Summer Adventure: Creature Quest Gallery
June 7–13, 2026
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I had learned about an animal that I had never seen in person, the gemsbok. Otherwise known as South African oryx, the gemsbok is native to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and parts of Zimbabwe, residing largely in barren areas. They are primary able to survive off of their grazing diet, yet when grass is short during dry seasons they turn to browsing, supplementing water consumption with melons and cucumbers. They were introduced to New Mexico in the late 60s with 93 being released over 10 years with the and now hold an estimated population of 3,000. It is of note that these animals have the potential to be invasive, with natural predators such as lions, hyenas, cheetahs, jaguars absent in New Mexico, predators such as coyotes and mountain lions simply are not large enough to take down these 450 pound animals and the Mexican Wolf are too small in numbers to make any dent and thus hunting is how their population is controlled.
For Summer Adventure, I read Atomic Habits. The book taught me how small, consistent actions can lead to big improvements over time. My favorite idea was that making tiny changes every day can help build good habits and reach goals more effectively. Reading this book inspired me to be more organized, stay consistent, and focus on improving little by little each day. I enjoyed it because it was practical, motivating, and full of useful advice that I can apply in my own life.
Crows are my favorite animal, so I made a painting of a crow on an old book page. When the paint dried, I put the painting in UV resin. UV resin is a type of resin that dries quickly in the sun. That’s why I always do stuff with it on sunny days. When the resin cured/dried, I attached the jump rings and the keychain piece. I’m considering making a collection of animal paintings in resin.
I went to the park near my house. I really like going there because there are three cats that like to go there a lot. One is a fully black cat, one is a black cat with a white spot on its chest, and one is a calico cat. My favorite cat is the one with the white spot on its chest. I made flower leis for the cats. I thought they looked adorable, but the leis didn’t stay on for long.
Enjoyed reading, "Lowriders to the Center of the Earth." It is a trippy and wonderful expression of Aztec and Mexican cultures. I got to brush up on my Spanish. I loved seeing how Spanish words were used in the context of actual conversations. Sometimes when you are learning (or re-learning) a language, you don't get the full context of how they are used in everyday lives and settings. ¡Qué chido!
I did a river walk in Chicago and the high line in New York city--both are nature walks that have views of an urban area! Both were my favorite parts of the trip, it felt so good to be in a quieter, greener area (with water in Chicago!) that was still so close to the great food and architecture of the city. Like the perfect balance.
I recently went to the Califorina Academy Of Sciences, where we went into the rainforest exhibit. A butterfly went right over my head! I got to see up very close on the butterfly's wings. I also saw penquins in another exhibit. They were very cute. Another thing we did was walk through the new expierence, Vivid. On one of the screens, in one of the rooms, it went close up on a bugs face! In another room, it demonstrated how bats use echolocation. My favorite animal sceen, was in another room, a mantee (I think) was in the water.
I read National Geographic Koalas, by Laura Marsh. I love koalas- they are my favorite animal! This book is a great one, I would reccomend it. Dispite this book being more for little kids, I still like it at 9 years old. This book has really cute pictures and really funny jokes. My favorite joke is: Why do koalas carry babies on their backs? Beacause they can't get a stroller up a tree! (The real reason is because Joeys, a.k.a koala babies are to young to climb trees.) Anywho, this book is an awesome book, I would rate it 8.9 out 10 stars.
