Dog Gone Fun at the Cleveland Zoo

Last Saturday, we saw a dog show at the zoo with stunt dogs who were all rescue dogs.  It was so much fun that we went again the next day and this time brought my camera along.  Saturday, I got to pet Confetti, the last dog.   It was very fun seeing the dogs really enjoy doing their stunts and I liked how they got the audience involved as well.

You still can go see it this weekend yet! 

(I apologize for the poor quality of this video but I had to use the email save for it to make it small enough to upload to my blog.)  

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A Really Fun Fourth at the Cleveland Zoo

The new tiger exhibit at the Cleveland zoo just opened in early June and we have been there at least three times to see the tigers become more active and adjust to their new exhibit. 

male tiger just outside his enclosure

 The male tiger is still very cautious and has not ventured very far out of his enclosed area, but the female tiger seems to really like it. 

The walkway for the tigers above the people

When we went on the 4th of July, it was a cool morning and we got there early to see the tiger walk around the whole exhibit including the bridge that enables them to walk above the people! 

It was really fun watching her and following her along wherever she went.  It was the first time I ever saw a tiger being so active.  When we first got there, she was eating a big piece of meat on a log.

Did you ever see such a happy tiger?

She would stop and pose so the people could take her picture!

Other fun animals who were very active that day were the Grizzly bears wrestling with each other in the water.  All 5 elephants were on the same side of the exhibit kind of close together and the male was having a great time playing in the mud hole.  We spent three hours there and had a great time watching the animals. 

We LOVE the zoo, how about you?  

We also played a game of tennis, read on our porch, enjoyed our pets, watched a movie and some of the Indians game.  Hope you enjoyed your holiday too!

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Zoo Day - A Bit Too Crowded and Too Bright

My husband and I went to the Cleveland Zoo yesterday.  In the morning, before we arrived, a parent dangled their little kid over the edge of the cheetah exhibit and the kid fell in!  Fortunately, the cheetahs did not bother coming near them, but what a stupid thing to do.  The zoo is charging them with child endangering and I'm glad about that!  (See News Article at WKYC Channel 3--some people actually blamed the zoo!)

We went in the afternoon since it was such a beautiful day!  The temperature was near 70 and the sun was shining so it was very comfortable.  I wanted my husband to shoot some short video clips of me recommending some animal books for my YouTube channel that I could edit into a video (Fast Five Animal Fiction Part 1).

Sounds easy, right?  Wrong!

• First, it was SO crowded! we had a hard time finding a quiet place to line up the shot so Gerard could get both me and the animal in it. 
•  Second, we managed to get a few done but the bears were disappointing.  Both Grizzlies were actually lying together in a dugout hole and no other bears were on exhibit.  
• Third, The flowers weren't in bloom, there was lots of construction going on all over the zoo, including the giraffe exhibit so we we couldn't shoot the video I had planned by them.
• Fourth, it was so bright that we really couldn't see the Flip camera screen outside to see if we had the shot lined up well.

The animals of the day though were the otters and I did manage to get a selfie of us in front of the elephants without being able to tell if it was on record or not.  We plan to go back again Friday when I have a day off to do some more.  I figure it will be much less crowded and maybe not so bright.  Some clouds would be appreciated.

Joining in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop with the prompt:  Tell us about a local news story that's all a buzz in your neck of the woods right now.

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Akron Zoo vs. Cleveland Zoo

We visited the Akron zoo on our vacation last week and couldn't help comparing it to the Cleveland zoo. We had a nice time and it was a gorgeous day, very comfortable!  The first difference we noticed between the two was that we had to pay $2 for parking; the Cleveland zoo is free parking.

Most of the Akron zoo exhibits have glass so it's harder to get good pictures of the animals than at the Cleveland zoo.  The animal of the day was the sloth bear who stood on its hind legs right in front of us face-to-face with only the glass separating us.  I couldn't get a picture because it happened so fast and then the bear went back inside.  It just came out to greet us, I guess.

Small Penguins

Peek-a-boo

The penguin exhibit was the first one as you come in.  Although there was glass all along the front of it, we were able to climb some steps up to a platform so was able to get a nice picture of them from above.

The penguins and the Red Panda were a couple animals I was able to get, but the red panda was pretty much hidden in the leaves.  It was a very bright day too so was hard to see what we were shooting. 

