Connections

Yet another day at the Zoo!

Even polar bears love a swim on a warm day!

We have a couple of memberships that we keep up, ostensibly for "the grandchildren" but at the first hint of a warm day I dash the 1 1/2 mile from our home to the zoo for a camera safari.  There is always something new and different--including the photos that got away.  Just as we were passing the mesh fence the zebras began to run madly around their large enclosure.  The reason:  an aggressive ostrich was pursuing them.  Before I could get a clear shot, the zoo keeper had enticed the ostrich back into its enclosure and the action was over.

Siberian tiger just out of his rock pool. This feline likes water.

Sadly this magnificent animal is highly endangered.  I use a lot of digital memory on this guy.

Live Nautilus through the glass wall of its tank. 

We are fortunate to have Tropical Discovery in our zoo. This exhibit contains plants and animals from 5 tropical habitats:  Coral reef, tropical caves, estuaries, river pools and desert.

I have always loved the nautilus ever since I first read Anne Morrow Lindberg's Gifts from the Sea.  Long before I knew about how endangered they would become, I had collected two from shell shops in California and Mexico.  Now I content myself with watching these little water-propelled shells moving around their tank in TD.

Walking sticks in a tank in T.D. 

One of many examples of slow-moving animals or insects using camouflage to "hide in plain site" from their predators. If you look closely you can see several "baby sticks" staying pretty close to the adults.

Rockies Home Opener

Presentation of Colors on Opening Day 2008 

Since 1993 we have only missed two opening day games.  For many years we or someone in our family attended almost every home game.  Now the kids are married and busy with careers and their own children and we simply cannot use 81 games so we trade and share until we have about 26 games + the fireworks games.  That's about right for us.

These photos taken yesterday from our upper level seats.

Saguaro National Park East

Desert flowers in the morning at Saguaro NP East

Our second morning in Tucson we drove 20 minutes east to immerse ourselves in the wonders of desert beauty.  We were probably a week early to see the cacti in bloom but we saw the buds and they were definitely getting ready.  We did, however, get to see a lot of these yellow wildflowers and a few purple and orange ones.

I took a photo of this chart to remember just how old some of these Saguaros are. To get all the cacti in focus, I cut off some of the test.  The top line reads

"There is no way to tell exactly how old a cactus is unless you know when it started growing.  Unlike trees, cacti do not have annual growth rings, however, the size of the plant does give some indication of its age."

The side information for the first line (10 years) is approximate age for dry areas such as Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  The second line (6-7 years) is approx. age in wet areas such as the East side of Saguaro Nat. Park. (Click photo for larger version.)

A saguaro cactus gets its first appendage at 55-60 years of age.

Below are a couple of photos of pretty old cacti.  The first includes my 5ft. 10 in husband and the second is a skeleton cactus.

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Bob mimicking the arm position of this large Saguaro cactus. 

Bob looking for elf-owl nests in the holes of this Saguaro

Saguaro skeleton aka desert art

I love the gnarly art look of these cacti skeletons though they are quite rare.

Cactus League Baseball

Rockies playing Diamondbacks at Hy Corbett Field

Several times we have used the Cactus League Spring Training games as a reason/excuse to leave the unpredictable yo-yo weather of Denver for the warm dry sunny weather of Tucson Arizona. It's a lovely town with great ambiance and much to do--if you have the time.  This trip was spontaneous and not well-researched.  Without kids in school we were clueless that we were traveling stand-by during Spring Break. We're retired and flexible so we charged into the fray.  We had no problem getting to Tucson, though we had to abandon stand-by plans and purchase tickets on Cheap Tickets for the last leg of our trip.  The return trip was chaotic as Spring Break collided with the cancellation of over 600 flights of MD-80 airplanes (130 passengers) and attempt to reschedule all the paid standbys onto RJ's (50 or 70 passengers.) 

