2026 Summer Adventure Gallery: June 1–6

My hens, Buttercup and Clover, love standing in front of mirrors. I often wonder if they know that they’re looking at their reflections.

My kids and I created animal drawings with chalk. We also learned how to say the names of the animals in Spanish and Mandarin.

I went for a walk at Lake Elizabeth this morning. In addition to a bunch of Mallard ducks, I also saw this white duck, likely an American Pekin. Here are some duck facts: 1. Make ducks are called drakes 2. They have waterproof feathers and webbed feet 3. Ducks are found all over the world, except in Antarctica 4. They fly in a v-shaped pattern to reduce headwind for the birds behind the leader 5. There are 2 types of ducks - dabblers and divers

I learned about the squirrel, a wild animal that lives in my community. Here are my five favorite facts: 1. Squirrels have a big fluffy tail. 2. They love to eat nuts and seeds. 3. They can jump from tree to tree. 4. They hide food in the ground to eat later. 5. Baby squirrels live with their mom until they grow up.

I read a book about origami and then did the craft with my mom. We then read a book about butterflies since we folded origami butterflies.

I attended the Vivarium Reptile Show at Ocean View Park and learned that tarantula can climb even upside down because their toe nails are very strong. Also always wash our hands after touching a frog because they have a poisonous coating outside.

I read all about ticks and then made a tick using a balloon and construction paper by following the activity at the end of the book!

We learned about recycling. Peter and his sister when to an Olyns machine outside a Foodmaxx in Fremont to recycle cans and glass. It was a fun new activity to do.

We picked up “Tubby Nugget: Escape from Nuggetville” from Castro Valley Library today. It is a hilarious graphic novel about a cute “nugget” that breaks the law and has to flee the town. My favorite part is in the end when Josh and Jenine, Tubby’s new owners, feed him an ube cupcake. This is a pic of the book and my drawing of Tubby and his new favorite food, an ube cupcake.

I have been reading the According to Humphrey series of books with my kid. It's about a very intelligent golden hamster that's a classroom pet. So, here are some interesting facts about golden hamsters: 1. They are also called Syrian hamsters. 2. Wild golden hamsters are found in Syria and Turkey, but are endangered. 3. They store food in their expandable cheek pouches and their name in Arabic translates to mister saddlebags! 4. They are nocturnal in captivity but may be diurnal in nature! 5. They have the shortest gestation period of all non-marsupial mammals at just 16 days!

I walked my neighbors dog. Dogs can help people in many ways, including guiding the blind and using their senses to bust criminals. Two ways we can help them are walking them and getting them checked out by the vet.

I am working on my cutting, pasting and making fun animal faces.

I’ve been leaving out food for the crows for a while. There are three crows who like my yard a lot. I named them Jasper, Marbles, and Twinkle. The picture shows two of them (I’m not sure which two crows) near my yard. I’m pretty sure one of them is Jasper because he/she visits my yard more than the others.

I learned about rare owls and discovered some owls I had never heard of before. For example, the flores scops owl. It is the the rarest owl I know because there are less than 250 individuals left. A blakiston's fish owl is another rare owl. There are 1,500 individuals left. It has a 2 meter wingspan making it one of the worlds biggest owls.

I was enthralled by the creature in the Summer Adventure activity book, so immediately had to learn all I could about Axolotls (including how to pronounce the name!). Thanks to pbs.org and their fabulous fact sheet, I learned this amazing creature is a Mexican salamander that is unique in that it retains it aquatic larval form throughout its life. They are neotenic, which means they keep their juvenile characteristics as an adult. While it does develop lungs, it uses the cute gills protruding from it's perpetually smiling head to breath underwater. BUT WAIT.. THERE'S MORE! These amazing creatures can regenerate almost any lost body part faster than any other species. This includes their limbs, lungs, heart, jaws, spines, and even parts of its brain! How amazing are axolotls. I would love to encounter one in the wild some day. Maybe a trip to Mexico is in my future.

I looked up the word for rabbit in Spanish (el conejo/la coneja) and ASL (cross hands in front of chest, index and middle fingers wiggle like rabbit ears).