The Akron zoo is not as big as the Cleveland zoo and many exhibits are grouped close together so it doesn't take as long to see everything.  There is a lot more shade at the Akron zoo but the concession stands were closed when we went.  There was only one building that had a cafeteria which was open.  The landscaping at both zoos is very nice.

otter exhibit

One of the things I like most about the Akron zoo is all the interactive attractions they have for young children which are spread out all through the zoo.  There is a carousel with carved animals, a scale that is big enough for a group to get on to see if they can weigh as much as some of the animals, there was a frontier town for children to just play in, but my favorite was the tube slide going through the otter exhibit.  The Cleveland zoo also had a lot of fun things for the children so I would say they tie on this issue.

Grizzly Ridge

Grizzly Ridge was a newer area and I loved the big wood carving of the bear at the entrance to this area!  The two grizzly bears there were from our Cleveland zoo and I must say, they looked happier at our zoo, but perhaps because they were just cubs then and had two others to play with as well. 

Lehner Family zoo gardens

It was different for us going to the zoo where we didn't know where everything was!  Way at the opposite end from the entrance was a beautiful garden.  Both Gerard and I like gardens so we wanted to make sure we saw it.  Here are a couple photos I took of it.

Lehner Family Zoo Gardens

 

We recommend visiting a zoo!

The only animals the Akron zoo has that the Cleveland zoo doesn't are the penguins and the Alpaca.  The Cleveland zoo has many more animals.  The Rainforest alone takes an hour to go through if you actually take time to look at everything.  We like our Cleveland zoo better, but had a wonderful time and didn't get lost! 

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AWW Monday: Polar Bear Cubs

This video show the cute twin polar bear cubs at the Toledo zoo. Great photography even showing them swimming underwater!

Joining the Aww Monday blog hop.

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Friday Fragments with Feline Friday (UPDATED) (cats, decisions, food, zoo)

Friday Fragments is hosted by Half Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post to give Mrs. 4444 a break for the summer. Here we go:

Feline Friday

My two cats do not mind sharing the bed with Wolfee for their morning nap time.  I couldn't help but think Aww when I stopped in to say good-bye to them before going to the zoo yesterday.  I was off work and it was a beautiful day!

Zoo

See how far that one on top popped its head out?  It has a long neck!

At the zoo if heard a donkey actually hee-haw for the first time ever!  By the time I got my camera set to video, he stopped of course and I couldn't get him to do it again.  The leopard was high up in his cage growling and two turtles were swimming in the water on piggy back.  When I went to inquire about our zoo membership renewal, I was surprised to see an old friend from church behind the desk!  

Decision

After taking off a couple of years, I am going to start teaching Sunday School again--fifth grade boys, a fun group.

That's all folks, gotta get the laundry out and go to work!

UPDATED 7:30 P.M. 8/16/13, In my rush this morning, I forgot to include this:

Sad News On Yum Yum

The update on Yum Yum is not good. More problems developed and Tim has decided to put his poor cat out of its misery, sending it off to the Rainbow Bridge. It's very heartbreaking to have to do this, but the poor cat is in pain with a terminal illness so there's not much choice. Prayers would be appreciated for Tim and his family. Here is the latest update: Yum Yum Update 8/14.


P.S.

Dear Anonymous

(1) Please stop leaving comments regarding Darren Palmer on my blog which make absolutely no sense! (2) I do not think the green background on my blog is the color of vomit. This comment hurt my feelings and stuck in my mind even after I deleted it. I chose green for spring--you know, green grass, green leaves on the trees. I tried changing it to yellow for summer but for some reason it didn't work so left it this beautiful deep green! If you don't like it, please feel free to stay away!!!! (3) Don't be asking me questions if you don't bother to leave an email so I can respond to you privately.

Find more cat pics at the Feline Friday hop.

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10 Friday Fragments (pets, zoo, news, books, tips, computer)

Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:

Please Vote For Manny Boy and Me

It's time to vote in the Valentine's Day Contest on Facebook for our entry. It is a cropped picture of Manny laying on my legs while I pet his head while watching TV. He absolutely loves this and the idea of the contest is to choose a picture that shows our love for our cat.  Voting goes through Feb. 28.  (The winner gets a $100 PetSmart gift card!)

 

  Scratch Reflex

Oh yeah!

I read in "Have A Good Day, Feb. 2013" that if you scratch a special spot on a dog's belly or flank, that it sends his leg kicking like crazy. That response is called the "scratch reflex" which is similar to when someone hits that special spot on our knee that automatically sends our leg kicking.

