Drawn by Kid #1

Today we visited the Denver Zoo for the annual Zoo Lights event. Every year the zoo sets up hundreds of light features all across the zoo. Most lights are static, but there are some animated light features. It's a fun way to spend a cold evening doing something different at the zoo. Here are a few photos!

An M. Ruggles original.

We have a membership, so we go often, and we wanted to see the [newborn Giraffe](http://www.denverpost.com/2017/03/01/denver-zoo-baby-giraffe-dobby-born/). There is also a new Tiger exhibit, which is quite nice.

A few days ago we transitioned the chickens from their old coop to a new one we've been building for several months. This project involved more than just the coop, which is why it took several months. We replaced a crumbling fence with a gate, and built another gate to fully-enclose one of our side yards to serve as a chicken run. The new coop is very sturdy, has french doors for easy access, and should be very comfortable for the chickens.

There is still some work to be done, including figuring out what kind of siding we want to put on it, and also an automatic chicken door.

We have some friends that, due to a change in their housing situation, are in need of someone to take on their chickens for a while. So, we now have 5 egg-laying chickens in our backyard! It should be an interesting challenge.

Cowboy Longs Peak

Yes, that's a giant cowboy in front of someone's home, with Longs Peak in the background.

Yesterday I rode my bicycle up Lefthand Canyon Road to Ward (up to 10,000 feet in elevation for the first time in Colorado) and on the way down I saw four Moose. Pictured above are three of them: a standing Juvenile, another sitting, and their mother also sitting a bit farther to the right (the tree is pointing to her). A few hundred meters down the road I saw a bull moose, but I decided to not stop again for pictures because I was already late returning home. Combined with our sightings in Yellowstone last week, I've seen quite a bit of wildlife lately! It certainly beats the month in San Diego a few years ago when I saw (or even worse, only heard) a rattlesnake on every other ride.

While watering our neighbors garden, as they are gone to yet another wedding, Melissa and I saw this bright red dragonfly. It appears to be a male King Skimmer. Every minute or two, it would take off from its branch, hop around in a few circles, and land on the very same stick again.