Friday, July 25

Fun at the Zoo

On Thursday morning I picked the boys up at about 10:30 and we headed off to the zoo. Though the temperatures were to be reasonably cool, it turned into a very warm day, but at least there was no humidity.

We arrived at the zoo about 11:30. We've been to this zoo before but not for a couple of years.

The first thing we saw was this little guy. Jordan loved him and he seemed to like Jordan very well. We had purchased a bag of grain and one of peanuts when we entered the park and Jordan had the grain. This little guy is smart. He knew who had the good stuff.
The next thing we saw were two zebras. We tried to coax them over to the fence but they were enjoying a meal of hay and no amount of coaxing could make them leave it.
The two beautiful peacocks above strutted there stuff as the people passed by. Did you know that peacocks love peanuts and will actually fight over them. These guys were quick and Brandon enjoyed throwing the peanuts through the fence to them. Then the boys spied this little chipmunk. He was scurrying around in the grass near the capybaras. The boys had fun feeding him peanuts and he loved them. He stuck them in his cheeks and skittered away into the long grass to enjoy them. These beautiful flowers were growing around a fish pond. They are certainly beautiful. We stood and watched the fish while we waited for the show that would start at 12:00.

The first thing they brought out were some reptiles. The yellow and white one above is an African Albino Python. Jordan touched him but Brandon preferred not to.
After the reptiles the staff brought out the furry critters. The lion cub above loves doing the show and came racing out of the enclosure. There were two cubs and he is the largest of the two. We weren't allowed to touch him.
The smaller lion cub is more friendly with humans and we were allowed to touch him. He was soft as silk and had a nice personality.
The larger one stayed with the woman who was telling us all about the animals. See how he hangs onto her leg with his paws. It looks like he's trying to eat off her leg.
Another pose of the larger cub playing with the announcer. He is quite strong even though he is only a cub.
And here he is at the end of the show. He laid quietly and looked directly at us. He was adorable.

Next we got to pet a red fox. These animals live in the wild in this area and they are beautiful with their red coats. They eat mice, birds and other small creatures. Red fox smell kind of like skunk. The smell gives them some protection from predators.
The animal above looks like someone's pet dog, but it is really a wolf. The audience was not allowed to touch it and it dislikes noise, so we were asked to be very quiet as the young girl brought it around for us to see close-up.
This photo is a little blurry because the young lady didn't stop for photos with this guy. He isn't as comfortable around humans as some of the other animals.
Swans are magnificient creatures. So graceful and black swans aren't as plentiful as white swans. There were two of these swans in this area.
The boys have always liked meercats. This is a ring-tailed meercat, according to the sign.
The creature above is another kind of meercat but I don't remember what it was called. He is beautiful.
The monkey in the above photo was screaming his head off and making a terrible fuss. Something had upset him.
Then we came to the white-tailed deer. Remember Jordan had the bag of grain. This one is very interested in him.
Brandon had the bag of peanuts and the deer also enjoyed eating them. The boys love to feed the animals right out of their hands. There's nothing like being up close and personal with wild creatures.

The deer weren't shy at all. Jordan enjoyed feeding them grain. When the herd realized he had it, they all came toward the fence. This one didn't stray far until Jordan moved on.
And...the King of the Jungle. He was basking in the sun and taking a nap. He didn't even open his eyes as we passed.
If you look closely at the photo above, you can see the Koi. This is a pretty area.
As we were leaving the park we came across this African Crowned Crane. We waited around and tried to get him to turn around but he was only showing us his back.
Just before we left the zoo, Jordan fed some grain to this little guy and then gave the last of it to some goats. By this time we were all hot and tired and so we headed home to the AC and a nice cool glass of lemonade.
Take some time this weekend to get into the great outdoors and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. It's balm for the soul. ~Blessings, Mary~

20 comments:

  1. The zoo is always fun. I've never seen a snake that is so brightly colored. The lion cubs are so cute!

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  2. Ok...... it is official.... you are the BERRY BERRY BEST Grandmother in Canada and the US...... I know that , I just know that....... That day at the zoo had to be great for those two little boys..... How wonderful you are............ I love the Zoo and I would have been right there along side you all...........

    busy day here today and tomorrow........ all things are coming together.....FINALLY

    I have GREAT GREAT PICTURES You would be proud of me...........

