Bobbing For Apples

The week after Harvey's visit,

the Houston Zoo decided to "proceed as scheduled"

with their annual Asante member dinner.

Believe me,

we all needed the break.

A lovely break it was.

Do you remember bobbing for apples?

I do!

It was one of the fun things that happened in the fall.
Well, elephants enjoy bobbing for apples, too!

Miriam is getting ready to toss apples into the pool for
Baylor and Duncan.

And, BOB they did! 

I'm not sure who had the most fun,
the elephants or the folks watching!

It was a lovely evening,
 a wonderful dinner,
fun time with the Asian elephants
and with friends.
A wonderful break from all Harvey wrought.

Back to the real world.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Mosaic Monday

It's Baby Time!

It's baby time at the Houston Zoo.

This is Baridi, the newest member of the Giraffe herd.

He was 6' 6" tall at birth and weighted in at 165 pounds.

Baridi means cold in Swahili. He was born on a very cold morning.

Meet Duncan, the newest member of the Asian Elephant herd.

He was 6 days old when I visited.

He's with his Mom, Shanti.

Thank you, Misty!

And thank you Eileen at Saturday's Critters.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Play

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Splash Time!

I've spent a wee bit of time at the zoo lately -- especially with the Asian Elephants.

This is Mithai.

She celebrated her 44th birthday earlier in May.

She is the matriarch of the herd and spends a lot of time keeping the youngsters in line.

A little Spa time before dealing with the kids.

Mithai with Baylor.

He gets a little rambunctious and picks on little Tupelo.

Mithai decided Baylor should just stay in the pool!

Splash time!

Tess (Tupelo's Mom) and Shanti (Baylor's Mom) let Mithai discipline Baylor.

Looks like fun!

Baylor really does think he is the star of the show.

He is named after the Baylor College of Medicine.

BCM and the Houston Zoo have joined together to do research on the

Elephant Herpes Virus which is deadly to Asian Elephants in captivity and in the wild.

They've made progress -- especially in finding new treatments. 

Thank you to Mary for hosting Mosaic Monday

and to Misty for the wonderful Camera Critters.

Thanks for visiting and don't forget to check out my

Blog-O-Birthday celebration.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Camera Critters: Methai

Asian Elephant - Eye of Methai -- Houston Zoo


"I often ask myself at what point can a man and a beast that cannot talk recognize each other.
From the early paradise, at the dawn of creation, runs the path where their hearts meet.
Although their connection has long been forgotten,
traces of their continuing association has not been erased.
And, suddenly, in a wordless harmony,
a dim memory awakens and the beast looks on the face of the man with tender trust
and the man casts his eyes upon the beast with an amused tenderness.
It is as if two friends, both wearing masks, meet
and vaguely recognize each other through their disguises."
~ Rabindranath Tagore

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Pancakes With The Pachyderms

There is just no better way to start off a Holiday week for me

than to go to the Houston Zoo.

Last weekend was Pancakes with the Pachyderms,

a celebration of the opening of the completion of the McNair elephant habitat

and, as you can tell,

taking pictures of the pancakes wasn't on my list of things to do!

I will say that breakfast was very good ... a whole buffet spread

that included eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, pancakes, scones, breakfast rolls,

Mimosas, Bloody Marys and you could order up an omelet if you wished.

 

 The stars of the show were the Asian Elephants.

Tess (with the blond hair at her ears), 

Tupelo (Tess' calf),

Baylor and Shanti (Baylor's Mom).

Baby Tupelo seems to always take over the show.

What a cutie and such a little squirt!

Tupelo had an exciting morning and was resting and thinking

about what to get into next!

Tupelo and Baylor love their new space.

It includes a big pool for them to play in.

Baylor trying to goof off with his Mom, Shanti.

Shanti is very patient!

This is Thailand.

Dad to Tupelo and Baylor.

A big thank you to Misty for being our hostess for Camera Critters.

Wishing YOU well and a JOY filled weekend.

Elephant Bath

Earlier in the summer, before it got too hot for man or beast,

the Houston Zoo had a open house at the elephant barn.

Tess and her calf, Tupelo were the stars.

They love having their bath.

                                   

Little Tupelo was helping.

Tess was a very happy elephant!

Be sure to visit Camera Critters to see the other critters.

I'm also linking to and thanking 

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday.

If you are on the east coast, please stay safe.

Wishing YOU well.

Camera Critters 60

It's Saturday and it must be Camera Critters time!
Back at the Houston Zoo, I'd like to introduce you to
two Asian Elephants, Mom and Son,
Tess and Tucker.

Tucker wondering around looking for something to get into!

In a year or so, Tucker will have a little brother or sister.

But my real reason for talking about the elephants was to
introduce you to Max, The Elephant Dog.
I think you'll enjoy the video (from the Houston Chronicle) and his story
and you'll see more of the elephants and the new elephant barn.
Enjoy!