The Year of the Goon

The first day of 2011 was nearly as nice as the one before, though a little drizzly for my liking (let it be known that I'd never survive in the Seattle area; rain like that is bad business), but fortunately for us, our day's activity was mostly indoors. You see, tomorrow Rob begins his illustrious internship at the National Aviary, and he'd yet to suss out the facility, so we took a little Internship Eve family outing. For one thing, the aviary seems to be in a very choice part of town, on Pittsburgh's North Shore of the Allegheny River, surrounded by parks, handsome hardwood trees, and charming Federal-style rowhouses. Were Rob not hoping to get a paid position at the zoo in the spring, I'd be all for relocating to this neighborhood. Oh, but then I remember that we're just a hop and a skip a way from such conveniences as Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, The Home Depot, the Khoreys, and I have no desire to leave Highland Park.

So about the aviary...Wow, what a nice place! A girl named Joey who works in the veterinary department gave us a tour of the hospital where caged invalid birds were being nursed back to health (and whose lives were being ridiculously prolongued; there was a 24 year-old wading bird of some sort whose life expectancy in the wild would have been twelve years. Pretty astounding). The Goon was captivated by the birds she saw, particularly some of the brilliantly-colored macaws. I feel inclined to agree with her - they are magnificent. Perhaps the coolest exhibit was the penguin's outdoor enclosure, where visitors can watch them clamber awkwardly up the rocks and then plunge into the pool below. A chest-high clear wall separates viewers from the penguins, each marked with an identification band on a flipper. We were able to reach in and touch their silky-soft feathers and, though they were a bit snappy, I soon learned that their beaks aren't too sharp. What fun little critters they are! Also great was the fact that many of the birds are free to flit about the open exhibits, making it so that you're walking through their habitat rather than simply looking into individual cages, which makes for a much more interactive and natural experience. I was very impressed with the quality of the exhibits and the aviary in general.

Look at this guy! What amazing hair! I half expected him to break into a James Brown number; maybe he was just holding out on me.

Finally, what New Year's feast is complete without black-eyed peas? I'd soaked some overnight, having no idea what to do with them, but winging it worked out pretty well. I used the ingredients I had on hand - a bag of carrots that was beginning to go south, white, bristly roots shooting forth all over the place, a Vidalia onion, dried parsley, cumin, thyme, curry powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper - and I've got to say that I was pretty pleased with the soup that resulted. A dish of roasted root vegetables rounded out the meal. Presumably the peas will bring us good luck in the new year. If 2011 is even half as good as the two preceding years, I'll be delighted.