We went to Happy Birds summer program in Union City library 🙂

I learned about flamingos! Summer is the peak time flamingos mate so I got to take a photo of a few flamingos warming up unhatched eggs at the zoo! They take turns warming up nests of eggs.

Recientemente he estado leyendo la serie A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) de Sarah J. Maas. Aunque es una historia de fantasía, me gustó porque habla de temas que también pueden relacionarse con la vida real, como el crecimiento personal, la independencia y aprender a confiar en uno mismo. Lo que más me llamó la atención fue cómo los personajes cambian a lo largo de la historia. Enfrentan situaciones difíciles que los obligan a ser más fuertes y a descubrir quiénes son realmente. Esto me hizo pensar en cómo las personas también crecen cuando salen de su zona de confort y aprenden de nuevas experiencias. Además de ser una lectura entretenida, la serie me hizo reflexionar sobre la importancia de valorarte a ti mismo, tomar tus propias decisiones y seguir adelante después de momentos difíciles. Por eso disfruté leerla y considero que me dejó algunas lecciones que puedo aplicar en mi propia vida.

Yo dibujé unos animales

I looked at some pictures and illustrations of common nightingale and drew one taking flight! I also learned some facts about it. The scientific name is Luscinia Megarhynchos. These birds are old word flycatchers, and it belongs to a group of mostly terrestrial species known as "chats". These birds were mistaken as thrushes. (Honest mistake! But we learn from them) I read these facts from wikipedia, and most of the pictures are from it too. I think these birds are really, really, really cute! Almost as fluffy as a parakeet, so I want to gather as many of these as I can and pet them each a thousand times!!! Anyways, this is what I did, and I'm gonna share the art too. (I don't know if all the details are correct, but I'm proud of it anyway!) Have a nice day!

I took a walk! I love to look for cats on my walk. I usually see black cats and one large orange cat! I am going to France soon so I looked up “cat” in French: chat, pronounced like “Shaw”

Reading a wonderful book about remarkable women in CA history while sitting in my backyard hammock listening to the birds chirping, BART passing, small planes flying over, and my kids playing catch in the front yard.

I first read The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today because I remembered watching the anime years ago and was curious to see how the story had evolved. As a Japanese manga, it had always stuck with me for its quirky humor and heartwarming premise. Revisiting it through the books, I found it just as funny as I remembered—if not more so. What truly made me happy, though, was seeing my kids fall in love with the same series. Sharing those laughs with them, watching them root for the giant, surprisingly capable cat and his well-meaning owner, turned a personal nostalgia trip into a wonderful family experience.

I am thrilled to introduce Rico Suave, my 8-year-old Havanese. Rico is not a trained emotional support dog, in fact he's not well trained at all! But he's a big part of the reason my household has come through health challenges and the pandemic with some sanity. Rico provides lots of kisses and an enthusiastic greeting when we get up in the morning and come from work in the evening. There is nothing better than playing fetch with Rico. As he happily prances back toward me with the ball in his mouth, I get the biggest smile on my face. Unless of course the ball gets stuck under furniture or in the bushes, then he looks at us like "what are you doing about that!?!" While he doesn't know many commands, if my husband says "meat fairy" while dropping a bit of chicken into his bowl, Rico will come running from his favorite nap chair on the other side of the house. Being Rico's companion has taught me to stay in the present moment and to remember that playing is a great mood lifter. I love him soooo much!

Leah is a 15-year-old Pittie Visla mix, who rescued my family about 14 years ago. Leah has led such an interesting life. She was a working dog in her younger years. She protected and kept company for solo cell tower climber/engineer (her dad), while he did his dangerous job. Her smiling face and cheerful disposition was invaluable to him. Leah loved going on runs or hikes with her family members, sometimes running 15-20 miles a week with different family members. Now that she is retired and in her twilight years, her favorite things are eating mostly treats for meals, cuddling with her Gramma, burrowing in blankets, hanging out in the garden and protecting her family from the scary delivery people.

Hi everyone, My name is Michael. For this Summer Adventure Entry 2026, I learned about the Penguins of Antarctica, and how they prepare for hatchlings and their new younglings, for all of the winter months! Since Antarctica is below the Equator, during the months of June, July and August, the annual winter season is beginning. All of the nests are being prepared, and these Penguins are eating enough to survive the winter months in Antarctica. My wish is that as I continue this Summer Adventure, I learn more about animals, and how these creatures have been thriving, for hundreds of generations! Thank you.

