Tag: zoo

  • 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.

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    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.

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    It\’s your funeral.

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    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!

     

  • Tue Cent Twosday – Why Peacocks or, Jurassic Birds and How Not To Be Eaten at the Zoo

    Tue Cent Twosday – Why Peacocks or, Jurassic Birds and How Not To Be Eaten at the Zoo

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    When one sees a peafowl, or commonly \”peacock,\” one is struck by their beauty – particularly when they display their lovely tail feathers.  It turns out that they shed their tail feathers annually during a molt, and this is how peacock feathers are made available for purchase – the animals aren\’t killed for them.(1)

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    On a recent trip this month to the Brookfield Zoo, my husband\’s attention was caught by two peafowl wandering around right on the pedestrian road.  He crouched down, mesmerized, working to catch the closest one on camera.

    \”Uh, honey?  Your nine o\’clock,\” I warned.

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    He came right out from between the bushes, under the low hanging branch, right at my husband as he crouched there.  Michael even waited a moment or two, figuring he\’d stop or go around.

    Nope.

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    It\’s at this point we realized there were about ten peafowl converging on the spot where we\’d stopped to watch.

    My husband said, \”Clever girl,\” reminding us both of the movie Jurassic Park.  Remember, when the velociraptors attack from the side?

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    I couldn\’t quite catch all of them in the same shot, but they milled around us as though waiting to catch us with our guards down.

    Right.  We\’ve seen this movie, Mister Peafowl.  And thankfully, you\’re not as big as a terror bird; and they, thankfully, are extinct.

    Notes

    1. Lamplight Feather, Inc.; \”About Peacocks and Peacock Feathers,\” from URL located here.
    2. Chicago Zoological Society; Blog: Conservation Conversations with Jamie, \”Calling a Fowl,\” from URL located here.
  • Sunday Box Talk – Scheduling Fun

    Sunday Box Talk – Scheduling Fun

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    Unless you plan ahead, you will fail to catch what you\’re hunting. This is one of the two baby snow leopards at the Brookfield Zoo, as she tries to catch one of the hanging toys in her habitat.

    I know there\’s a lot of ink spent on talking about new year\’s resolutions about now.  I don\’t actually go in for that all that much, other than to set an intention for the Roman New Year, since, being Wiccan, my new year is actually at the end of October.  But I do think that taking advantage of the collective energy around goal-setting is useful.  Here, then, are some suggestions.

    Five Tips For Fun

    1. Put it in your calendar.  Each month, set aside at least one weekend day for an outing.  It doesn\’t have to cost – hiking is free, and many public events are too.  Here in Chicago, for example, the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Chicago Cultural Center are both free, as are libraries.
    2. Don\’t scoff at libraries; they\’ve had to make it into the twenty-first-century and have embraced it with ebooks, new media, and the old favorite, books.  You can get DVDs and music for free, and some offer laptops and even e-readers to patrons.
    3. Talk about it!  Go on Facebook or Twitter and make your intentions public – there\’s nothing like knowing others are watching to make us follow through on commitments – even commitments to fun!
    4. Check out meetup.com.  There are thousands of free events, all over the globe, for every type of interest.  If you don\’t find what you\’re looking for, consider starting one.  (Hosting a meetup isn\’t free, but it\’s not exorbitant either; many enterprising hosts, like me, say, ask for donations and receive enough to cover the fees that Meetup charges.  Attending is free; hosting is what costs.)
    5. Take pictures!  Use your smartphone, cell phone camera, or even kick it old-school and use a standalone camera to record your daily round.  Social media like Facebook and Instagram, not to mention photography forums like Imgur and Picasa, let you share with others around the globe.  Make new friends and share ideas!

    What about you, Dear Reader?  What fun is in YOUR calendar?

  • Z Is For… Zoo!

    Z Is For… Zoo!

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    I love going to the zoo. They serve an important function in the conservation of these amazing animals.  Brookfield Zoo here in Chicago is no exception.  Much of their work, besides creating a fun zoo to wander, is in helping many different species of animals to survive and thrive.  In fact, each of the signs describing the animals has a meter that shows where it is on the scale of wild populations.  Many of the animals at Brookfield, sadly, are endangered in the wild.

    When my husband and I visited recently, we lucked out: the pair of snow leopards had fallen asleep right next to the glass in the viewing area.  I got to sit on the ground, not two feet away from them, and study them for a full twenty minutes.

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    What about you, Dear Reader?
    What\’s your favorite animal to visit at the zoo?