Happy Memorial Day! We have been out on hikes and birding so much lately, on impulse we decided to go to the Louisville Zoo, even though we knew it would be packed with kids. It was the right decision.
Our favorite zoo bird is the Lorikeet. They have so many bright colors! Hold out a little cup of nectar in and they immediately jump all over you to drink it, lapping with their tongues. Yes, some people couldn't quite handle those little feet in their hair, particularly young kids.
Shreek! After the nectar is gone, the Lorikeets still stay on your shoulders to nibble on your earrings, or walk up and down your neck licking sweat - guess they must like the salt. It tickles like
crazy!
Sometimes they get a little over-enthused and try to take a bite out of your finger, which Dick didn't care for. Compared to owl bites, though, these were just love nips.
In addition to the exotic and endangered animals, the Zoo plays host to many local birds too, especially Canadian Geese. My favorites at the lake are the Wood Ducks. Some of the males haven't started to molt yet, and they are beautiful. Others are in eclipse and will be pretty sorry looking for a while until their colorful feathers start to grow back in. How odd to see so many Wood Ducks at the zoo, and so few out in the wild. Baby ducks slip through the fence and mama swims back and forth trying to call them back to her.
Some of the Flamingos are much pinker than others. This guy sat on his ankles and tucked his head into his wings, looking more beige than pink.
The Emus sat in the shade while kids yelled and splashed at the new water park in the zoo. Construction is still under way for the polar bears and sea lions, but the water park seems popular. I think this emu could wear an earring on her ear. I've never seen one so prominent on a bird before.
I think the sign said this was the Demoiselle Crane, although I could be wrong. I love the different colors in the bird eyes.
This Crested Crane has long been one of my favorites. The punk rock star of the bird world!
Black Swans used to be part of the Australian exhibit, but now they swim in the big lake with all the other geese and ducks. Doesn't seem to bother them a bit.
This stork was in the pen with the giraffe's and I didn't see its name sign. Hey, do zoo birds count on your life list?
Of course, you can't limit yourself to just the birds at the zoo. I was interested in faces today, so the orangutan and the Siberian tiger joined my collection. The lions wouldn't wake up and look in my direction.
However, the absolutely BEST photos I took today must be saved for another post, since there are so many of them. I didn't think it would be good to have all these birds, plus my really special photos in the same post. So come back in a few days and see the Griffon Vulture and the giraffes!
Louisville played a large role in the settlement of the west after the Revolutionary War. The city was founded in 1789 by Gen. George Rogers Clark, who went on to defeat the British in several battles. If not for Gen. Clark, we might be living in Canada right now! When his leg was amputated in 1809, he moved in with his sister, Lucy Clark Croghan, at Locust Grove, until his death in 1818.
The Croghans were quite wealthy, and their home reflected this status. By the mid-1900's, it had been sold several times, and was being used as a barn for livestock. Jefferson County and the Commonwealth of Kentucky purchased it at auction in 1961, and the restoration process began. A friend who is a historical re-enactor plays the part of Lucy Clark Croghan in the house, and does a wonderful explanation about the family and the times in the early 1800's.
Locust Grove has now been remodeled and redecorated to be more authentic to the era. Rugs were woven to patterns popular at the time. This is Gen. Clark's room. Note the wheels on his chair.
They found some of the original wallpaper, and sent samples out to be reproduced. The colors and patterns wouldn't be popular today, but only the most wealthy used wallpaper at the time since it was all hand made, one piece at a time. Apparently there is an antique wallpaper museum in France, and much research went into the process.
This wallpaper looks a bit odd to our eyes, but the white colors showed well in candlelight, while the darker shades show up in natural sunlight.
Locust Grove also hosted three U.S. Presidents, Monroe, Jackson and Taylor, and was a stopping point for famed explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark upon their return from their expedition to the Pacific. William Clark was the youngest brother of George and Lucy Clark.
The dining room is graced with period quality china, and a "phunka" (I think that's how you spell it) hanging from the ceiling. One of the young slaves would be assigned the job of pulling the rope to fan the phunka hangings back and forth, both creating a breeze for the diners, and chasing flies away when the windows were open.
The kitchen is in one of the outbuildings, of course. The foundation owns 55 acres of the original 700 in this location, although the Croghans owned thousands more throughout the west. This kitchen in famous in our family. When our daughter was only two years old, we visited Locust Grove, and she instantly noticed that the kitchen did not have a microwave! Dick once met an African American woman who re-enacts the life of the slaves at Locust Grove. She researched her family, and discovered that one of her ancestors actually was a slave there for 64 years!
Major Croghan was the surveying partner of Gen. Clark, and for a while all the deeds and land records were kept in his office. Locust Grove has added a wonderful visitors center with a video and museum about the area in the early 1800's. After the years I have volunteered at the Falls of the Ohio, and its connection with George Rogers Clark, I really enjoyed seeing all this. We even noticed that the limestone in the out buildings had fossils in them!
