Today we awoke to an entirely different climate from last week. Cooling wind relief rolled in overnight to Central Washington and we are enjoying a perfect (although blustery) day in the upper 60’s. I even had to click on my car’s heated seats on my way to work!
Chad and I spent the morning cleaning the original side of the building and I sensed the chimpanzees were all enjoying the drop in temperatures. Jamie went for frequent explorations on Young’s Hill as she needed to check on J.B. and the progress being made on the new enclosure fence line. She skipped a playroom cabbage forage and opted to go outside instead of letting me close of the Greenhouse for cleaning. Meanwhile, Negra covered her head with a leopard print blanket to add that extra layer of comfort back into her nest.
I captured a few random moments from the day.
Portrait Studio Jamie:
Jamie examining her new book about Egypt (and mummies):
Here Jamie lovingly looks at her favorite book about Bonobos:
Since we didn’t get the Greenhouse closed off, we opted to put out some browse in the front rooms after we fully cleaned and disinfected them. Chad and Grace harvested fresh willow on the property and the chimpanzees eagerly collected the branches for consumption. No one was more eager to eat the willow than Missy:
Missy even kept a good grip on her willow during a quick wrestling match with Burrito:
Jamie again:
Burrito:
Meanwhile on the other side of the building, Kelsi captured this pretty spectacular moment. We counted seven chimpanzees in this grooming puddle!!
“Home! That was what they meant, those caressing appeals, those soft touches wafted through the air, those invisible little hands pulling and tugging, all one way.”
-Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows