Dinosaurs!!

It appears it was a good thing I mowed yesterday, because we got a pretty good storm this morning -- with thunder and everything.  I'm not sure how much it rained, but it was enough to leave puddles in the parking lot at work.  So, yay me!

It also appears something is eating my Cosmos.  I went out to check them as soon as I got home, and another one has been completely stripped of its leaves.  After starting a load of laundry -- see, my list never ends, either -- I mixed up some diluted dishwashing liquid and sprayed the remaining two down pretty well, then I got my slug and snail killer and spread some of that around them, too.  Hopefully, that will be enough to keep them alive.  

The good news is, I'm seeing sprouts in my little greenhouse!  

I've been meaning to post these photos for a week now, and I'm finally getting around to it.  I'd mentioned that there is something new at the Memphis Zoo, and it is dinosaurs!  Real live dinosaurs!

They had them running loose in this one area, and you could go in and walk amongst them.  You did have to dodge getting eaten by some of the more...aggressive ones...

OK, not really.  Obviously, they were animatronic, but they were still pretty cool.   Most of them moved and made noise, but some were just models. 

They were life sized as well, 

despite the liberties Jurassic Park took with some of them...

Yeah, real velociraptors weren't as big as they showed them in the movie, being only about the size of a turkey. 

The triceratops was cool, 

as was this...whatever it is.  I think it's a Spinosaurus,  but I didn't take a picture of the sign, so I'm not completely sure.  

The Brachiosaur was truly awe inspiring. 

 I didn't intend to include a person in this photo, but I'm kind of glad she was there, so you can get some perspective on how big this thing really is. 

The person was a little taller than me -- maybe about 5'7".  

The whole thing was so cool, I said "I don't want to leave!  Where was this kind of thing when I was a kid."  But then, when I was a kid, we thought Tyrannosaurus Rex walked upright with a dragging tail...

Like this one from Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, Tx.

Not my photo, by the way.  I swiped it off the internet.  At one time, I could have shown you an original photo, but Hurricane Ike ruined the ones my dad took, and dummy me taped over the video I made when I took Cody there when he was 8.  

I want to go back some day, and maybe some day I can. 

Anyway, I took a lot more photos up in Memphis, and if you want to see them, they're in my Facebook album.  Which you may or may not have seen, thanks to FB's stupid algorithm.  It's even got some videos in there, too. 

You Would Be Proud

You would be proud of me for what I did yesterday. And what was it I did yesterday that you would be proud of me for? Well, I’ll tell you.

I *whispers conspiratorially* left the house. 

I mean I really left the house, and not just to go to work or to Walmart. Nope, I went to — are you ready for this? I went to Memphis.

Yes, you read that right. After all these years, I finally made it back up to the zoo.

The last time I went, they were still building the Zambezi River Hippo Camp.  Yeah, and that opened in 2016.  I'd been wanting to go see it, but the older I get, the harder it is to leave the house, and honestly, if I hadn't told Cody I was coming, I wouldn't have gone this time, either. 

On that note, there was a miscommunication between us.  When they were down for the company picnic two weeks ago, I'd said I was planning on coming up last Friday.  He told me if I wanted until this Friday, he and Brennan could come and we'd all go to the zoo together.  The miscommunication was, I'd said Friday, but he heard Saturday.  They did come, but I had to wait until he got off work at 3:00.  

So, the thinking was, if I went on a weekday, all the kids would be at school and the zoo would be less crowded.  I thought wrong.  Every single school in Memphis must have been out yesterday, and most of them seemed to be taking a field trip...to the zoo.  Still, shrieking kids aside, it was a nice trip. I didn't take a whole heck of a lot of pictures, because all I had was my phone, but I'll post a few of my favorites.   As always, I'll add the rest to my albums on Facebook and MeWe. 

First up, this is LeLe the male giant panda. 

The Burmese Python. 

They had the place all done up for Halloween.  This was one of many decorations, but this is the one I wanted to swipe and set up in my front yard. 

One of the African elephants.  

And, of course, Boudreaux the alligator.  OK, I don't know that that is what his name is, but to me, all alligators are Boudreaux.  

And some seahorses.  You might want to keep the sound muted for this one.  There was a very loud lady with some very loud kids right behind me.  

