Distilling Beauty: Wildlife West Nature Park

The first of July came rolling around on Friday and it was pretty clear a family road trip was in order. Specifically to Moriarty, NM to the open-year-around fireworks warehouse. As my family firmly believes and John Adams put best:

In a letter to Abigail Adams on July 3, 1776, he (John Adams) wrote that the occasion should be commemorated “with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” The first commemorative Independence Day fireworks were set off on July 4, 1777.

The results of that stop - and the one my brother made the day before, and the one my husband, dad, brother and brother-in-law are making today... will be all exploded in full joy tomorrow.

Since monsoon season has been slowly rolling in, the East side of the Sandias were in the 70's and the usual scattered rains were making for some lovely weather. Blair and I decided, spur of the moment, that it was a perfect day to take the kids to check out the Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood.

Nearly all the art work was in this stained glass style:

Any place that lets Jack 'drive' a tractor is the best thing ever in his book:

The animal enclosures allow close interaction at toddler level! Plus, the lady at the front told us to just let the animals know that you are there and they usually come say hi.

Zane takes jail seriously.

The newest members of the refuge are two orphaned 8 month old mountain cubs. They are still very shy. This one peeked out of his cave before we left to see the deer.