Good morning my friends and welcome! Have you noticed that weekends aren’t quite what they used to be? Even so, though, we will celebrate the beginning of the weekend in style this morning, and with hopes that this weekend will bring joy in one form or another. For me, it means that at least I don’t have to cook, for daughter Chris cooks on Saturday night, and Miss Goose on Sunday, so I do get a break.
The folks at the San Antonio Zoo in Texas did not waste their time while the zoo has been closed due to the pandemic! These folks played with Lego building blocks! Take a look at some of the things they built …
Amazing, aren’t they? I used to build with Lincoln Logs when I was a kid, and managed to do a windowless log cabin a time or two, but that was the extent of it for me! This Lego zoo is awesome, and … the icing on the cake is that you don’t have to mingle and mix, but you can see all the Lego-critters from your car as you drive through.
The “Wild Connections” exhibition of animal sculptures was created by famous New York artist Sean Kenney, who is also a certified Lego professional. Who knew there was such a thing as a ‘certified Lego professional’??? These animals are entirely made from Lego bricks and will be on display until September 5th. The exhibition features over 30 LEGO sculptures, created with more than three million LEGO pieces, of animals like pandas, lemurs, tortoises, birds like peacocks and bald eagles, and even insects like bees and butterflies.
Each sculpture is unique and took a lot of time and patience to make. For example, the sculpture of baby pandas took 405 hours to make and the artist used 53,460 bricks to build it, whereas the sculpture of a bald eagle took 184 hours and 42,198 bricks to build. It’s good to know that artists like Sean Kenney used the global lockdown to create and shed some light in these uneasy times!
Says Tim Morrow, President and CEO of the San Antonio Zoo …
“LEGO bricks have been a large part of many childhoods sparking curiosity, ingenuity, and creativity. Now they can be experienced larger than life, in nature by families visiting the zoo. These giant plants, animals, and bugs are the perfect complement to a zoo visit.”
I hope you enjoyed seeing these amazing creations! Hopefully, by next summer, we can see the animals up close and in person, but for now, aren’t these grand?
Have a fun weekend, whatever you do!
this is awesome! thank you for sharing 🙂❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure!!! I am in awe of such talent!
LikeLike
Namaste, Miss Jill! The Lego Zoo is a double WOWZA! Mr. Sean is the bestest Lego builder ever! I love Legos and I have lots and lots of them at home and at Gem’s. I don’t know how many Legos I have. There’s too many to count but it’s not 3 million. I would need a humongous room to keep them in and they would cost lots of dollars too. Maybe when I get bigger I can build awesome things like Mr. Sean if I keep practicing. I will, cause building things with my Legos is fun and playing with them is fun too. WNBHAK!! I love you muchly! Thank you for my special Lego letter and Bye!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Namaste, Benjamin!!! I was so hoping that you would love the Lego zoo!!! Yes, Mr. Sean is a great Lego builder, and Gem tells me that he has some books about it, too! I think that when you are bigger, you will be just as good, maybe even better, as Mr. Sean! Keep building! Have Gem send me some pictures of your creations! Love you muchly too, my young friend! 💕
LikeLike
L@@K at the s i z e of them!@!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know!!!! Amazing, isn’t it?
LikeLike
I love, love this Lego zoo!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had a feeling you might! Perhaps you and your students could build something similar in your classroom … in a year or so when it’s safe to have classrooms again!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Benjamin, a Lego aficionado since his toddler years, will love this “Letter from Miss Jill”! WE LOVE LEGOS! Legos inspire the imagination, promote unlimited creative thinking and encourage problem solving for children…the benefits are endless for a child’s growth and development…for “children” of my age too! Many the hours that we spend building and playing with the creations constructed from the multitude of Lego containers and kits that we continue to accrue. We even have a 36 x 50 inch Nilo playtable just for the Legos. This is an astounding accomplishment by New York Lego Professional Sean Kenney!! Bravo to the San Antonio Zoo for providing a home to these fantabulous Lego sculptures! Thank-you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I recalled that he loves Legos, so I was hoping he’d get to see this ‘letter’ from me! I’d much rather see kids building and creating with Legos than sitting pushing buttons on a video game for hours on end. I’m glad you enjoyed the post and hope he will, too!
LikeLike
Wow. What amazing LEGO sculptures! I had no idea of LEGO’s versatility.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are amazing, aren’t they! I did another post early in 2019 with some great Lego sculptures that you may enjoy: https://jilldennison.com/2019/04/06/saturday-surprise-legos-n-squirrels-n-a-town-for-sale/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for sharing the photos!.. they are amazing and it is something creative being done for the enjoyment of many, not something destructive leading to pain and anger!… 🙂
Nothing remains the same, every day bring change in some form and those that welcome change evolve and continue on their road to happiness, those that do not go the way of the dinosaur… 🙂
Until w meet again, hope all is well in your part of the universe and all your tomorrows are filled with love and happiness… 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad you liked the Lego zoo!!! Yes, Legos and other creative toys like them encourage imagination and creativity … so much more so than the video games that kids spend hours each day on. These animals amazed me … the patience it must have taken!!!
You’re so right about change … it is hard, sometimes, but nothing remains the same, and we must have the flexibility to change with the times, else we are left behind and stagnate. All is well in my part of the universe … how about yours?
LikeLike
Doing okay here, dealing with a bit of hot and humid weather at the moment…more like living in the Amazon than the prairies… 🙂 just following my heart while being me and enjoying each day because it won’t come again….. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hear you on the hot and humid! 93° here today with a heat index of 101°. Needless to say, I’m staying in with the a/c on! Yep, keep on being you, for you cannot do otherwise … besides, I like who you are! Take care, my friend!
