Our house feels much emptier today, now that my sister and niece have gone back to Portland. I miss them already, so to extend their visit (at least in my own mind), I thought I’d post a few photos from our weekend adventures.
First stop: the San Diego Zoo!
A koala, doing what koalas do best.
A polar bear contemplates global climate change.
Gorgeous ginger blossoms!
Mama panda nuzzles her playful cub.
A gaggle of gossiping flamingos
Hippo bottomus
Next on our list: a blissful respite at the spa, followed by a raucous evening at the Orange County Fair.
Seems as if fair food gets more outlandish every year, doesn’t it? But Templeton my husband was in Hog Heaven! I had BBQ’d chicken and roasted corn. Again. Which, by the way, was delicious. For dessert, I had sugar-free Dippin’ Dots. (My dinner menu seems a bit self-righteous boring, I confess, now that I’ve typed it up for public consumption.)
Peep show! The animal exhibits are my favorite part of the fair, followed closely by arts and craft displays. Congratulations to my friend Stace Dumoski, who had TWO photos accepted for exhibition this year!
My heart ached for this beautiful giant, who was forced to ferry passengers around the perimeter of a miniscule enclosure.
Of course, no SoCal visit is complete without at least one trip to the beach. So after wandering around a Farmer’s Market in Long Beach, we took a stroll along the boardwalk in Laguna.
A lifeguard station on a quiet stretch of sand. But bleh, don’t look too close: that lifeguard’s performing (what should be) a private search-and-rescue operation. :/
The marine layer moved onshore a little earlier than usual, and since our visitors hail from the Pacific Northwest, they were amused by our comments about "overcast" skies.
Toby’s crashed out on my husband’s keyboard this morning, completely exhausted by all the activity. But I’m ready and eager to go at it again, so hurry back, Mei-Ling and Arielle! xoxo
Wonderful pictures! I always love the San Diego zoo, but it’s been years since I’ve been there (maybe 12?). And the kitty is adorable 🙂
Thanks, Robin! I’m loving your vacation photos, too!
It’s nice to see how the San Diego Zoo’s updating the exhibits, to better reflect what we now know about wildlife habits and habitats. Some of the aviary enclosures were once used for larger animals…such a contrast with the well-designed and much larger spaces they now inhabit.
I am sooooo jealous that you got to see both Pandas and Polar Bears in action. We were not so lucky on our visit!
We were disappointed about not seeing the wild cats, but it’s understandable that the larger animals might want to find respite from the heat. Surprisingly, the crowds were sparse, relatively speaking. Maybe some combination of the heat and the economy?
P.S. I edited the post to make mention of your photographs. I loved seeing your beautiful art work hanging alongside so many other beautiful images. 🙂
Did you see them, then? I admit I got a little thrill this weekend when I realized that hundreds of people were looking over my photos this weekend. I don’t think I’ve ever had artwork on display!
So cool, that not one but TWO of your photos were selected! You have every right to feel thrilled. 🙂
We saw the rainbow/pastels photograph, but though we pored over the display walls, we couldn’t find your other piece. Maybe because I was less familiar with that work? I dunno, but I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed.
Thank you for so many awesome pics! So glad you had a great visit with all concerned 🙂
Thank YOU for allowing me to share them with you. 🙂
How’s your summer????
Hot, humid and exhausting so far. It will be a relief when spouse can once again tote his share of barges 🙂 One bright spot: I found an ancestor in the Ellis Island registry last week. That was a bit of a thrill 🙂
You did?!? Oh, that’s wonderful! The path that leads us back to our ancestors is an important one, I think. I hope you’re enjoying the journey–and that you’ll one day feel inspired to share your wonderful discoveries with us. 🙂
Meantime, I’m holding your spouse (and you) in my thoughts! xo
What a lovely montage! I’m sad for the elephant too.
I’m glad you had a great vacation!
I don’t understand why it is that they think it’s acceptable to shoehorn a gigantic animal into such a tiny space. They had “informational” (read: propaganda) placards all around the enclosure, no doubt intended to ward off criticisms and complaints. 🙁
But! We had a wonderful time together, so thank you for indulging my lengthy post.
