I don’t think I will ever get tired of watching these BFFs play.
Cle Elum Seven
Jody the Harvester
One of the chimpanzees’ favorite activities this time of year is going out on Young’s Hill and harvesting an armful (or mouthful) of the wild plants that grow out there, and bringing them back into the greenhouse to eat or wadge. Jody, especially, is a plant harvesting fiend.
Play as Distraction
Being the perpetually hungry guy that he is, Burrito always knows when meal time is approaching. For instance, he knows that when we’re finished cleaning the front rooms, lunch time is near. Occasionally, for whatever reason, his internal clock is off, and it’s not quite time to eat when he thinks it should be.
This morning we finished cleaning the front rooms a little earlier than usual, and there was still almost an hour to go before lunch, but Burrito was convinced that the clocks were wrong. His excitement turned into a raucous display, and some of the girls got upset with him. Foxie, ever the peacekeeper, calmed Burrito down by engaging him in a little pre-meal play.
An intense focus
Jamie takes life pretty seriously. She likes to work on her projects, eat meals, take walks, and interact very intensely. Her focus can certainly be intimidating but it’s one of the traits I really admire, probably because it resonates. Today we set up a cabbage forage in the playroom after morning cleaning. In the series of photos that I snapped of Jamie enjoying the cabbage you can see how intently she was savoring each bite. What is even more unusual about this series is that Jamie was so absorbed with her snack that I was able to get in a number of shots before her focus turned to the camera!
The Truth About Burrito
Burrito is a handsome guy. When you see a face like this:
you might think it belongs to a suave and dignified gentleman. But Burrito has a silly side. In fact, he’s all silly side. And he, like the rest of us, loves a good slinky.
Taking it Easy
The pace of life in central Washington is different from what you might be used to experiencing on a daily basis. Slower, warmer, and quieter certainly come to mind, pastoral, if you will. In this context, the peaceful ease that the chimpanzees share with one another can be taken for granted. But their ability to relax with as much abandon as they do everything else is remarkable and, truly, a joy to behold. No matter what kind of day you may have had, take a moment to stop and relax with the Cle Elum Seven. They’ll show you how it’s done!
Close-ups
Yesterday during the streamer maze party, I caught some close-ups of the chimps’ beautiful faces.
Jody:
Missy:
Negra:
French Dora peeking out from behind Foxie’s ear:
