Jamaica Bay with Inky

 

Today I went to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge with Inky. Jamaica Bay is a unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area- a National Park! I had been before, on other visits to see Inky. (You can see a previous entry about it here.)  Today, we wanted to see the West Pond breach.  A few weeks before I came to New York City in the fall, there was a big hurricane- Hurricane Sandy.  In the hurricane, the West Pond was breached and filled with sea water. Inky and I wanted to see the breach.  It was really big! The pond had gotten a lot bigger too. You can see me here looking at a goose- the part of the pond where the goose is used to be dry land.  We really learned a lot about our changing world.  

In this photo, you can see Jamaica Bay behind me.  See the buildings in the background? That is the community of Broad Channel. It suffered a lot of damage during the hurricane, sadly.

There used to be fencing along the bay side of the path, but much of it is gone now. The fences, the explanatory signs, and the benches were all washed away in the hurricane.  It really was an amazing sight, seeing everything that had changed since my last visit.

After we hiked back to the Visitor Center, Inky and I took a picture of ourselves sitting up against the wall.  I had a good time at Jamaica Bay; the power of nature is amazing!

Inky's Birthday Party!

Guess what! It's me, I'm back! I'm in New York City visiting my best friend Inky for the holiday season. Our parents got together and decided that I could visit Inky as a birthday surprise. Here we are just as Inky took off her blindfold and realized I was there!



We hugged and hugged. It was so nice to see Inky again- it had been almost two years since we had last seen each other!"



I am really looking forward to Christmas in New York!

It's Red Panda Day!

That's not a red panda in the photo- that's me! Today is International Red Panda Day, a holiday to celebrate red pandas. They're an endangered species in the wild, but I've been lucky to visit them in zoos. Inky and I celebrated the holiday by making this mask and going down to her courtyard to play red panda vs. poacher. Of course, the red panda always got to escape!

Red pandas are Inky's favorite animal by far. We pinky-promised each other that one day, we will travel to Asia to see one in the wild!

Happy Red Panda Day!

Susie Visits me and Inky in NYC

Hi everyone! I'm having a lovely time spending with Inky's family in New York City. In fact, I haven't been the only visitor. Last week, my friend Susie came down to New York from New Hampshire to visit us. We had a great day at the Bronx Zoo and Lincoln Center seeing the New York City Ballet. Here's Inky's album, check it out!

Hiking at Jamaica Bay

Guess what Inky and I did on Saturday? We went on a hike in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge to learn about estuaries and coastal environments. I made a little photo album of our trip, click on this link to check it out.



Since Inky is already a Jamaica Bay Junior Ranger, she helped me earn my badge. Of course, she had to wear her favorite green t-shirt; Inky thinks it makes her look like an official park ranger. Isn't this picture silly? Inky set the self-timer on the camera, but the camera took the picture before we were ready.

Happy August!

Hi everyone! I'm having a great time at Inky's house. Last weekend, we took another trip to Fire Island National Seashore. That's where Inky took the this photo of me. Unfortunately, there were really strong riptides, so we didn't get to play in the water- hence, no photos.



Yesterday, Inky and I were exploring the new neighborhood when we made a new friend, Sonali! Click on the photo above to go to Inky's photostory about what happened.

Sunset on Fire Island

I love the beach! On Friday, I went with Inky's family to a beautiful sandy beach on Fire Island, a barrier island off of Long Island. To get there, you have to drive across a long causeway across the water. Once you're there, you go around the big traffic circle and head to the lighthouse. Awesome! The water was freezing cold, but Inky and I wore swimsuits just in case.



We had fun playing in the sand, even though we forgot to bring sand toys. It was a hot day, so the sand was nice and warm between our toes.



Inky was brave and ran off to wade in the waves, but I stayed back on the beach blanket- I had just heard that there were sharks sighted here recently! Luckily, we had picked up our Junior Ranger books just before the ranger station closed, so I get a head start on the different activities.



