14,288

That's how many steps I took today, not how many Humboldt penguins are in this photo, although at times it felt like there might have been!

I left Bellingham on the 8:30 a.m. BoltBus for Seattle, meeting my daughter M in the International District at 10. We took the new light rail link to the University of Washington, where I worked for many years as a writer and editor, and walked through the beautiful campus to her place. 

After refreshing ourselves and catching up on each other's doings, off we went on foot for pizza and salad, and then by bus to the Woodland Park Zoo, one of Seattle's gems. We started off in the stunning Rose Garden, which has 200 varieties, all of which seemed to be in bloom, much to our delight!

The multicultural families who were enjoying a day out amongst the diverse exhibits were as fascinating to me as the animals and birds we saw, and the excitement of the youngsters was contagious.

The Humboldt penguin exhibit was particularly delightful, as the staff person put on quite a show as he fed the penguins their vitamins, followed by several kinds of fish. He called each one by name to receive their various rations, which impressed me, as did the orderly way in which the penguins gathered around him for their food -- no pushing or shoving! Several crows managed to snatch some of the fish on offer, but each penguin seemed to get enough food to satisfy her/him.

You can read more about this splendid penguin exhibit here, including how Woodland Park Zoo is using "the earth's natural systems to ensure a pristine water environment for these endangered birds, while preventing stormwater runoff from entering our lakes, thus contributing to the health of Puget Sound."

I'll catch up with your journals over the next few days, as Sunday is also full -- a neighbor's house on sale to view at 1 p.m., a pre-concert lecture at 2 p.m., and the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra's final concert of the season at 3 p.m. -- Alessio Bax performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, and Mahler's Symphony No. 1 (Titan).

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