Category: Uncategorized

  • It Came From the Ocean

    The Dogs of the Sea – Harbor Seals

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    He came over to see what we were doing.

    Or, to fish or check out his tank.

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    This is actually a Grey Seal, I believe, if I\’m reading my notes correctly.  The fatter speckled ones are the Harbor Seals, I think.

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    I wish I had video of this one.  He was hysterical.  He came out of his enclosure, barking, and waving his head back and forth like Stevie Wonder.  We think it may have been near the time they are fed.

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    This looks like it\’s on its side, but it\’s actually not – I was trying to get both of them in the same shot.  The one on the right seems to be the harbor seal, and the one on the left is the grey seal.

    I love their whiskers!

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    One more of this show-off as he came over and came up out of the water for me.

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    These are the seals I grew up around – California sea lions.

    So, I said yesterday I\’d tell you a story about Pier 39.  When I was a kid, Pier 39 was a fun place to go.  It\’s located on the bay in San Francisco, California, USA, and is literally the 39th pier along the wharf.  Filled with shops and eateries, it\’s a good place to spend an afternoon.

    Back then, the sea lions would come up along the shore under the wharf, which was a wooden structure along the coastline on top of which were built the shops and such.

    And the tourists, predictably, would feed the seals.

    A few years ago, there were reports of the now aggressive seals coming up onto the wharf and attacking tourists for food.  I\’m not sure how exaggerated those reports were, but let\’s face it: this is an animal weighing several hundred pounds.  It isn\’t the most agile on dry land, but it can move along at startling velocity.

    As much as I joke about wanting to pet the animals at the zoo, one must always remember that these are wild animals, and we are guests in their demesnes.  When researching some of my posts for the challenge, I happened to look up lions and human interactions, and came across several awful posts of recent deaths of photographers who, in their hubris, forgot this simple fact.

    These are wild animals, not pets.

    But I still wanna pet one.

    Remember, A-Z fans, tomorrow has no post, being Sunday; check back on Monday when I reveal what the heck animal begins with the letter \”I\” – and it wasn\’t easy!

     

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    My theme on my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature and the Built Environment.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.

    The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

    The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

    The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

  • Good Things Come In Threes

    Good Things Come In Threes – Trees with G\’s

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    My theme here at my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature and the Built Environment.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and built environment.

    I stared at this group of trees and started seeing \”G\” shapes all over the place.

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    The theme on my main blog, Explore the Worlds of A. Catherine Noon, is The A To Z of the Zoo.  Join me as I explore Brookfield Zoo and finds animals, birds, and insects from A to Z.

    The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

    The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

    The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

     

  • Number One Goose, and Giraffe Have Long Tongues

    Okay, \”G\” is a bonus letter day because I have a ton of pictures of geese at the zoo, because they make me laugh; and I took some pictures of the giraffes on my last visit.

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    This big guy was nesting in a planter immediately in front of the restaurant windows.

    Next to the stairs.

    And he was hissing.

    Hrr?

    Okay, giraffe it is then!

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    Their tongues are black!

    I had no idea of this fact until I saw this lady mackin\’ on the tree.

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    I\’m pretty sure this is the two-year-old male that lives in the enclosure with the three other lady giraffes.

    They are so dopey-looking when they walk around, and especially when they run.

    I still wanna pet one.

    Tomorrow, we visit the harbor seals and I\’ll tell you a story about Pier 39.

    Bonus, for you fans of Noon & Wilder – for the holidays this past year, we wrote a short story, Six Geese Laid – A Holiday Fable.  The talented Vance Bastian performed it on the WROTE podcast.  If you haven\’t had a listen, step on over there and give it a try.

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    My theme on my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature and the Built Environment.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.

    The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

    The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

    The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

  • Hit the Fence

    My theme here at my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature and the Built Environment.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and built environment.

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    This one\’s a double entendre in that it\’s visually an \”F\” and it\’s a fence.

