe was generally gender neutral, although the pink flamingo and the monkey were also pretty darn cute. I have to say applique is not my favorite way to manipulate fabric, but I decided to jump in anyway with both feet. With the help of my trusty “Applique Pressing Sheet,” I could do this project in no time. Made it easier to build the whole giraffe and then fuse one large piece onto the quilt top.

Next step is to sew around the edges of the applique pieces before sending it on to my long-arm quilting lady!

The adorable animal quilt is published by “The Teacher’s Pet,” http://www.the-teachers-pet.com, out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The quilt pattern is called “Peek-a-Boo Pals” and includes all four animals in the pattern. An alphabet chart is also included. I opted not to put a name on it since the first name is not entirely settled.

It’s a great time to visit the Houston Zoo

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If you haven’t been to the Houston Zoo lately you are in for a very tall treat … as in my favorite … the giraffes. My Air Force son, also very tall, was in town for the weekend and we decided to meet daughter Katie, who happens to work there. I have to say the highlight, and there were many, was feeding the giraffes! It is so worth standing in line for a few minutes till you arrive on the raised platform. The beautiful animals swirl their tongue around the stalks of romaine lettuce and in it goes! Katie cautioned that giraffe feeding is dependent on weather and giraffe participation! There is a fee involved to feed the giraffes, so check out the website for feeding times and to plan your zoo visit at http://www.houstonzoo.org.

The creative folks at the Houston Zoo have been very busy updating several habitats since my last visit a couple of years ago. You should check out what they have done with the new flamingo exhibit. The flamingos have been busy building nests with at least one new baby born on display! Cutest thing ever!

Did you know there are also six chimpanzees now residing at the Houston Zoo. The Insectarium opens in the Spring of 2014, and the construction of the gorilla exhibit is also well underway scheduled to open in 2015.

And don’t miss the elephant exhibit. It has also been expanded since my last visit. One of the elephants, not hard to guess which one, is expecting a big bundle of joy in a few months. Go by and pay your respects to Shanti! Baylor and Tupelo were born in 2010 and seemed pretty excited about the announcement of the new addition!

Our visit also coincided with the last few days of Zoo Boo. So many kids and parents came dressed in costume for the festivities. I paused at the graveyard with tombstones listing extinct animals and the year of their demise.

There is so much to see that we missed a lot. Just means we have to go back very soon to catch Zoo Lights, an evening (6 to 10 pm) holiday celebration with thousands of sparkling lights, singing choirs, hot chocolate and so much more starting in late November. Just saying!