7/8 - One of the Wonders of the World

Jim finally made it to one of the wonders of the world!! He lazed about when we went to climb on the Great Wall (which was probably good because he would have been complaining more than I was about all the stairs), but he managed to make it to Niagara Falls. Evidently, staring at all that rushing water is mesmerizing to small green aliens as well. The most quiet I've ever known him to be. It was fantastic!

7/8 - Butterflies!

Since Buffalo is so close to Canada, and Canada has so many fun things to do, we decided to drive across the border to explore. Jim hid in my purse at the border. Not sure what they would have done, had the border guards seen a small, green alien at the crossing. Didn't want to chance it. One of the places we stopped was the Butterfly Conservatory. Breathtakingly beautiful, but you get nervous walking around because you feel that at any moment you're going to step on, run into, or otherwise crush one of those amazingly delicate creatures. Jim had a good time wandering around, making new friends. He introduced himself to the one in the left picture specifically because he thought she looked the most like "flying butter." About this one on the right, Jim said that she had the best idea - sunning herself on a rock. An activity he could definitely support. I could tell that Jim was sad to leave that place. He kept saying how wonderfully warm it was, and how much he enjoyed that the creatures were all different colors instead of "boring, ugly shades of tan and brown." And, I think he really liked that they were more his size.

7/7 - false advertising

While we were visiting my friend in Buffalo, we decided to go hiking in Zoar Valley. We chose the Deer Lick Preserve trail because it boasted vistas and waterfalls. Jim was excited about being able to lick the deer. He was so amazingly excited that I couldn't get him to listen to me long enough to tell him that probably wouldn't happen.

The hike was pretty. About 5 miles of trails wandering through the woods. We totally missed the vista, and the waterfall (in the picture) was a lot smaller than we were imagining. Jim enjoyed himself, though. He talked about hopping in my friend's sandal and floating down the rapids. He would have, too, if he'd had legs to kick off the rocks with.

Not surprisingly, we didn't see any deer, and especially not any Jim could lick. He was very upset. Grumbled under his breath the whole way home. The only thing I could make out was something about "false advertising."

7/5 - Jim wants his pound of flesh

After the concert, Jim began begging me for more cultural experiences. I hesitated because the only reason why he didn't embarrass me completely that night was because the music was so loud. But, he wore me down. I really do like the little green guy and want him to be happy, despite my complaining.

The perfect cultural opportunity came when I went to visit my friend and former college roommate in Buffalo - Shakespeare in the Park! There is something really magical about watching the Bard's plays performed in the open air, the plot thickening as the sun goes down. Anyway, the play we saw was The Merchant of Venice. Not my favorite, but there were some rather attractive men in the cast, so that helped hold my attention a bit. Definitely not as enthralling as A Midsummer Night's Dream (which is fantastic when watched outdoors!). Thankfully, Jim hadn't seen A Midsummer Night's Dream with me, so the experience was entirely new to him. He was completely enthralled (yay!), laughing when he was supposed to laugh. I think he even shed a tear at one point. After the applause died down and we were walking back to the car, Jim declared the entire experience "super super duper," and that he wanted to do more cultural activities in the near future. And, because I saw that he was capable of behaving properly in public, I was a bit more inclined to entertain that request. Until, of course, he started yelling, "I want my pound of flesh!" out the open windows of the car on the drive home.

Oh, and Jim likes this photo because he thinks it makes him appear mysterious.