We stayed at the beach watching the sky until the sun set. I loved the beautiful colors in the sky. It was so nice to lean back against the lifeguard chair and smell the sea breeze, listen to the sea gulls, and watch the sun go down. I love the ocean! Inky likes to tell me how envious she is of the mountains in Utah, but I think she is the lucky one- she can go to the ocean any time she likes!

I'm in the Big Apple!

Hi everybody! It was a long trip, but today I arrived at Inky's apartment in the Big Apple- New York City. I sneaked up on Inky while she was playing in her fort. When she saw me, she ran up and give me a big hug. It's so nice to be together again; we haven't seen each other since last summer.



We took the elevator up to Inky's family's new apartment. Wouldn't it be fun to get to ride an elevator every day? Inky says it gets boring after a while, but I still think it's exciting. We grabbed our toys and talked for ages. Inky's new room is really nice.



It was really hot outside, so Inky and I stayed inside in the air conditioning. I really want to explore Inky's new neighborhood, but I had fun playing Connect Four with Inky. She even had purple pieces for me to use.



I'm really glad to be back with Inky. Spending time with friends is the best part of traveling. I can't wait to have a summer full of adventures with Inky.

You'll never guess where I'm going!

Guess where I'm headed???

INKY'S NEW HOUSE IN NEW YORK CITY!

I left today actually. I can't wait to see my best friend in the whole wide world again.

Did you know Inky is a totally awesome ballerina? Like a REAL ballerina, she goes to the School of American Ballet. Isn't that neat? She is going to be famous one day.

Anyway, she and her Mommies moved into a new apartment in New York and they wanted ME to be their first guest! I can't wait, especially since things here in Utah have been DUUULLLLLL. I've been working on my homeschooling a lot, and not doing much of anything else. I've been going to swim class and hiking club, but no travels, well until now!!!

I think Colette and Jen have some fun things in mind for Inky and I while I'm there. Colette always does the best stuff to make my stay super fun, and Inky has two of the cutest and funniest cats ever. Can't wait to see them again. And work on my Russian with Inky, since that is her first langauge.

See you soon in NYC!

Some photos of me playing in the backyard before I left today.
Queen of the world!

Zion National Park!

Oh I LOVE National Parks! I've been to so so many! And I've been to all the ones in Utah! Last weekend we went to Zion National Park, which was SO much fun. I love to hike and look for desert toads in the streams. I love to get my passport stamped and work on my Jr. Ranger Badges. I just LOVE National Parks.

One of the neatest things to look for in Zion NP is the carved sandstone. Can you see that the river has carved out the stone and left it looking all striped?
It is so pretty!
I stop to look for desert toads at one of the deeper pools. I don't see any (but I have seen them in Zions before!) but I do see water skeeters.
I love Southern Utah.
And I love Zion Canyon.
Did you remember that I have a National Park album? I've gone to so many parks that I decided to put them all in one big album!

Hint of spring at the farmhouse

Guess what I did last weekend? Went to the farmhouse of course! I love going to the farmhouse all times of year, but spring and summer are my favorites. So when I can finally feel spring in the air, I'm happy.

I took a walk with my new camera and took some photos. I love to watch the river and look for animals. I also love to pretend I'm a winter fairy with all the pretty white snow around me!

I love my sweater I got for Christmas this year and my skirt I got for my birthday last year!
Everything is so white and clean.
Remember this photo from last March? Well I took another one in the same spot this year!

Guess who has a new blog?

Inky!

Yes, my best buddy Inky decided to move to Blogger, because it is so so cool here.

To celebrate her move she is doing a giveaway on her blog. What is a giveaway? It is a chance to win a really neat prize and it is easy to enter! Just comment on her blog and you are entered! Easy peasy!

Check out Inky's blog now, ok?

Here is the outfit you can win, but you need to visit her blog.

Olympics!

