Hob-Knobbing

So, I met the governor, his children, the Lt. Governor, the first lady and a moose wearing a top hat..all at the governor's mansion in Des Moines.

At Fun in the Sun, we set up a baby pool filled with aquatic critters (tadpoles, various insect nymphs, turtles, frogs, water gliders, etc.), we had a casting station (as in fishing), a few snakes, and a chunky salamander named Bubba. Not as many people showed up as we anticipated..probably only over a hundred or so, but the governor's children -loved- us, and surprisingly enough, nobody hit the state troopers or the first lady with a casting plug though there were a few close shaves. All in all, it was a fun day, and a lot of people loved our set up.

We met the governor and made him touch a snake.

(On a side note - I have a feeling denim shirts are coming back in a big way - I look darn good!)


The other things that made the day great were free food, carnival rides, and a 'tour' of the mansion. We had been promised a tour of the mansion, but as the day went on we didn't see anyone going inside..so luckily, Erin, the naturalist from Brushy Creek, knew the head of communications for Chet, so we got a little tour of the place all by ourselves. It was awesome inside! And on the walls were some stuffed animal heads..an elk, a deer and a moose. Upon closer inspection, the moose was wearing a top hat..I didn't get a chance to look at the other animals, but I'm hoping they were equally well adorned.

All in all, a good day.