Simply gorgeous photos and it looks like such a fun time. I love the San Diego Zoo… and strangely enough, the last time I was there, that was the only view of the mighty hippo-bottamus that I had as well! :-p
It looks like such a wonderful weekend. I’m so glad for you!!! And Toby is just too cute! And I’m with you about having a bleeding heart for that gorgeous elephant.
Thank you for sharing your weekend with us!!!
LOL about your view of the Hippo Bottomus! It’s a big target, so I’m not surprised that you saw it, too.
Thanks for stopping by for my little show-and-tell! I love doing pictorial essays of my own adventures, but (more than) half the fun comes of enticing my online friends to share their adventures with me. But don’t tell anyone…it’ll be our little secret, okay? 😉
Yeah, that’s a *very* large target. lol…
I loved your show and tell. And you’ve inspired me to do show and tell as well… now I just need to do something cool. :-p
And don’t worry, it’s our little secret. :-p
Ha! Those captions had me in stitches! Looks (and sounds) like a fabulous weekend was had by all. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
We had so much fun; I find myself wishing we could do it all over again. But I had a good time in the retelling, so thanks for stopping by to read about our adventures. 🙂
Polar bear and pandas! Yay! Thanks for sharing these great photos!
Pretty fun, eh? I feel fortunate that they came out of hiding to show off for the camera. (Not that they were the least bit interested in little ol’ me, but it’s fun to pretend…)
Lovely pictures! I love having family around me. Nurtures the soul, doesn’t it? We’ve been having a lot of compnay these past few weeks. I admit, though, to feeling the need to crash like Toby when they leave.
It sure does. I feel so revitalized by their visit! But I sure see your point: guests are wonderful, but after a while, you find yourself craving a private sanctuary.
Mama and baby panda are so sweet, as is Toby on your husband’s keyboard. And I confess, I’d be willing to try chocolate-covered bacon.
They were adorable together, nuzzling and tickling and otherwise acting like the affectionate family that they are.
You’d try chocolate bacon? I dunno…sounds a bit greasy. But a bit more appetizing than deep fried s’mores, I suppose. 🙂
Wow, you were busy! Great pictures (and captions). :>)
You’re so right: we packed in a ton of activities into a small handful of days!
Love that you used your zebra icon–it fits right in with the zoo pictures. 🙂
Great pictures. Love the sweet Koala..too bad I’ve heard they’re mean. I’m disappointed that you didn’t indulge in a deep fried Twinkie or something! I’m always tempted but ultimately too scared of immediate cardiac arrest!
They’re mean??? I had no idea! They look so cuddly…
I declined all the deep fried goodies for the very same reason you mentioned. I might have tried a single bite, but no more than that–wouldn’t do to keel over dead at the fair! 🙂
Awesome pictures.
I have to admit, looking at the chocolate covered bacon and deep fried butter, my stomach started churning. I think I far prefer what was on your menu.
It was like watching Forest Gump, I swear, but with Fried (Fill in the Blanks) instead of (Optional Preparation) Shrimp. Some menu options sounded much tastier than others: fried Twinkies, fried s’mores, fried pickles, fried butter, fried Oreos, fried ice cream, fried chicken, fried funnel cakes…well, you get the idea.
Thanks for stopping by to share my adventures–even the stomach churners, so sorry! 🙂
I love, love, LOVE that koala picture. So adorable!!
We went to the San Diego zoo maybe five years ago? I’d love to go back again someday.
Isn’t he cute? I had no idea that they slept for 20 out of every 24 hours. You learn something new every day… 🙂
The San Diego zoo is wonderful. I love that they’re devoted to educating — not just entertaining — their guests. So many unusual exhibits, and it’s pretty cool that they’re a wildlife sanctuary, as well.
Great Photos. . .
Hi!,
Thanks for sharing — sounds like you had a blissful time =)
Toby could be related to our cat, Magoo
I LOVE the San Diego Zoo !
Re: Great Photos. . .
It *was* blissful! I’m still reflecting on our visit…pretty sure there’s still a big ol’ smile plastered across my face.
Magoo’s a great name, by the way. Remember the cartoon character? LOL!
That’s how she ‘chose’ her name
The shelter said her name was Holly = from previous owner.
One day, I called her name a few times, she didn’t look, so I said “Magoo, are you blind?”
and she looked!
so since then, she’s Magoo or Holly Magoo
Re: That’s how she ‘chose’ her name
Hahahaha! Miss Magoo sounds like a real keeper. 🙂