LikeLike
Thank you for your kind words, I kind of like who I am also… “It is not easy to find happiness within ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.” (Agnes Repplier).. 🙂 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always did LOVE that song! Thanks!
LikeLike
Amazing, Jill. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure! They are fun, aren’t they?
LikeLiked by 1 person
YUP
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think the pics are wonderful. In fairness, I’m a huge fan of Legos, which I view as one of the best inventions in play in the last 150 years.Without imagination, people are really boring.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are so right about that! I would far rather see a child building, creating with Legos than sitting in front of a video game pushing buttons for hours on end. I’m glad you liked the Lego zoo!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I often think how much fun it would’ve been to be a Lego designer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s never too late, y’know! I haven’t the patience … plus my hands often shake, which could lead to a Lego disaster!
LikeLiked by 1 person
at 67, bit old for another career, have 2 already
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, two is probably enough, but 67 is still young … I’ve got you beat by two years!
LikeLiked by 1 person
what an amazing LEGO zoo; LEGOs are the best toy ever created…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Y’know, I think I agree with you about Legos being the best toy ever, for they encourage creativity and patience, two things we all need to learn. And they’re fun, too! Glad you liked the Lego Zoo!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
we used to take a big box of them on vacation with us when our kids were younger…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very interesting – makes me want to adjust my glasses
LikeLiked by 1 person
You mean, it doesn’t make you want to run right out and buy a bunch of Lego blocks? Hmmmm … I wonder what you would build?
LikeLiked by 1 person
a beautiful wall????
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, if you could build one to imprison a certain orange-skinned creature currently living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue …
LikeLiked by 1 person
Outstanding. What a great idea!!😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought it might appeal to you!
LikeLike
Absolutely fantastic! This is great, Jill. Thanks for sharing. 🙂 — Suzanne
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you liked it! Now, are you going to buy some Legos and build one yourself? Send me a picture when you’re done!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t hold your breath, Jill. 😀 — Suzanne
LikeLiked by 1 person
😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
We saw a documentary about Lego – the best job in the world and very hard to get in is to go and work on the creative team at Lego headquarters. I was always envious of my friend’s little brother for having the new Lego. Couldn’t wait to buy some for our children and they and their partners are still playing with it – the xmas present ( not cheap ) of choice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My son, the only one in the family with artistic talent, used to spend hours building fabulous things with Lego. I never managed more than something like a fence, or a brick building (no windows)!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jill, truly amazing. Thanks for sharing this artwork. Keith
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Takes a lot more patience than I have!
LikeLike
Amazing! How does the “professional” know how many legos it takes to make one of the figures? Does he count them? One, two, three….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, that’s a darn good question! Never thought about it, but that would be tedious, wouldn’t it? Then again, just building one of these would be more than my limited patience could endure.
LikeLike
Amazing creations! so very clever!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you liked them! Hope all is well with you and Anita!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Slow going, Jill…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know … too slow. Keeping you in my heart.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Jill…
LikeLiked by 1 person
That could be time well spent during a covid`19 Lockdown if you happen to have a couple of million bricks handy,
Cwtch
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hey, David, forget the couple of million Lego bricks! Who the hell has the time and money to employ Lego Bricklayers? I appreciate the beauty, but why aren’t they spending their ill-gotten gains curing Covid! That’s the kind of ingenuity we need today, not brick counters: four… five… six… thousand… miliion…
How long does it take to count to a billion… Not in my lifetime!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ah, but not everybody has the same skills and talents, my friend. I cannot cure the virus, but I can write a halfway decent blog. We all contribute in whatever way we can, and what would the world be without the beauty provided by artists in every form — visual, music, literature?
LikeLiked by 1 person
You don’t really think I;m going to try just so you get an answer do you?
Cwtch
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awwww, come on, I tried when I was about 16. Gave up around 62,197. I think. Fell asleep.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Let’s see, that’s 17 hours and 17 minutes that you spent counting. A full day without taking time out for even a meal!
LikeLike
Some I counted inside my head. Was that cheating?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Probably, but I’m sure Gail was glad of the respite!
LikeLike
Way before Gail. Long long before Gail. After Barbera, but before Linda. God I’m old.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my! And still you can keep them straight! See, your memory is still razor-sharp!
LikeLike
Lol. I stopped after Linda because that’s where my memory fails me. There were a lot of short romances. Fifteen years before I actually tested marriage. That pretty much killed me for another twenty years. (After the break-up, not before.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
You have lived an interesting life … at least you’ve lived it, which is more than some do.
LikeLike
Oh, and by the way, it is actually longer than that. The bigger the number, the longer it takes to say it, as in Siixty-one thousand, one hundred, and one. Sixty-one thousand, one hundred and two. … Sixty-one thousand, one hundred, and twenty-two. Sixty-one thousand, one hundred, and twenty-three. Am I putting anyone to sleep yet? Sixty-one thousand, one hundred, and forty-seven….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Quite right … I hadn’t considered that. Okay, you can stop now … 😴 💤💤💤
LikeLike
One joy in my life, putting others to sleep, and you want me to stop? Oh, you are a hard woman, Jill. Hope you’re nicer to your man-friend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Heh heh … probably not. Deep down, I’m nice, but I do have a quick comeback for most everything. Comes from years in the business world, I suppose. Or, perhaps it’s just my natural persona.
LikeLike
Right … and a place to build all these things! Heck, you don’t have room to build a teeny-tiny birdhouse, let alone a giant polar bear!
Cwtch
LikeLiked by 1 person
Trump wanted to jumpstart his economy. Maybe the work put into these will give him a ‘LEGO -up’!
LikeLiked by 3 people
🤣🤣 Yep, you’re feeling better … your humour is back!
LikeLike