    Hugs

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  3. I really enjoyed this post. The pictures are great, I love the zoo.

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  4. I haven't been to the Toronto Zoo for 20 years. Your pictures are great. I think I will go in the fall. The last time we went the children were small and it was so hot we got tired very quickly. There is so much to see there.

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  5. Thank you for the tour. Gosh as I was reading your post I realized it has been 5 years since we have been to the columbus zoo. We need to do that.

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  6. Mary, Mary, Mary.....this is ONE PERFECT entry today. What a wonderful, super blogging of the zoo adventure. Wish I had gone with you all.

    Except for that boa...or python...no mater which, it's a snake!! Uh-huh...shaking my head. Nope, nope, nope I'd not touch it either.

    You are one terrific grandmother. The boys are blessed to have you.

    Hope your Friday will treat you well. Giant hugs. And I sent an email to you for Jordan...especially to Jordan.

    Take care my friend!!!

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  7. I love zoos and at the same time I'm sad that the animals don't get to live in their natural habitats and must live behind fences and cages. I'm glad that weather cooperated with you.

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  8. Steve has brought me to that zoo a couple of times and I just love it:-) I recognize the python, they had brought it out to show the crowd and I even petted it...never thought I'd ever be petting a python! lol I so enjoyed looking at all your pictures, I love all the animals and those lion cubs are just adorable. Now you've made me want to go there again:-) xoxo

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  9. Wow Mary is there anything you wont do with your grandsons?? How wonderful you are. Great pictures. I know those boys are grateful to have you for their grandma:)love ya,
    Deb

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  10. What a fun outing! You got some many great photos at the zoo, and I bet the boys had an absolutely wonderful time!
    I know we've both said this before and will say it again, but grandchildren are certainly one of life's greatest blessings!
    xo

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  11. What a great place to visit!
    Most Zoo's have become so "polished" that you can't get anywhere near the animals. This looks like a great place for kids.
    It has been awhile since we have been to the zoo...we will have to see if they have one around here.
    Great picture by the way.

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  12. Hi. I enjoyed reading your blog. It is very interesting. Your photos are wonderful!

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  13. What a nice treat for the Grandsons. Those memories you make with them will not fade. Peace

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  14. That looks like such a fun day at the zoo, Mary!
    Wow, that snake...leave it to boys to want to hold it! Not me!
    And I would have never guessed that was a little wolf she brought out!

    I'm just finishing my whole week completely alone...it was good, but so glad my family's coming back today! :D

    Have a great weekend!
    ~Tammy

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  15. I had such a good time reading this and the photos are fantastic.

    Love the cubs and the snake handling.

    what a great day!!

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  16. I’m doing my best to catch up today and I want to thank you for making your entire post available in my ‘reader’ so I can read them in one fell swoop … creating a cumulative comment as I go … then leaving just one to conserve time as I continue to do my best to catch up with you. Looks like the ‘excitement’ in your neighborhood was interesting and I’m glad you’ve gotten to spend time with your grandsons. The swimming looked enjoyable too. Now this renovation looks like a BIG JOB to me. I’m glad you’ve had help and that progress is being made. Congrats on all your well-deserved awards and thanks for the linky-love. You do have a Brilliante Weblog here and I always enjoy my visits … even when I fail to stop and comment due to time constraints. I also enjoy your comments at my blog(s) when you have time to drop by. Finally these zoo photos are fun … especially the one where the lion cub was ‘wearing a halter & leash’ … and playing with the ‘handlers’ legs. Very cute (and would make a great Camera Critters post for the weekend). All the animals were wonderful and what a cute photo of Brandon feeding the little goat to top things off! Well done. Hope all’s well with you and yours. I’m doing okay and am looking forward to a bit of time between PSE classes so I’m hoping to I’ll have more time to visit. FYI - I've got a few cute 'links' in today's post at Small Reflections you and your grandsons might enjoy.
    Hugs and blessings,

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  17. We took the girls to the zoo early summer, and it got hot. But it was fun. We saw a peacock working on a hotdog - I took several pictures, but didn't get just the shot I was hoping for.

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  18. Mary,

    What a wonderful trip for you and the boys! I love the photos. Thank you!

    Hugs,
    Tina

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  19. We haven't been to the Buffalo zoo yet. I will have to put that on our "to do" list for next week (if it stops raining, that is!)

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