Zoo Addition

In 2014, the Cleveland Metropark Zoo will be getting a wildlife carousel with 64 hand-carved wooden animals on it.

Warning

Don't get Anti-Skid Ice Melt. Read our What They Don't Tell You post to find out why.

Suicide

Don't worry, we are not committing suicide, but according to USA TODAY, there are 19,000 suicides in the USA every year! Gerard's book of the month, You Before Me by Jojo Moyes, deals with this issue. It's a fantastic read! Click on the link here to see his review.

Productivity

According to USA TODAY, 44% said they are more productive at work if they go out to lunch. Gerard always eats lunch in; maybe he should go out?

Second Opinion

I never knew our immune system could actually attack our brains until reading Brain On Fire--My Month of Madness by Susan Cahala. Now I see why it's wise to get a second opinion when being diagnosed. This is a non-fiction medical thriller that's really scary! Click the link for our review--we both read this one!  We are giving this away to the first U.S. citizen who states they would like it in a comment on our review.

 

Pillows

Over at The Modern Mom I learned that if you put a flat lumpy pillow into the dryer with a couple tennis balls and run it on low heat for 30 minutes, it will perk up.

Computer War

I've had some troubles this week with my Firefox browser. I updated it and chose a Boston Bruins persona which stayed about 3 days and then it was back to the generic gray. It took me awhile to find the selections again, but I went back to the solid yellow one. I just like something more cheerful than black on top and that I can easily read. I also had trouble with some of my pictures not loading in my header and in my Note Card Party Post. If I click on the black spot where the picture should be, it does come up in another viewer so I can see it. What's going on?

Captions

In my Note Card Party Post:  Wildlife in Winter (1), we got lots of good caption suggestions for the first one I didn't have one for. I think I like "Shouldn't I be hibernating right now?" best. Which do you like best for this bear pic for a note card?  Thanks for all the suggestions and comments!

• Shouldn't I be hibernating right now?
• Let's get together for lunch!
• I can't bear to be without you!
• Unbearable Day?
• Nobody can fill your paws!
• Something got you growling?
• It's so cold out here, I can't bear it?
• Thank you for visiting my cave!

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It's A Beautiful Day--And I Was Off To Enjoy It!

Thanks to a bone density test I had scheduled for last Wednesday, I was off work and could enjoy the gorgeous fall day outside with temperature at 78 degrees! I ran through my choices as to what outdoor activity to do in the afternoon among walking Abby at the park (I could join in on her walk with Gerard later), playing 9 holes of golf (I'd probably lose balls in the leaves and it cost money), or taking fall pictures at the zoo (free exercise). As you can see from the video, I picked the zoo and it was so relaxing and wonderful! It couldn't have been a more beautiful day!

The zoo was practically empty. You can hear some voices in the background during some of the video, but as you can see from the pictures between exhibits, there are no people! It was very peaceful and relaxing. I didn't cover the whole zoo because I still wanted to get some reading in before Gerard got home to walk Abby, but I was there a little over an hour.

I didn't get my camera ready in time to video the elephant squirting mud all over herself, it was fun to see! I'm so glad I went on Wednesday instead of waiting until Saturday because the rain came and the temperature dropped to the 40s by the weekend.

Seize the day folks, enjoy the nice days outside while we can because you know, winter's coming.

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AWW Mondays: Black Bear and More

I'm watching you . . . see my long sharp claws?

This black bear was resting when I saw him at the Cleveland Zoo last Thursday when we went to the special Breakfast With the Animals zookeeper event. I thought he was verycute. On our arrival, we had a breakfast of yogurt, a muffin, fruit and water and got to pet the possum and armadillo that one of the volunteers brought over. I took a picture of the possum but thought I already had a picture of an armadillo but later found out I didn't. The armadillo's shell was flexible and had hairs sticky out of it. It was a hairy armadillo and very cute. It felt like petting bumpy rock.

I grow thick fur when it's cold.

I look kind of like a donkey.

There was a new animal that we hadn't seen before up in the Northern Trek called a Persian Onager that was very nice. It was all the way on the other side of the exhibit but came over for me to get a good picture of it.


Be sure to stop by to see the pet Blogville Olympic games today: 

Beach Ball ~ http://www.twofrenchbulldogs.com/

Cross Neighborhood Walkabout ~ http://cutecorbin.blogspot.com/

Hiding ~ http://housecatconfidential.blogspot.com/

Competitive Napping ~ http://hufflemawson.blogspot.com/

If the Olympic pictures aren't up yet, check back later.