    For some reason, I found this exceedingly funny when I was out photographing.

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    The theme on my main blog, Explore the Worlds of A. Catherine Noon, is The A To Z of the Zoo.  Join me as I explore Brookfield Zoo and finds animals, birds, and insects from A to Z.

    The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

    The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

    The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

  • Too Foxy!

    Fennec Foxes!

    I adore these little guys.  Their ears are bigger than their heads, practically!  While they have a large desert-like enclosure in which to play, I\’ve only ever seen them curled up in their nest, snoozing.

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    It\’s tough getting the lighting right, because they\’re in a very dark enclosure.  This one is the center fox, but if you look carefully, you can see his mate\’s ears just behind his haunches and realize that there\’s a whole second fox back there.

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    I tried to get a better framing for them both, but the rear fox is in too much shadow.

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    I managed to catch it on this one, but kneeling down practically on the same plane as their bed.

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    There are actually three foxes in this picture, as this next series was taken on a different day.  You can see more of the right one\’s nose and face structure.  His ears really do dominate his head.

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    He\’d almost drifted off here, and you can see the other two\’s ears even though most of their bodies are in shadow.

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    Something caught his attention, I don\’t know what. (I\’m using \”he\” in the indefinite form here; I don\’t know their sex.)

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    This one\’s a little clearer just on the one who\’d raised his head.  What you can\’t see from this angle is that the rock on the right leads out to their main enclosure, so they get sounds that echo in from the walkway that patrons travel.  I wonder if he heard something there, or if my camera shutter was annoying him.  I don\’t know if he can hear it through the lucite, but with those ears, I\’d imagine so.

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    Aaaand, nap time in three… two…

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    …one…

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    I really wanted to get a close-up on their ears, but was having a devil of a time with the lighting.  I like this one, though, because it\’s pretty clear on the right-hand fox.  I couldn\’t quite get the other two clearly enough to be visible.

    Come visit tomorrow for G is for…

    … well, I haven\’t decided.  Goose or Giraffe, we\’ll see.  Maybe both.

     

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    My theme on my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.

    The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

    The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

    The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

  • The Largest E You\’ll Ever See

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    My theme here at my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.

     

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    The theme on my main blog, Explore the Worlds of A. Catherine Noon, is The A To Z of the Zoo.  Join me as I explore Brookfield Zoo and finds animals, birds, and insects from A to Z.

    The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

    The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

    The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

  • Stephen Colbert Ain\’t Got Nuthin\’ On Him!

    E Is For Eagle!

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    Nestled in a fairly small enclosure between the bears and the wolves is this lovely fellow.  It\’s a bit of a sad story; he was injured and can no longer fly; therefore, he cannot be released back into the wild.  I\’ve seen a few bald eagles in the wild, but always at a distance.

    They\’re big damn birds, that\’s for sure.

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    He seemed to be keeping sentry over the picnic area, and if I\’m not completely mistaken, he was watching a very loud little boy with a dour eye.

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    The minute I thought that, he turned.

    \”He\’s looking at me, Ray.\”

    (Think the first Ghostbusters.)

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    He has a piercing stare, and that beak looked plenty dangerous.  I\’m curious if the videos with Stephen Colbert and eagles ever featured a live eagle?  That must be something.  Look at how powerful those talons are!

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    He didn\’t move very much, content to perch on his branch, so the photos are all very similar.

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    I said to my husband, \”Honey, let\’s go.\”  And he turned and looked at me again.

    o.O…

     

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    My theme on my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.

    The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

    The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

    The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

  • The D in a Tree

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    The letter D in tree branches.

    My theme here at my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature and the Built Environment.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.

     

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    The theme on my main blog, Explore the Worlds of A. Catherine Noon, is The A To Z of the Zoo.  Join me as I explore Brookfield Zoo and finds animals, birds, and insects from A to Z.

