Wood Storks

     It’s not unusual for me to be driving down the road  and suddenly see something out of the corner of my eye that elicits a  “WTF?”  There I go,  swerving to the side of the road, brakes screeching, flashers on, and jumping out of the car with my camera.  
 That’s how I caught this pair hanging out with a flock of spoonbills.  I had to go online to verify that they were indeed, wood storks.  I had never seen one in the wild before, although I suspect they are fairly common in some parts.  Turns out, this is the only kind of stork that breeds in North America. 

 

 

Just another day in paradise.  May your winds be steady and your seas be calm.

 --Bupu

Lions and Tigers and Birds, Oh My!

Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly;

Man got to sit and wonder ‘why, why, why?’

Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land;

Man got to tell himself he understand.

                        --Kurt Vonnegut, Cat’s Cradle

I can’t help it.  I’m just a big ol’ kid when it comes to animals and zoos.  There’s no better way to spend a drizzly, summer Sunday afternoon than a trip to a zoo.  And that’s what ELM and I did.  We found The Texas Zoo in Victoria.  It is a small zoo, but very, very clean and the animals are in excellent condition.  It’s a lovely little park with lots of friendly, shaded viewing sites and benches—perfect for seniors and small children alike.  The day we went, there were only a few people out in the misty rain, so we had the opportunity to observe the animals and I got to take pictures unhindered. I'm no Deby Dixon--I'm just an old woman with a camera.  But I had a great time and got some fun shots for the scrap book. The admission price was a walloping four dollars.  

  These two beautiful Bengal tigers and a pair of lionesses were the major "exotic" exhibits. I'm forever in awe of the big cats with their magnificient beauty,

exuding their formiddable power even in repose.

If you want to play ball with this lady, you might want to bring your "A" game.

Then there were the baboons.

The Thinker...

The old married couple.  She groomed him with such tenderness.

Another exotic, the shy coatimundi...

                                                                    Sleeping Badger

The Petting Zoo

The monkeys

                                                                              Yoda?

I could watch the otter for hours.  This one looked a bit lonely.  I hope they get him/her a playmate soon.

THE INTERACTIVE AVIARY

 There is a portion of the aviary that we were able to walk into and actually interact with the birds--budgies, conures, ducks, red ibis, and even a spoonbill.

Steve (below) is a real show-stealer.  He loves to chew shoes and is magnetized by anything shiny.  He's the greeter at the Interactive Aviary.

More birds next post.  Thank you for visiting. Go have a wonderful day!

Love, Bupu

Sunrise Sail

One advantage to insomnia is being awake when the rest of the world is quiet. Sunday morning I went walking by the water before sunrise.  The day promised to be far too beautiful to squander.

 I hurried home and woke poor ELM from his only opportunity to “sleep in” for over a week.  Before he was awake enough to protest, I dragged him and Floppy Dog out for a sunrise sail.  I don’t think either of them  was disappointed.  I certainly was not. 

The sunrise was spectacular.  The sea was calm, so we ventured  close to shore and hung a crab trap on an old pile.

 

 A shrimp boat was working its nets with its entourage of sea gulls and pelicans making a  halo around the tall riggings.

 Mother porpoise, with baby riding on her fin, was teaching baby to fish the wake of the shrimp boat.  What a feeling that baby must have had, snuggled against Mom’s body, shooting through the warm waves in that glorious light. 

An excited kayacker 
spotted the porpoises also .

Body, mind and spirit have, at long last, come together for me in this place.  I’m no longer disjointed, dysphased, disgruntled or discombobulated. Although I may still suffer some mild distemper from time to time, I haven’t gone rabid for months now. Sometimes I do regret not having the resources to be able to travel to the more exotic places .

 

More often, though, I realize that I have already found everything I’ve been looking for.  

May your winds be steady and your seas be calm. 

--Bupu