Fin (AKA Finney, Fingus, Mr. Gorgeous, Lovey, Stinky Finky) Finney loves to cuddle, be chased, and lay in the sunshine. He is a very vocal cat, unafraid to ask for what he wants. He maintains a very strict schedule and must keep his humans in line! After breakfast, he grooms himself before beginning his shift as the "protector" of our apartment. He dutifully watches out the window for any birds or squirrels, and if a neighborhood cat wanders into the backyard, he sounds the alarm, running all over the house, meowing and jumping into every window to keep tabs on the intruder. When I get home from work, he insists that I pick him up and pet him for at least five full minutes. He spends the entire time purring and making biscuits. When Finney gets the zoomies, he likes to be chased all over the apartment. He puffs up his fur and sprints up and down the hallway, under the bed, and on all the tables. And after such a tiring, big day, Fin absolutely must fall asleep on your lap in the evening!

This is Zara Leia Lacayo. She is a rescue dog that our family adopted from the Dublin SPCA. We were looking for an easy-going dog who would be a calm companion for first time dog owners. What we got was a nosy, surprisingly silent and thoughtful, Siberian Husky. When we first saw her in the window of the Large Dog area, she stood on her hind legs and looked at us, face to face. We said, no way. That’s a wolf. We continued our rounds of shelters and kept searching. We came back a month later and she was still there. The shelter worker then told us Zara had been surrendered by her original family. She also told us that she would ordinarily never suggest a Husky to first time dog owners, but that Zara was different. And she was right. Zara is sweet, friendly, calm and very soft-spoken. She never screams or hollers, she just grumbles and a-woos when she needs something. We truly hit the Husky jackpot.

This is Ray Mangel. I have always had dogs and didn't think I liked cats. When Ray's mommy passed away he needed a home and I thought I'd try having a cat. He has been so entertaining that my husband and I don't know what we did for amusement before he came along. He brightens our lives every day!! When you're feeling a little down, Ray is the perfect thing to make you laugh out loud. This little guy just cracks me up EVERY day!!

The only creatures I saw today (besides humans) were some crows. 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛ So, here are 5 interesting facts about crows: 1. They belong to the family Corvidae, which also includes ravens, magpies, and nutcrackers. 2. The two most common species of crow in the US are the American Crow and the Fish Crow. 3. Crows are usually seen in flocks that can number in the hundreds or even thousands. 4. They are intelligent birds that can use tools and recognize and remember human faces. 5. A group of crows is called a murder!

Bella is my baby Pomeranian Chihuahua mix. As a senior dog, she's slowed down a lot, but her calm, loving presence is something I've always cherished. I love to joke that I've kissed all the colors off of her face. Don't let her slower pace fool you, though. The moment she sees that I'm heading into the kitchen, Bella is right there at my heels. These days, she'll only eat when she's sitting in my lap, a ritual that began as her own little rule and has become one of my favorite parts of the day. Bella has taught me that caring for an animal means growing and adapting alongside them. Her needs have changed, and I've learned to slow down and be more patient with her, and to appreciate the little moments we have together. She may be older now, but Bella still knows exactly how to make herself the center of my world. There's a saying that goes "Our dogs may just be a chapter of our life, but for them, you are the whole book" and that's why it's so important to give them the story they deserve to the best of our ability.

Egon is a narrator cat, announcing his actions around the house throughout the day. His name comes from a certain meow that sounds an awful lot like the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters. He’s a mighty warrior who can never be seen cuddling (only under the cover cuddles are allowed). He loves tormenting his baby sister, the dog, and long naps in the sun. In pure cat fashion, he wants to be around you all the time but only touched on his terms.

Luna is a very empathetic dog. If you say, “ow!” she’ll come running to check in and make sure you’re okay. She’ll even check in on her brother, the cat, if he accidently gets his tailed stepped on and expressed loud discontent. She’s the goofiest of goofballs, acting silly between naps. Playing fetch and barking at every little noise are her favorite activities.