Out In The Wilds, On My Own

July 2025

Anyone who has been reading my blog posts, or Facebook posts will know that one of my indulgences in life are Writing Field Trips. I love going out into the world with writing friends, spending time in different spaces, getting creative, sharing progress, and engery with others who love words as much as me.

Unfortunately, not everyone has time in their schedule to join me on these day-long excursions. But that doesn't keep me from doing it on my own. I've expeirenced the positive effect writing in different spaces can have on my productivity and imagination... even if I'm doing it on my own. And... it's simply fun.

Yesterday was one of those days when I went out on my own. Because it was the Independence Day holiday, I encountered smaller crowds and I felt a little bit like time slowed even more than it usually does when I'm out in the world with Drake.

This spring, I bought a membership to the Detroit Zoo. I had a membership when my son was young, and this year, I decided to indulge and enjoy the benefits of membership again. I've always been a supporter of wildlife education. I think it's important for people to be reminded that there are some pretty amazing animals in the world, other than those they encounter domestically. For many, the Zoo is the only way they learn about them, except in books. Yes, books are great, but real life is pretty spectaular. Also, there's something quite wonderful about spending the day writing outdoors while watching people watch the animals... and watching the animals watch the people. Often, the animals have interesting conversations about their encounters with humanity inside my head... or perhaps I've got a telepathic link others haven't connected to yet.

A few minutes after arriving, as I was debating whether I would begin writing with the penguins, birds, or butterflies, Mother Nature helped with my decision and opened up the rain clouds. The butterflies were closest, so that's where I landed. After walking around a little bit, I went up to the art gallery on the second floor, plopped down on the floor, and wrote for about fourty-five minutes. By the time I'd excised all my ideas out of my head and onto the page, the rain stopped and I continued on my journey.

The weather cooperated the rest of the day and I spent some time writing with the River Otters and Zebras, and I spent some time inside the Chimpanzee and Gorilla habitat. Everyone was feeling the heat, and the animals were lazy as a result. Still, spending time with animals, even if they're sleeping, is tremendously soothing to me. When I'm relaxed, Drake does some of his best work. Together, we were able to accomplish some nice chunks of editing on Tears Remember.

This trip was also a little nostalgic for me, as the Zoo is reinstating one of my favorite childhood experiences... Zoo Keys! Scatered around the Zoo, small blue boxes have been installed, with more coming over the next year. When you insert and turn your Zoo Key, a recorded message plays. For some animals, the recording shared particular facts about the animals. Other boxes held poetry or stories about the animals. It was a wonderful thing to enjoy these boxes again. When I was a child, they were one of the highlights of my visit. My Zoo Key then was a red elephant. I have no idea where it went, but I'm told that if I ever find it, it will still work in the new boxes. I couldn't decide which key I wanted, so of course, I bought both the Rihno and the Gorillia!

One nice part about having a Zoo membership is that there is zero pressure to see all of the animals in a single day. I took my time and knew that I could return anytime this year, and visit the animals I missed on this trip. The other nice thing is that I no longer need to worry about whether or not I get to ride the train. It's one of my favorite things about the Zoo, and unlimited rides are included with my membership. Yes, I know I'm an old woman now, but trains still make me happy.

On this trip, a nice man, about my age, was riding back to the entrance with his family; children and grandchildren. We stood in line as we waited for the train, and chatted a bit, laughing at the wonderment of the day. He told me that this was his first time riding the train, even through he'd grown up in the Detroit Area. There was a little bit of me that was sad for him, missing that as a child. But mostly, I was thrilled that he finally got to eperience the joy of the Zoo Train. I told him and his family that it was expected that everyone yell loudly when we went through the tunnel. He played along, and his joy did not disappoint as he out-yelled his grandchildren. As we disembarked, he thanked me, and said it was worth it... a great way to end their day at the Zoo. I had to agree.