Ring-Tailed Lemur

We had some cool mornings last week and when that happens

it's off to the zoo! 

The ring-tailed lemur is the first primate you see when entering the

primate enclosures.

The sun was in my face and the little guy was on the other side of his house.

I wasn't sure until I downloaded the images later that day that I

had captured his sweet face.

What a treat!

I'm joining Misty Dawn for Camera Critters.

Wishing YOU well and a fun filled weekend.

I have a college baseball barbecue and an exhibition game I'm looking forward to.

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.

Elephant Dancing!

elephant dancing

having fun with the adults

acting like children

Tess, Auntie, THE kids, Tupelo at the Houston Zoo

THE kids and I went to the elephant open house at the Houston Zoo.

This was my second elephant open house and what fun!

The elephant we are dancing with is Tess, an Asian elephant.

Little Tupelo (Tess' calf) is running along behind us.

I've had great fun matching photos with postcards 

and coming up with a haiku.

This is another postcard from the Memento box. 

The back of the postcard reads:

Today's Art Lesson, 2002, mixed media, 48" x 60"

c. 2004 Inez Storer. From Mementos: 30 Postcards, published by Chronicle Books.

Smile today!

A big thank you to our hostesses:

Beth for Postcard Friendship Friday

and

Rebecca for Haiku My Heart

Wishing YOU well and a joy filled holiday weekend.

Just Look At That Face!

Just look at that face!

He seems to enjoy having his portrait taken.

He is a Saki Monkey and he lives in the Natural Encounters building 

at the Houston Zoo.

My BGD (beautiful god-daughter) and I were quite taken with him.

Look at his hands and his long fingers.

A New World Monkey, Sakis are small sized monkeys with long, bushy tails. They live in the trees of the rain forests and only occasionally go onto the land. They are generally very shy and cautious. Their range includes northern and central South America, extending from the south of Columbia, over Peru, in northern Bolivia and into the central part of Brazil.

While not endangered, they are vulnerable due to the destruction of their habitat by humans. They are also hunted for food and for the pet trade.

A big thank you to Misty for being the hostess each week for Camera Critters.

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week.

It's a Bird!

BGD (Beautiful God Daughter) and I visited the zoo on one of the last

days of truly nice weather ... not much heat and very little humidity.

Days like that are few and far between this time of year.

We got to the zoo when the gates opened at 9:30 AM.

Had lunch at Twiga in the African Forest.

Walked and walked and walked

(and I had been to the gym that morning).

We visited with this fellow.

Amazing, isn't he?!!!!

Shoebill at the Houston Zoo

 

The Shoebill is named for its clog-shaped bill, which is an adaptation for catching and holding the large, slippery lungfish, its favorite food. This big bird (standing about 3.8 feet tall) also eats turtles, fish and young crocodiles. 

They are entirely gray, with broad wings and long legs. The head is large in proportion to the body and the eyes are large.

The Shoebill is a solitary species, rarely found in groups. 

Other common names for Shoebills include Shoe-billed Stork, Whale-headed Stork, Bog Bird.Though most consider it as a stork, the Shoebill's antecedents are unclear, and no relatives are known. Shoebills have their own family, Balaenicipitidae. Although they share some characteristics of storks, they are more like the herons in many of their behaviors and physiological features, yet also share common characteristics with pelicans. The population of Shoebills is thought to number 5,000-8,000 but is difficult to estimate given the swampy/marshy habitat in the Sudan, Africa. 

The Houston Zoo is well known in zoo circles for its bird collection.

Misty is our hostess each week for Camera Critters.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Wishing you well.

They're Back!

Born in Kruger National Park, these young adults spent several weeks

in acclimation bornas (huge holding areas) to prepare them for 

their 54 hour flight to Houston.

The Houston Zoo's original pair of white rhinos, Bu and Marci

also came from Africa in the early 1970's and were beloved ambassadors

for their species for over 30 years.

It is very exciting that rhinos have returned to the zoo and the wonderful

African Forest exhibit. 

The first phase of the African Forest is 6.5 acres and includes

habitats for Chimpanzees, Rhinoceroses, Giraffes, Cheetahs, Kudu, and Ostrich.

It is expected that this trio of Rhino,

one male and two females,

will produce rhino calves and add some much needed

genetic diversity to the North American zoo population.

Due to their strength and size - second only to the elephant as far as land mammals 

white rhinos don't have many enemies, except for man. 

Without increased protection, all rhinos could disappear in the wild

in the next 20-50 years.

Misty just celebrated 3 years of Camera Critters.

Be sure you visit!

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled weekend.

African Forest

The Houston Zoo opened the new African Forest to the public in December.

It is 6.5 acres of fun!

The Greater Kudu is an African antelope and he shares his space with 

three young white rhino.

This kudu is quite handsome with his stripes and curled horns.

Love the tongue and it was one of those surprises I discovered when I got home and looked at the photos.

The white rhinos are young... one male and two females.

They were born in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

They were carefully selected for temperament and overall health

and prepared for their 54 hour flight (KLM) to Houston

and their new home at the Houston Zoo.