    The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

    The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

    The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

  • Dogs – Of the African Wild Variety

    Dogs – Of the African Wild Variety

    I first encountered African wild dogs at the zoo in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, a state to the south of where we live.  I\’m not sure how, but I\’d never encountered them before.  When we became members at Brookfield Zoo, I discovered a whole habitat for African wild dogs that allows them to run around and, well, be dogs.

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    This agile little fellow spotted the meat hanging from a tree, which handlers do in order to keep the dogs\’ hunting behaviors sharp.  While they\’re not pet dogs, this one sure looked like what my dog would look like if she came across steak in a tree.

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    Hut!  Hut!  Up he goes.

    I love the ruff on the back of their neck and shoulders.  They\’re really pretty, with rounded ears that definitely give them a not-dog appearance.

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    Success!  You really get an idea of their physical power when you watch an animal like this pull meat off a hanging thingie.

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    Look at that face!  More like a bear than a dog, yes?  He caught sight of his mates squabbling over some bones over in another part of the enclosure.

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    The interesting thing here was that the smaller dog kept whining and what we think must be a growl when the bigger one wanted to take the rack of ribs away.  They did not bite each other, however.  Only the bones.

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    The interloper didn\’t dive right in between the other two, but waited around the edges without making noise or getting too close.

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    The third one circled to investigate, but went back to his steak in a tree.

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    The two kept arguing over who would get the rib rack.  Again, neither one bit the other; they only vocalized, (the smaller one did, anyway), and circled around the bones.

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    My theme on my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.

    The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

    The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

    The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

  • Urbanscapes and Letterforms in the Built Environment

    Urbanscapes and Letterforms in the Built Environment

    \"Screen

    I\’m tempted to leave this picture stand on its own merits, because \”a picture\’s worth a thousand words.\”  But I\’m proud of it, and figured I\’d share why:

    I\’ve been a photographer since high school, when I was privileged to take two years of art photography with one of our better teachers.  We were given black and white film, ASA 100, and taught to see the world around us with new eyes.  This is well before the digital revolution took the photographic world by storm.

    Fast forward to a few years ago, when high-quality digital cameras first started appearing in cell phones.  What a revolutionary idea for me!  I\’d resisted joining the digital photography movement because I prefer to shoot with an SLR camera (Single Lens Reflex) and the little point-and-shoot jobbies didn\’t satisfy.  But now, with my ubiquitous phone, it allowed me to snap things as I saw them, instead of lament not having a digital SLR.  (In a side note, I inherited my husband\’s old SLR when he upgraded to his new one in his freelance photography business, and I once again can wander around of an afternoon haunting my environment.)

    This particular image caught my eye on a bridge over the railroad tracks near the Chicago Art Institute, the subject of my \”A\” entry on the main blog of this very website.  The bridge is made of cast concrete, and joined with whatever substance one uses to join such things.  I caught sight of this obvious \”C\” and had to have it.  It\’s a hyper-close-up, as the original object is only a few inches across, smaller than the length of my hand.

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    The theme on my main blog, Explore the Worlds of A. Catherine Noon, is The A To Z of the Zoo.  Join me as I explore Brookfield Zoo and finds animals, birds, and insects from A to Z.

    The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

    The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

    The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

  • Wray-Wray\’s Namesake – When You Find Your Name on a Camel

    Wray-Wray\’s Namesake – When You Find Your Name on a Camel

    Today\’s letter in the A to Z Blog Challenge is \”C,\” for Chicago, and crayons, and calisthenics.  Catherine, cranberries, chocolate, cocoa, and coffee. Coffee, and coffee, and coffee, and …

    Ahem, where was I?

    Camels!

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    As you walk down the path from the North Gate of the Brookfield Zoo, and come around to the right between the butterfly tent and one of the beer sheds, you come to the world-famous Bactrian Camels.  They have two humps.  A one-humped camel is called a dromedary.

    And now, for something completely different:  a short limerick, by Ogden Nash:

    A one \”L\” lama is a priest.