Next time, we're definitely going to have to coordinate better.  It was nice to spend time with Cody and Brennan.  It would have been nicer to spend more time with them.  

After we left the zoo, we went and had dinner at Huey's in Southaven.  That was a blast from the past, because it's where we used to eat when we'd go hang out at the old Hank Of Yarn store, just across the parking lot.  It's still good, and the burgers are still thick, and I told Cody, "I don't know if I can open my mouth wide enough to eat this."  

And finally, Cody got to go see Weird Al in concert last week, and he brought me a t-shirt!  

He'd told me he was going to go see Weird Al, and I thought he meant the movie, but no, he meant actual Weird Al. I told him I was jealous.  Actual Weird Al is probably the only concert my introvert self would ever actually go to. 

Now, I've got to go.  I've got football to watch, and need my computer to see it all. 

Laters. 

My Happy Place

You know, I'm not up on fashions.  I don't know what's in style and what isn't.  (Truth is, it doesn't matter much, since I think most of today's styles are just plain ugly.)  So, I'm not stylish.  I consider it a personal victory if I make it out of the house with shoes on.

Yesterday, I sank to a new low.  I was going to take a trip to my happy place, and I had to go back and get a shirt on.  Yeah, that would have caused quite the stir at the Memphis Zoo.

OK, OK, so I didn't actually make it out of my bedroom before realizing I was shirtless, but still...I was heading that way. 

I definitely went on the wrong day, as it seemed that every school in the greater Memphis area picked that day to take their class trip.  It wasn't too bad once we got inside, and the crowds around the gate kind of dispersed. 

I do wonder if kids can actually speak without shrieking. 

I didn't take my camera, so I won't be able to inundate you with pictures.  I took a few with my phone, and picked out a few of my favorites to show you.

They had a place where you could pay to ride a camel.  Technically a dromedary, but hey, let's not quibble over labels.  This one was not giving rides because she is pregnant.  They had her tied over near the fence and I got to pet her. 

Look at that fur!  I was wondering how hard it would be to spin it.  Do camels even shed?

It wasn't very soft, so I don't think it would make a nice yarn.  Maybe for rugs or something, though.

This is the same owl I got into a staring contest with the last time I went.  And we got into a staring contest this time, too.  

 

The owl won.

They had a baby chimp, and he was so cute.  

It's easy to understand why people want to keep them as pets, forgetting that when they grow up, they are very powerful and dangerous wild animals.

I took pictures of the otters just for Cyndye.  

 

 And the Nemo fish.  Whatever it's really called.

The main reason I went was to visit Stingray Bay and pet the stingrays. 

Golly I love those guys.  Maybe I can become the Crazy Stingray Lady.  They seemed to like me.  There were a couple of these big things.  They aren't sting rays.  I don't know what they are.  I'll research it and get back to you, but not tonight.

Be that as it may, one of these big things liked being petted right between the eyes.  He would swim up to me and just sit there for a long time, letting me pet him.

A couple of the sting rays seemed to like being petted, too.  As they would swim by, they'd come up and rub against my hand like a cat would. This one came right up to the side of the tank and stayed there as long as I kept petting him.

They had little cups of fish that you could buy and feed them.  There was a boy there, he looked to be about 12 or so.  He had bought some fish, but his teacher was yelling at him to come on, so he gave the last piece to me.  I fed the stingray, and it was so cool that I went and bought some more.

Just a note, that isn't his mouth in the front.  Their mouths are on the bottom.  Those are openings where they take in water to run over their gills.  I tell you that because there were two women next to me -- not very bright-- that kept trying to stuff fish into the gill openings.  Then they wondered why the rays wouldn't take it.  Um...try shoving fish up your nose and see how you like it.

There were also some baby sharks in the tank, and I hung around until I got to pet them.  I really wanted to pet the hammerhead shark (I didn't get a picture of him), because that was my grandpa's pet name for me when I was a child.  Hammerhead.  Can't you just feel the love?

I could have stayed in there all day, but I had to get home, as my own dogs would be looking for their dinner.  I got totally soaking wet, but it was so worth it.  I want to go again before they close it down.

Anyone want to join me?

A Trip To The Zoo

Things got pretty hairy last night what with the storms and all, but we came through OK. Some of my friends still don't have electricity, but mine only flickered off for a minute then came right back on.