They seem to love their new home -- especially the mud wallow.

The Masai giraffe herd has a new home and larger area to roam

complete with an area where visitors to the zoo can feed them - supervised of course.

Masai giraffe are the most numerous of the nine giraffe subspecies, but only 90 are exhibited in North American zoos.

I hope you enjoyed this brief visit to the Houston Zoo and the new African Forest.

Thank you to Misty for being our Camera Critters hostess

and to

Mary for hosting Mosaic Monday.

Wishing you well.

African Forest

One of our good baseball buddies joined me for breakfast and a members only tour of the new

African Forest at the Houston Zoo.

It was a beautiful morning.

Chimps have returned to the Houston Zoo with a family of ten.

The chimps have a half acre to explore. Fun!!!

Have you heard of Koolookamba?

From the mythical unicorns to the more modern day Yeti and Bigfoot, humans have a long history of fascination with animal legends and lore.

In Gabon today, there is a belief among the human population in a chimpanzee-gorilla hybrid, which they call the "Kooloo-kamba".

Fact or fiction, as visitors move through the African forest, they can find faces of the Koolookamba -- fun for the kids.

Be on the lookout! 

The journey through the African Forest continues next week.

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

Wishing you well and JOY filled weekend!

Camera Critters

It's Saturday and that means Critter Day!

After Mr. Dragon and yours truly visited the Dinosaurs at the Houston Zoo,

we shared a drink and sat watching for any action on the pond.
It was late in the afternoon and everything was quiet.

No kids running around.

I saw the egret fly into the tree and thought it was probably too far away to get a good shot.

I took several shots and when I uploaded the images when I got home I found this one.

I didn't see the second egret when I took the shot.

Surprise!

Did you know that a group of turtles is called a bale?

I had to google!

Here's a bale of turtles on a very small island in the pond.

Camera Critters is hosted each Saturday by the lovely Misty.

Have a wonderful weekend.

We have a college baseball barbecue today!

YeeHaw!

Dinosaurs

It finally got cool enough for Mr. Dragon and yours truly to make a quick trip to the zoo to see the dinosaurs.

"Dinosaurs?", you say?!!!

Yep. 

It was a great idea. 

Bring the dinosaurs to the zoo during the summer when folks are looking for something to do with the kids.

Hopefully, there will be a few visitors who haven't been to the zoo before,

will enjoy the dinosaurs and find out that the Houston Zoo is a great place to visit.

It was such a good idea, that the dinosaurs were held over through Halloween.

Stegosaurus

I loved the setting.

Lots of foliage, trees, flowers

for the dinosaurs to play in.

It was all well thought out.

Dimetrodon, Euoplocephalus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops

We had a great time watching the kids.

They were running and loud and then they entered the dinosaur exhibit

and suddenly, when they come on the first dinosaur ... quiet!

BIG critters and they make LOUD noise. 

At the  every end there was a cemetery.

A cemetery for just a few of the animals that once roamed the earth

on land and in the seas. 

We really don't have a very good record being stewards of the earth and its creatures.

It was a lovely, cool (mid 70's instead of low 90's) way to spend the afternoon.

Mosaic Monday is hosted by the lovely Mary.

Each mosaic is different. Each has its own story to tell.

Enjoy! 

Mosaic Monday: Soiree with the Sea Lions

This last week we partied with the sea lions at the Houston zoo.

Unfortunately, by the time the sea lions came out to entertain us, it was too dark to take photos!

It was a beautiful evening, not too hot, and the zoo was lovely in the late evening light.

The blue tablecloths made it seem more *sea* like!

Zoo keepers brought out some of the smaller animals to visit with us.

The top images are two different lesser hedgehogs -- tenrecs from Madagascar.

Cute little guys!

The spiny coat is used to deter predators and is vibrated for communication with other tenrecs. When threatened, the lesser tenrec will roll into a ball, hiss and grind its teeth.

Lesser hedgehog tenrecs are one of 30 species of tenrec found on the island of Madagascar. These small mammals are adapted to fill the role of mice, hedgehogs, shrews and opossums found in other parts of the world. This species is found living both on land and in trees and is nocturnal - spending its days sleeping and its night foraging for food. 

Although tenrecs have lived on Madagascar for some 60 million years,it is possible that some will not survive more than a few decades more. Habitat loss is the greatest threat to this and other tenrec species.

The bottom images: bearded dragon lizard and owl. 

The owl was very nervous. The grackles were *grackling* and she didn't like them one bit.

We enjoyed the evening.

The setting was gorgeous.

We learned more about animals in the care of the zoo.

The appetizers were delicious.

The wine and beer flowed.

The sea lions put on a fun show.

Mosaic Monday is hosted by the lovely Mary.

Each mosaic is different. Each has a story to tell.

Please visit!

Wishing you well and a JOY filled week!

Sunday Morning

"Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life."

~His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Camera Critters

If you love critters of all kinds, then you must visit Camera Critters.

Our hostess each Saturday for this event is the lovely Misty.

