Kyle the Crocodile

Hi everyone. I just got back from a short trip to Evanston and Northwestern University. 

It was my first time being around snow, and I’m still not quite sure if I like it or not. It’s very cold, and it’s tough to walk on the ground when it is icy. But streets are so pretty when they are covered with a few inches of snow… 

Looking at Snow

Evanston is directly north of Chicago itself, and like Chicago, it is right on Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan is so big — it looks like the ocean! The lake was frozen, and it was too cold and windy to get a picture of it this trip.  I did take a few pictures from the neighborhood where I was staying: 

Squirrel running in the snow

Evanston

Evanston

Since libraries are one of my favorite places (and because it was too cold to be outside for long), I spent most of my time at the Main Library on the Northwestern University campus. Northwestern was founded in 1851 and has around 8,000 undergraduate students and nearly 10,000 graduate students. 

The Main Library is unusual in its appearance. The design is curvy, which is rare for a library.  I felt like I had wandered into Hogwarts and kept expecting to see Harry Potter at any minute! 

Kyle in Deering Library

Look at all of the arches. When Mrs. Mounts gets back to school, we should ask her about this type of architecture. 

I wandered around and saw some fun things — a sculpture, some very old maps of the state of Illinois, and even some artwork. 

Kyle sitting on the lap of "The Scholar" in Deering Library, Northwestern Univ.

Kyle with a map of Illinois

Close-up view of the map of Illinois

The maps were from the library’s Special Collections — a group of rare or fragile artifacts, many of which are very old. You need to be extra careful when touching these objects, as they are often one-of-a-kind, or there are only a few left in the world. I had to be very gentle when touching these historic maps. 

I didn’t know that libraries had art, but this one did! 

Kyle in front of The Matrix at the Northwestern University. Library

This painting, The Matrix, was painted by Oli Sihvonen, and is on display in the Northwestern University Library. 

The libraries at colleges and universities are so much bigger than the public libraries in Raleigh or the media center at Sycamore Creek. I’m looking forward to seeing more!

Before I left Evanston, I finally got up the nerve to try to walk on the snow. Well, almost — I borrowed my friend’s glove and skated on that.

Kyle on the Snow

I’m going to Cambridge, MA (near Boston) this week, so maybe I’ll see more snow then.

You have been busy today! We appreciate all of your comments and love reading them. Thanks a lot.

I thought I would answer a couple of your questions here instead of trying to respond to each comment individually. There have been a lot of people asking if I, or one of the other crocodiles, can go with them on a trip. We love to travel and want to go on as many trips as possible.

If you want a croc to accompany you on a trip, ask Mr. Clobridge. He’s kind of like our travel agent. We travel so much that we need someone to keep track of where we are going!

You wanted a chance to see us…you’ve got it! After winter break we will be staying in the display case by the front doors at Sycamore for a while. There will be a world map showing you where we have been and some pictures from our travels. If one, or all of us, are away there will be sign in our place letting you know where we are!

Someone also asked how we type. Well, since our paws are so big (especially Carlyle’s — I mean his are huge!), we usually need some help from a human to write our posts.

That’s all for now. Look for more posts from our trips soon!

Kyle

I spent the weekend in the NC mountains near the town of Sparta.  I went with Croc students Patrick and Connor to choose a Christmas tree.  Sparta is North of Winston-Salem, you may want to check Google maps.  On the way there we passed a sign that said “Eastern Continental Divide 2974 feet.” What do you think that means?

In order to pass the time, my friend Connor was practicing his Cub Scout knots.  I think he still needs a little practice.

Connor Practicing Knots with Kirby

…Though the string was helpful when we stopped to take a break.

Kirby on a Leash

Once we arrived in Sparta, we stopped at a local arts and crafts fair. While there, I watched a man use a chainsaw to carve a bear out of a tree log.

Artist with Chainsaw

Kirby and the Artist

After the arts and crafts fair, we went to the tree farm.  I was amazed at the number of trees to choose from.

Kirby Scoping Out Trees

I found one that I thought would be the perfect size for me to take home to my croc family.

Kirby with a Tree

My traveling friends choose a much larger tree.  I climbed up and it was prickly.  When I got of the tree, there was something sticky on feet.  Patrick & Connor told me it was sap.  Why do you think trees have sap?

Kirby Climbing a Tree

While we were cutting the tree, it began to snow.  And I found some water that I was pretty sure I didn’t want to swim in, parts of the water were frozen. 

Snow in Fields

Very Cold Water

For the hike back, I hitched a ride in Patrick’s warm coat.

Keeping Warm

We went inside had hot cocoa and cookies.  Then I napped by the fire.

Cookies & Hot Chocolate

Resting with a Friend

Hi everyone! I thought you’d like to know that two of our crocs are getting ready to head out this weekend. Kirby is getting ready for his very first trip. He’ll be traveling out to the mountains where he’ll be helping cut down a Christmas tree. 

Katie is getting ready to leave to go visit the Biltmore in Asheville.

I can’t wait to learn about their trips!