I LOVE the Olympics. So does my BFF Inky. She and I always email and talk about the Olympics, and we even got matching shirts for the Beijing Olympics back in 2008 (here is a photo of mine). Of course we needed new Olympic shirts, and I was so so happy when I got the mail the other day and there was a present from Inky! What could it be? Only an Olympic tee! AND the most AWESOME present ever! A Miga stuffed animal!!! She is a cross between a Kermode Bear and an Orca and she is soooooo cute and soft!

Remember that I got an Olympic pin from Inky for Christmas? Well I did, and I was so excited to wear it with my new shirt. Miga and I are already best friends. AND, Inky has a Miga of her own, and a matching shirt! We are so lucky!

GO for the Gold USA!

Two of my favorite winter sports to watch are skiing and ice skating. That is because they are two of my favorite sports too! I love to ski and ice skate. I wonder if snowshoeing will ever become an Olympic sport. (Click the links, they are awesome)

Yes, my shirt rocks. And my pin rocks. And Miga rocks.
Isn't Miga the cutest?!
We pretend to be figure skaters. We'd win gold for sure. :)

Winter Wonderland Camp!

Oh my gosh!!!! Camp was soooo fun! I love sleep-away camp, but I've never ever been to one in the winter!

The camp was up the mountains in this really neat lodge. When I got there I checked in and sat near the fire with the other girls my age. There were some really funny girls and I made lots of friends. Every night we had a HUGE hot dinner in the lodge near the windows. One night while Leah (my best friend from camp) and I were eating dinner we saw a porcupine out the window! How cool is that?!

Most days we woke up early, took a morning snowshoe adventure, play games and drink hot cocoa in the afternoons, and then take another afternoon snowshoe or sometimes a night snowshoe after dinner!

I took my new camera with me to camp, but didn't take a lot of photos. It seemed like I was having too much fun and always forgot.

On my birthday I was at camp and that night all the girls sung "happy birthday" to me and we even had a big cake. It was an ice cream cake. Who ever heard of having an ice cream cake in the winter? Anyway, it was soooo good!

Here are a few photos I took (and a few Leah took of me) -

Look! One thing we learned about at camp was animal tracking. We spotted moose tracks and rabbit tracks and lots of bird tracks! These are quail tracks, I think.
Most days were so sunny and warm! Didn't even need to wear gloves!
I tried to experiment with my new camera a little.
My main Christmas present - new snowshoes!
I love Winter Wonderland Camp!

Christmas has come and gone!

Boy, I have been so busy in Utah! People have asked me if I'm a big sister because they heard about a baby named James, and I have to say, no, I'm not a big sister. I'm an only child. That is the story Mama came up for me, and wants to keep it that way for awhile. :)

But, that said, there is a new baby in the house that is keeping everyone so busy that I haven't been able to blog much. I hope to improve that soon.

But, even with being busy with a baby, I had an awesome Christmas! I got everything I wanted! And guess what I really wanted and got? A Winter Wonderland Sleep-away trip for a Christmas/birthday present combo! What is that? It is a Girl Scout trip that they do every year where you go stay in a cabin, learn to snowshoe and ski, and play outdoors a lot. I spend an entire week there! Can't wait!

And, my birthday is only about a week away! I'll leave for camp soon after.

So what did I get? Only the best things ever!

Do you see my other main present?!
Snowshoes and a new snow outfit! PERFECT for my Winter Wonderland camp!
And my best friend Inky sent the neatest presents! A 2010 Olympic pin (Inky and I LOVE the Olympics) and a Cheburashka puzzle!
Daddy also got me a new camera! It is a digital and is really good.
Merry Christmas!

My new room

Mama and Daddy decided I was old enough to finally have a basement room, something I've been begging for for three years! Last weekend we moved all my things downstairs. I love my new room, it is a little smaller than my last one, but I have wood floors and it is so nice!

I decided to paint the back wall pink, and I LOVE it!