let the season begin (insert accordian solo here).

My morning run & Belle and Sebastian's I'm a Cuckoo were interrupted by a brief phone call from one of my favorite girlfriends, who I call Mama Fox (she some-of-the-times refers to me as the Runaway Bunny & other times Peter Pan). I used the opportunity to stretch and cool down when a box labeled POETRY hanging from a wrought iron gate caught my eye. I peeked inside as I confirmed plans on the phone & pulled out an atomic green sheet of paper w/ not one but TWO poems (!!) printed in black. While saying goodbye to the other end of the line I folded up the pen-to-paper tangos, and then bolted down E Aloha (imagining that I was not running, but rather swinging through lush canopy formed by the trees on either side of the street-- these are the thoughts that keep my feet moving when I am tired from the previous mileage).

The last stanza of the second poem (both written by a man called Gary Snyder), read:

I pledge allegience to the soil 
of Turtle Island
and to the beings who thereon dwell
one ecosystem
in diversity
under the sun
With joyful interpenetration for all.

The first two lines of the piece, entitled For All, are "Ah to be alive/ on a mid-September morn". The sentiment is so relevant-- one I felt as my lungs filled with crisp almost-autumn air and then again with ev'ry exhalation... and one I felt yesterday while I visited Towan & he came over to the glass to show me his chalk drawing. My heart beats a little quicker when I share a moment like this with him. Mostly because he makes me feel like I'm not the only ape that is excited to share little bits of beauty w/ people nearby. That feeling of sameness is one of the more reassuring I've ever felt. I suppose I owe Mr. T and Gary Snyder a v.v. big Thank You! for providing reminders of why this mid-September is an especially lovely time to be living here in the now. 


The last day that I felt compelled to write, it was because of a person I met who invites adventure into his life, who sees magic in the tiniest places. When we are together strangers approach us for conversation & he is always ready to engage a new face in the Latest&Greatest. He is willing to allow a ten minute walk to take an hour, because he understands that sometimes one must stop and absorb ev'ry detail of this bustling world (& that takes time, takes patience). He doesn't mind that when I see a dead bumblebee on the sidewalk I have to pick it up and place it in a garden to rest in peace; he doesn't mind that when I see a piece of neat graffiti that I am compelled to photograph it and ponder the source; and most of all, he doesn't mind that inevitably at some point during our daily excursions I mention that I wish Towan could see ALL the things I see because I know with all my heart he'd feel so inspired and just as in awe of how strangely golden the world is (and his reactions would no doubt fuel his art).



Interpenetration is a word I had not known before reading it in Snyder's poem, but it is now one of my favorites. To wish for those around you to experience the visceral joy of being one with their environment and to take the time to be a part of whatever surrounds them is laudable. I have nothing but respect for the people & creatures who facilitate and encourage that experience. Towan lives at the zoo, which means he is limited to what shows up at his door-step, but! he never seems to miss a chance to investigate a novel garment or an interesting visage.

Perhaps, it is his ability to appreciate the little things that allows him to deal with annoyances so stoically. After showing me his art, he settled down to work on it some more. Bela followed him and made a grab for one of his two pieces of chalk. While her second attempt was successful, Towan did not seem to acknowledge her trespass. His tolerance is admirable, but then again he has so many traits that I admire and try to cultivate in my own self-- he is a Bodhisattva if there ever was one. 

--Emma (coffee with Towan)

Orangutan sisters share the same facial features... Would they share more, if they met?

Having a lovely conversation with Lucy, at the
National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

Well, this is fun! It turns out that orangutan sisters connect two of the bloggers who post to this intimate ape blog. I was a volunteer at the National Zoo in Washington D.C., where Lucy charms the visitors every day. Emma, of Coffee with Towan blogsite, frequents Seattle’s Woodland Zoo, where Melati charms her visitors.

It turns out that Lucy and Melati are sisters.

Check out how gorgeous (and similar) these two orangutan ladies are. Emma has posted delightful pictures of Melati at More Betty than Veronica, and I’ve posted my favorite picture of Lucy on the National Zoo orangutans page on my Chimp Trainer’s Daughter blogsite.

Melati is the older sister, one of a set of twins born in December 1971 to National Zoo’s Jennie and Jiggs, two wild-born orangutans. (The other twin, Mawar, died the day after her first birthday.) Lucy was born two years later, in March 1973.

Melati has had more permanence in her life. She was transferred to Seattle when she was 3½ years old, and she’s lived there ever since. Lucy was sent to Kansas City Zoo when she was only 2 weeks old, and has spent a lifetime on the road – from National Zoo to KC, then to Miami Metro Zoo, on to Monkey World, back to the zoo world at Pittsburg Zoo, and finally back home to National Zoo, where she is adored by all the zoo volunteers and visitors.

While Lucy loves watching the zoo visitors, she doesn't get along very well with the other female orangutans. I wonder what would happen if she met Melati? They were only at the same zoo for the first two weeks of Lucy's life, but would they connect like long-lost human siblings sometimes do? 

Leave a comment, and let us know what you think. How do you think Lucy and Melati would relate to each other, if they could meet for a moment in time?

one ape in particular

This is Towan (the same Towan mentioned in Sean's orangunookie post). At 43 he is entering old age for an orangutan, but he's more than achy joints and wrinkles-- he is an ambassador to his wild cousins in Borneo and Sumatra, allowing us city-folk a small glimpse into the ways of the arboreal ape.

Back in December I started a blog called Coffee with Towan so that I could share thoughts/observations & photos of Mr T and his family. Once in a while I throw in a set of gorilla or jaguar shots, but the orangs are my focus.

Towan, Chinta, Melati, Bela, and Heran each have incredibly varied personalities, yet all share enviable zen-like qualities. After having had the chance to observe them consistently for the past eight months, I can confidently say that no matter a person's gender, age, creed, music preference or hair color we can all learn something about ourselves from this awesome species. Here are some shots from a recent visit with Towan.