    A two \”L\” llama is a beast.

    But I would bet my pink pajama

    There\’s no such thing as a three \”L\” lllama.

    My favorite part about that poem is the footnote from Mr. Nash:  \”I received the following response from a reader:  \’a three \”L\” lllama is a conflagration.\’  To which I say, \’Pooh.\’\”

    I adore Mr. Nash.

    (If that doesn\’t make sense, say \”three \’L\’ lllama\” out loud and think New York City.)

    Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program:

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    There are two camels in the enclosure, and I read that they are both female.

    The best part?

    One is named Ray-Ray.

    Rachel Wilder, my beloved coauthor, has a nickname.  Wray Wray.
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    Wait, what?

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    Wray Wray.  You know, like the camel.

    \"20160326_0015\"

    Um…

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    Of course it\’s a good idea!  She has a mascot now!

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    I\’m not so sure this is a good idea…

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    I just won\’t tell her then.

    \"20160326_0019\"

    It\’s your funeral.

    \"20160326_0020\"

    Why am I carrying on an imaginary conversation with a camel??

    Stay tuned tomorrow for Dogs – of the African Wild Variety.

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    My theme on my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.

    The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.

    The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

    The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!

  • Bears Napping, Bears Pacing, Bears, Bears, Bears! B Is For Bears!

    Bears Napping, Bears Pacing, Bears, Bears, Bears! B Is For Bears!

    There are many bears at the Brookfield Zoo.  There are polar bears, and brown bears, and black sloth bears, not to mention the red pandas over in the Hamill Family Wild Encounters.

    Bears are, however, difficult to photograph because their dens have thick Lexan between us and them – which, all things considered, is just as well because I don\’t want to be a bear\’s dinner.  (The fact I\’d love to pet one isn\’t really relevant to this particular discussion, and the Encounters I mentioned let you do just that – so that will be on our list to visit next time we head over to the zoo.)

    I was able to snap this shot of the snoozing polar bear over the fence.  His face surprised me by how similar it is in appearance to some breeds of dogs.    He looks so cozy here, doesn\’t he?

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    Is there such a thing as a \”bear nap?\”  Cats can\’t have all the fun, now can they?

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    See what I mean about the Lexan here? It\’s got a heck of a glare.  I like this shot because it gives you some idea of his size; I\’m standing maybe five or six feet away from him.

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    He has an interesting ridge on his nose.  It seemed like he was trying to smell something.  In this shot, he more resembles a seal in his facial structure.

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    You can really see the resemblance to a dog here.

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    I\’m disappointed at the glare in this shot, because he looks adorably sleepy.  He had a lie down right after this, but I couldn\’t do it justice with the lighting.

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    I thought I got several more shots of the brown bear, and now that I\’m typing, I\’m thinking it may actually be a grizzly?  Not sure.  But this one startled me because of how friggin\’ huge he is.  You can\’t tell it in this shot, but there are actually two bears in the enclosure, sound asleep.  I couldn\’t get the other one to come out with the lighting because they were so shadowed; I\’m not sure if thi one is the male or the female.

    The ears are adorable, nu?

    Totally want to scritch his/her head, too.  Last thing I\’d ever do, but omg.  Cute!?

    Check back on Monday for C Is For Camel – remember, no post on Sunday!  (Thank you J. K. Rowling for that earwig.)

    Thank you for joining me for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave me a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

    • My theme on my Knoontime Knitting craft blog is Letterforms In Nature.  I’ll be exploring my daily round, looking for shapes in the natural world and build environment.
    • The theme at Noon & Wilder is The A To Z of Chicago.  Since I live here in the city and we have our Chicagoland Shifters based here, I figured I’d share a window into the city, Noon & Wilder style.
    • The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12th to the 17th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!
    • The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from me, Noony; my partner in crime, Rachel Wilder (the Wilder half of Noon & Wilder); the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

    My friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and I’ll add you!):

    Write on, and Happy Blogging!