Great things about being blind. Touching animals.

Yesterday, I mentioned being able to touch a stuffed loon at a camp site museum. It reminded me of other times when I got to touch stuffed and mounted animals. One of the most memorable times occurred when I was running day camps for kids who were blind several years ago. I contacted the museum of nature and they were willing and eager to give us a special tour, take some animals out from behind glass, and let us touch them. I was more excited than the kids I think and I loved that day and still think of it. They let us touch squirrels, chipmunks, different birds (humming birds, owls, jays for example) they let us touch a beaver, a rabit, a polar bear, moose. It was so fascinating. I never knew what the animal fur or feathers felt like. I never knew their sizes, shapes. I could hear birds flying. I could hear the humming bird humming around flowers but didn't know how little it was. I heard the sounds of owls but could never imagine their shapes. Feeling a beaver's tail helped me to realize how they use them to signal danger. It was an amazing experience from start to finish and I will never forget it.