I'm not a good person to ask about the blogmeet portion of the event, since Beloved Wife TNT & I didn't arrive until noon on Saturday (would've been 11, but we forgot that Indiana is on Eastern Time right now), and wimped out of the Lafayette Brewing Co. long before midnight - a little sleepy from the long drive, fighting to stay warm, and the yummy food & beer, both at TC's Restaurant and the LBC.

As for the Wolf Park experience itself, well, I've been there before, and all I can say is that it was even better the second time around. I already knew some of the names & history of the 4-legged residents, so there was a certain level of comfort upon returning. Not unlike visiting relatives for the holidays.

And I mean the GOOD relatives, not drunken Uncle Bob whose always trying to get you to invest in pyramid schemes.

Wes of Bodhran (Drum) Roll, Please! pointed out one of the biggest virtues of Wolf Park as a venue for observing wolves when he said, "there was no Disneyfication about wolves". All the romanticizing and mythology is stripped away. You see the wolves as they are. Although their environment is enclosed, there is no sense that the wolves feel confined. This is not a zoo. The wolves are free to be who they are and interact with each other as they see fit.

"But," I hear you ask, "can't you get all that from just watching a good nature documentary?"

Sort of, but - while things like the Dutcher's story, "Living With Wolves" would make good prep for a Wolf Park visit - it's just not the same. A documentary is heavily edited and only makes the points that its creators want to get across. At Wolf Park, the wolves show you how they live, in their own way, in their own time, and with no point to make other than "this is who we are".

What fascinated me about the visit is that 99% of wolf behavior happens for a reason. No matter if they're standing, sniffing, rolling in something, pawing at someone, or even laying in the grass, you can ask your tour guide "why?" and get yet another insight into the mind of these animals as they struggle to find a balance between amusing themselves individually and fulfilling their roles as pack members. Sometimes they vie for status. Sometimes they seek to reinforce the position they already hold. Sometimes they just want to roll in the grass because it tickles.

When approached with a philosophical mind, you may find yourself discovering parallels to your own life.

But even if you don't want to get THAT deep, there's also a distinct pleasure in the experience for dog owners. If you've had your dog for years, observing his behavior day after day, you'll tend to think of it in terms of how he's "just like a person". A trip to Wolf Park brings insight for how his behavior is "just like a wolf". You'll gain understanding as to which of your dog's actions result from domestication, and which are left over from the wild. At times you'll exclaim "my dog does that too!", and other times you'll be relieved that your dog has left his wild brethren's habits behind him. But in either case, you'll come away with a deeper knowledge of the "little wolf" in your house.

Best of all, Wolf Park also helps you comprehend these insights by providing a friendly, knowledgable staff that is positively giddy to answer any questions you have. Like anyone else who knows what they're talking about, they love to discuss any and all aspects of wolves, Wolf Park, wolf society, foxes, bison, habits, environments, and - of course - how you can get a chance to meet a wolf up close & personal.

Speaking of the staff, when Gale hands you a heavy, oddly-shaped object and asks you to guess what it is... well, I won't give it away, but I can at least tell you that you're holding it upside down. Hold it with the pointy things aimed towards the floor.

Also, be sure to ask Gale about the "skeletons in her closet". She's got a LOT of them, and isn't shy about sharing if you express an interest.

Oh, and I heard a rumor that she's got an intriguing exhibition planned for later this year. Still in the planning stages, but I hope it's up & running the next time I go to Wolf Park.

Now, as for the blogmeet portion of the experience, I'll make an observation that I've found holds true for every blogmeet I've been to. It was too damn short, and there wasn't enough time to chat with each person as I would've liked. In this case especially, because we were all either trying to stay warm, or sitting around a HUGE table, so mingling was restricted. So although I had a lot of fun at Wolf Park, I regret not arriving early enough to get in on some of the more free-form socialization at Blake's house the night before.

With those restrictions in mind, I'll say a few words about the bloggers I met for the first time:

Machelle of Quality Weenie - I'd always gotten the impression from her blog that she was quite outgoing. And this may be true when she's not freezing. But the sense that I got when I met her is that she's more of a listener than a talker. Unfortunately, so am I, so we didn't get to be as chatty with each other as we might under warmer and more mobile circumstances. Still, it was a pleasure to finally meet one of my oldest (blog-time-wise) and dearest blogdaughters in person.

Mrs. Wes - I never even got the chance to introduce myself, but I *did* notice that she asked a lot of insightful questions during the Wolf Park tour, so I know that she's thoughtful, bright, and engaging. When I finally get to meet her again, I know it'll be a good time. I suspect Wes is just being selfish and trying to keep her all to himself.

Oddybobo of Bobobloggger - No surprise at all. If you've ever read her blog or had her playing around in your comments, she's every bit as sweet, laughing and adorable in person as she is in writing.

BloodSpite of Technography - Like I've said, I'm a better listener than talker, so I was right in my element with BloodSpite, because he can tell you tales all night long and keep you entertained the whole time. For the record, he's neither as bloody nor as spiteful as his name implies :-)

BloodSpouse - After hearing what a wildman BloodSpite was in his youth, I wondered how he survived. Turns out that BloodSpouse had been a civilizing influence on him. She didn't get to talk a whole lot, since BloodSpite isn't the sort to leave a lot of dead air in a conversation. Nevertheless, from her patient smiles as he told stories that she'd probably heard a thousand times, I was left with the impression of a kind and supportive woman, and one VERY lucky man, who I hope realizes what a good deal he got :-)

J. Wiley of Back Home Again - He was a surprise. A lurker who popped in at the Lafayette Brewing Company to meet the crazy blog crew he'd been reading about for so long. Sadly, I only got to pass a dozen or so words with him while getting a beer from the bar (remember, big table, not much mingling - he was at the other end), but I was flattered and honored that he took the time to see us. I just wish I'd have known he was coming so that I could've read his blog & gotten to know him better. Ah, well, he's on the "Bloggers I've Met" roll, now, so I'll make up for it.

Also, if you're the sort who does, please include J's father in your prayers.

For further Howl on the Prowl reviews, see:

Contagion of Miasmatic Review
BloodSpite of Technography
That 1 Guy of Drunken Wisdom
Oddybobo of Bobo Blogger
Machelle of Quality Weenie (also some photos here)
Tammi of Tammi's World
Ktreva of The Reality Ranch (part 1 and part 2)
Wes of Bodhran (Drum) Roll, Please!
Blake of The Laughing Wolf

Posted by: Harvey at 07:06 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Fantastic post, but on the downside I guess this means I need to do a real wrap-up post too. Agree on wishing there had been more time just to talk, but there never is enough of that at any blogmeet.

Posted by: Laughing Wolf at February 26, 2006 07:29 AM (5cMH5)

2 I so wish I could have been there too... Even though it *was* the coldest weekend we have had! Glad you had a good time.

Posted by: Richmond at February 26, 2006 08:01 AM (e8QFP)

3 Damn....funny witty...and he's pretty damn accurate too Was great fun Harv, will def try to go again some time! However it will have to be somewhere, and time....warmer.....

Posted by: BloodSPite at February 26, 2006 08:14 AM (+SBBH)

4 I said the same thing about comparing my dogs to the wolves, very definate parallels and sometimes I wonder if mine are really all that domesticate. They act like animals at times.

Posted by: Machelle at February 26, 2006 10:55 AM (BksWB)

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