This morning, the worst of it had passed, but there was still a chance of showers, so I set out for a shopping trip to Southaven. By the time I got there, though, the clouds were breaking up and the sun was shining.

Abrupt change of plans-- I went to the zoo.

It was a great day to go to the zoo.  It wasn't crowded at all, and it wasn't too hot.  I didn't take a whole lot of pictures.  I didn't even take my camera, but I did take a few with my phone.  

The bull elk still growing his antlers.  I must remember to try to go back in the fall before he sheds them.

An Arctic wolf

The big silverback gorilla

The new reticulated python.  I say new, but she's been there a couple of years already.

A warthog

They had some new things there, including an elevated giraffe feeding platform, a birds and bees exhibit, and the coolest of them all, Stingray Bay.

You could put your hands in there and touch the rays.  For some reason, they seemed to love my hand and kept kissing me.  It felt really nifty.  The stingrays themselves didn't feel anything like I expected them to.  I thought they'd feel like rubber or smooth plastic, but they felt really velvety.  I could have stayed in there all day.

They also had bamboo sharks

 And this great big ray that I can't remember what it's called

and these baby hammerhead sharks.

I didn't touch the sharks, because my arm wasn't long enough.  They stayed at the very bottom of the pool.  I tried, but I couldn't quite reach them.  And the volunteer ran over to tell me not to touch them near the mouth-- like I really needed to be told that. 

Hammerheads.  Yeah.  They eat people. 

Hammerhead.  It was also my Grandpa's pet name for me when I was a kid. 

Finally, this owl kept staring at me the whole time I was staring at him.

And I kept thinking, I get that same look from my cat.

BTW, the glass seemed to really confuse the camera on my phone.  Every photo I took through glass was out of focus.

Anyway, if you want to see more zoo photos, you can see the ones I've posted from previous trips by clicking on the Memphis Zoo label at the bottom of this post.  

If you're ever in Memphis, don't pass up a chance to visit this zoo.  It's a really nice zoo. 

I need to get up there more often. 

About Me

I told you my nerves were shot. Sometimes it seems like I have a gazillion people all pawing at me, wanting stuff. Then I get home and I've got about a million dogs and cats all pawing at me, wanting stuff.  Everyone around me demanding something, and nobody ever gives back to me.  Bunch of leaches, sucking me dry.  Sometimes, every now and again, I've got to get away. I've got to do something for me. Today, I went to the zoo.

By myself.

It was wonderful.  Nobody clamoring for attention. Nobody asking me what such and such means, or can I do thus and so, or can I fix something so and so messed up  Nobody yelling at me for--well, for anything.  Today,. I was doing something I wanted to do.

For myself.  

The day was chilly, and the zoo was nearly empty. No crowds. No shrieking kids. Just me and the animals. I could get close enough to take pictures without getting a thousand heads in the way.  I could stand and watch the animals all I wanted, without anyone shoving to get in front of me.  It was relaxing.

Maybe not this relaxing.

But relaxing nonetheless. I enjoyed myself. I enjoyed my day.  I needed this day.

Tomorrow, it's back to the rat race.  Back to the demands.  Back to the questions.  Back to the yelling.  Back to the pawing. 

But today at least, it was all about me. 


P.S.  I'll get the rest of the photos I took uploaded over the next few days.  Right now, I'm going to bed.  After I take care of these dogs that are demanding attention.

More Zoo Photos

I didn't take a lot of photos this time, because I've taken so many before. But here are a few of the ones I did take.

The Caspian Stallion

This little lamb was so new it hadn't even dropped its umbilical cord yet.

Another lamb and its mother

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

Ya-Ya, the female panda

The baby giraffe and it's parents

Teton Trek

The newest exhibit at the Memphis Zoo. Teton Trek features animals from Western America. The exhibit is based on the Yellowstone ecological system. It opened last October, but this is the first time I've been able to go.

The Great Lodge


The Geyser Fountain

A couple of Elk Statues


Wolves

Elk


And the Grizzly Bears






They were behind Plexiglass, and I wish I could have gotten a better angle so that there were no reflections, but the glass was pretty dirty. The bears would splash it, and put their paws on it and such. It was cute, but made for not so great photos.

This photo was taken from the opposite side of the enclosure.

And finally, the trumpeter swans.



More photos tomorrow.