Back to the Houston Zoo and the Asante Dinner with the small cats.

You can see the male leopard really *got into* his meat treat.

His lady friend, the black leopard (not really black ... up close you could see her spots)

would have enjoyed a little treat herself, but he wouldn't give up! You could hear him growling at her when she got too close.

Interesting about this particular leopard and how his habitat was set up. Like some of the animals at the Houston Zoo, the male was adopted. He had been declawed (horrors) and his habitat was built with that in mind. Leopards love to climb and he does -- with help from the habitat designers.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Stay cool!

Joy to You!

Camera Critters

Camera Critters is hosted each Saturday by the lovely Misty. Be sure you visit to see more critters!

I'd like to introduce you to one of my favorite critters - the fossa.

This male and female live in the small cat area of the Houston Zoo.

The photos were taken at during a special event at the zoo. The keepers gave each of the small cats a treat while they talked and answered questions about them.

First the photos and then information about the Fossa.

Here's the female working on getting to her treat.

This is the male Fossa.




The female Fossa taking a short rest!

A relative of the mongoose, the fossa is unique to the forests of Madagascar, an African island in the Indian Ocean. Growing up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) long from nose to tail tip, and weighing up to 26 pounds (12 kilograms), the fossa is a slender-bodied catlike creature with little resemblance to its mongoose cousins.

It is the largest carnivore and top predator native to Madagascar and is known to feed on lemurs and most other creatures it can get its claws on, from wild pigs to mice. Unlike mongooses, and more like felines, the fossa has retractable claws and fearsome catlike teeth. Its coat is reddish brown and its muzzle resembles that of a dog.

The fossa is also equipped with a long tail that comes in handy while hunting and maneuvering amongst the tree branches. It can wield its tail like a tightrope walker's pole and moves so swiftly through the trees that scientists have had trouble observing and researching it.

The elusive fossa is a solitary animal and spends its time both in the trees and on the ground. It is active at night and also during the day. Females give birth to an annual litter of two to four young, and adulthood is reached after about three years.

Madagascar is home to an enormous variety of plant and animal life, and a number of species are unique to the island—including over 30 species of lemur, the fossa’s prey of choice. Explorers first arrived on the island some 2,000 years ago, and scientists believe that they would have been met by a bizarre assemblage of now-extinct beasts, including lemurs the size of gorillas and a ten-foot-tall (three-meter-tall) flightless bird.

Presently, fossas are endangered creatures due to habitat loss. Less than ten percent of Madagascar’s original, intact forest cover, the fossa’s only home, remains today.

(Text information from the National Geographic.)

Camera Critters

Camera Critters is hosted each Saturday by the lovely Misty.

Be sure to visit to see all the other critters!

More from Photography Day in February at Houston Zoo.

A new baby Guenon Monkey named Nagano.

Nagano and his Mom, Bongo, kept us entertained.

I would have stood on my head to get photos of this sweet face!

Too cute! (Even with the bars.)
The exhibit is really quite large (lots of trees) and they move around quickly.

MOM! The crazy lady with the camera is still here.

The crazy man with the camera got this shot.

Love their markings and they look so soft.

Welcome to the world, Nagano!

Guenon monkeys are from Sub-Saharan Africa and are forest monkeys.
They are threatened or endangered because of habitat loss.

Camera Critters

Our lovely hostess for Camera Critters is Misty.

Be sure you go and visit the other critters!

Lovely young lady, isn't she?
All of these shots were taken at the February Photography Morning at the Houston Zoo.

She posed for a long time.
I think she thought we were all nuts!
But then, she is a thing of beauty.

The reflection is one of our favorite shots.
A portrait of two ladies.

Happy Critter Day!

A Little Catch Up

We've been busy.

Enjoying life and the break Mr. Dragon has had from treatments.

Tomorrow we start again with all the restaging procedures before surgery on March 9.

***

Meanwhile, we love NPR - National Public Radio.

When we heard "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" was going to tape in Houston, we knew we had to go. They were here two nights and both were sold out. This adventure was our Valentine's present to each other.

Peter Sagal started us off laughing by saying "all the liberals in south east Texas must be here tonight"!!! Two hours later and we were still laughing! Don't know when I have ever laughed so hard. You might have caught the broadcast that was taped in Houston. That was us! We heard it here on February 13.




The show was 30 minutes late starting as Carl Kasell had a hard time flying from Washington DC to Houston ... it was the weekend of one of the bad winter storms. Tom Bodett, Kyrie O'Connor (the Houston girl) and Paula Poundstone were the panelists. Too much fun.

***

We've been to the zoo and saw, for the first time, the memorial brick we ordered for Mr. Rocket Man. (Oh, my ... how we miss that little guy ... still.) It is right in the middle of the entry way of the zoo. Perfect!

***

Baseball is keeping us busy. We watched 6 college games this weekend!

***

Finally, once again I'm asking for your prayers, thoughts, white light, juju, candle lighting, chanting, however you may call on the spirit you believe in - to watch over
Mr. Dragon as he begins the restaging procedures and has surgery next week on March 9.

Thank you!