Find more cute AWW Monday pics and some more at Jodi's Journey.

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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How We Spent Thanksgiving Day

Of course our day began with Gerard walking Abby. We both watched "Parenthood" and then I watched "The Biggest Loser" while Gerard took Abby for another long walk.  Abby got a big bone and the cats got treats.

After Gerard read his email and printed a Steak-n-shake coupon, we had our Thanksgiving dinner at The Golden Coral. It was good and we did not over stuff ourselves. They even had a chocolate fountain so I had four chocolate covered marshmallows!

On Thanksgiving, we went to the zoo in the afternoon and the parking lots were pretty full. Admission is free to everyone on Thanksgiving Day! We enjoyed watching the four grizzly bear cubs playing and enjoying their special Thanksgiving day treat of a bunch of branches.

The people were interesting too, like this couple here.

I bought some battery operated candles at CVS to place in our windows that are time to light for 8 hours and be off 16 hours.  Gerard took Abby for another walk while I set up my new candles in the front windows, scheduled this post and took care of the cats.

We finished off the evening with some reading and some TV.  What did you do yesterday?  Are you going shopping today?

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Meeting The Grizzly Bear Cubs (Aww Mondays)

These two Grizzly bear cubs are new to the Cleveland Zoo. Gerard and I just visited them Saturday and got there just when they charged into the exhibit. I think they are SO cute and mentioned that several times in the video--sorry for repeating myself! They were very active: forging for food, getting a drink, walking the log down and up the hill, playing with the big ball and just lumbering around their exhibit. We were fortunate to have a zoo volunteer there at the time who was able to answer our questions about these two bears so if you turn up your volume, you can hear our questions and the answers on the video.

Find more Aww Mondays at Comedy Plus and feel free to link up a picture that will make us say "Aww."

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The Meerkats Arrived!

Do you know what a meerkat is? I wouldn't except I saw the show about them on Animal Planet called Meerkat Manor. They look kind of like a prairie dog. Now we have some at our Cleveland zoo and we saw them for the first time on Memorial Day.

See the nice exhibit I have?

If I want to hide from you, I can just dig a hole and go underground!

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7 Things I Learned This Week-#85 (Flintstones, money, Furminator, kid tips, museum, zoo)

Anniversary Song and Notes

In comments to our Anniversary post, Sandee left us the anniversary song. She included cute little notes so I asked her how she did that and here's what she sent me: & # 9834 ; Now take out all the spaces and you have a note. I will try it: ♪ Yup, it works!

Thanks to Lin from Duck and Wheel with String, I got to see the Flintstones anniversary song which I never knew existed. Here it is:

Amazon Associates Program

I earned my first money blogging this month from the Amazon Associate program. A whopping 52 cents! If you are looking to purchase a book from Amazon, I'd appreciate it very much if you check out the Amazon ads on our blogs and click through from them if you see something you like. Hey, it's at least something. I don't actually get it yet. It has to reach a certain amount which I don't even remember what it is anymore. Fortunately, I have a job and do not have to rely on making money through blogging!

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A Visit To The Cleveland Zoo in Winter

When I wrote about a familiar place, the Cleveland Metropark Zoo, on Mountain Woman's Red Pine Mountain blog, I realized I didn't have any winter pictures of it even though we have gone in the winter. So, the last Saturday of January, since it warmed up to near 40 degrees, we went to get some winter pictures. Waterfowl Lake was frozen and the ducks were out on the ice with some holes in the ice for swimming.


Australian Adventure was closed so I had to take a picture of the Wallaby through the fence, but we did get to go into the Koala Hideout to see the Koalas and the tree kangaroo (he's sitting in the tree slightly right center of the picture if you look at the slide show).

The water fall for the bears and tigers was frozen. Here you can see what a nice open area the bear has with no bars which is very different than how it used to be a long time ago. Visit "My Funny Dad, Harry" blog to see some pictures of how the bear exhibit looked years ago.

Unfortunately, we couldn't see the new Mexican wolves because they were all hiding way in the back by the fence in their wooded area.

Of course, the Rain forest provides a nice break from winter since it's kept at 80-85 degrees in there year round.

Waterfowl Lake was particularly beautiful with all the snow but we didn't sit on any benches like we do in the summer. As you can see, the snow was sort of blocking them.