After testing our flying motto, "Be patient, be flexible," by standing by for 5 flights in Salt Lake City, we finally got a hotel there and were able to get out the next morning on the COD (crack-of-dawn) flight to Denver. We were tired but had happy memories--and way too many photos of cacti-- to remind us of our quick 3-day dash to Tucson.

My husband found a too-good-to-be-true car/hotel combo deal on Expedia and luckily it was most definitely a true deal.  It also acquainted us with a wonderful historic lodge located just a few blocks from the continuous free shuttle to the games. 

Mid-morning outside our room at Lodge In The Desert

Before we saw the restaurant at our motel we had wondered where we would eat the first night in Tucson.  We picked up our car at the airport, checked in at the motel, changed our winter clothers for sunshine clothes and made it to the game in time to see the first pitch.

When we checked in we walked past the restaurant and immediately decided to eat there after the game.

Lodge in the Desert Restaurant in Tucson Arizona

Yesterday's Orchid Show

Just one of my favorites from the orchid show

I had no idea when I went to the gardens--mainly to battle a huge case of cabin fever from being inside for 5 days of bitter cold and snow--that I'd accidentally chosen the day of the local orchid show and sale.  Here are my nameless favorites.  Of course, they didn't have them named except in the sale brochure which I'd arrived too late to receive!

Probably my favorite

Or maybe this one.

Frozen Garden

Part of the Japanese Garden pond layered with snow

It is a relatively nice day so I bundled up, grabbed my camera and went to walk in the Denver Botanic Gardens.  Though it is March, it can still act like winter and overnight we got a dusting of snow, but this morning the sun is out and temps are in the high 40's.

The gardens are still beautiful though not with the vivid colors of summer.  Dried autumn grasses are still holding on and waving in the sun even while snow lies at their base.

When I arrived at the gardens, I saw that something was going on inside the display hall and discovered that the annual orchid show and sale was going on.  I'm sure I would kill an orchid so didn't buy any but took many photos to savor.  Tomorrow I'll post some of my favorites.Later this afternoon I took another photo of the same scene that had been under snow a week ago and again this morning.  See below:

Yo-yo weather!

Today's view with snow and 27 degree temperature

Yesterday we went to the zoo with our grandson and the thermometer maxed out at a new record for the date: 74 degrees   My son and daughter-in-law came over and put out the table and chairs on Saturday.  Sunday it was cold again.  Monday was 74. Today it topped out at 27.  This is typical of late winter/early spring weather in Denver, but this year the extremes seem, well , more extreme!  Rarely do we vacillate 47 degrees from one day to the next.  It makes it hard to plan clothing, food shopping and even the next day's activities.

I am suffering from too much winter along with election fatigue.  I'm ready for Spring, sunshine, some political certainty and the end of the Republican dictatorship.

Old news-writing it backward

Mid-December: Decorating was a total family experience.

With snow, holiday activities and adding a new family member, we were so busy living our lives that time to write about it just wasn't there.  We actually received that rare snowfall on Christmas Day (only 12% of the Christmases in Colorado).  We celebrated with the local Grandkids on Christmas Eve:  Tian's first Christmas.

Clio, Tian and Ethan on Christmas Eve.

We were housebound for a few days after the snow--a welcome time to catch up on reading and relaxing.  For not the first time in our 43 Christmases together, Bob and I gave each other the same book.  We both kept receipts--just in case.  I spent a good amount of time "listening" to books on my Creative Zen V Plus MP3. This little gadget has become a favorite way to "read" while doing things around the house, driving (with a small, portable speaker--not earphones) and while walking alone.  The public library has a good selection of audio ebooks that have been out for longer than a year.  If I just have to have the "latest new thing" I have a basic membership to audible.com.  I'm actually spending less money on books--and storing them, until I get around to them,is certainly easier.  On my 2G MP3 I can put 10-12 ebooks depending on the size.

I have also spent a lot of energy being fearful that we can't get rid of Bush soon enough--before he brings about another catastrophic event.  I am watching the Democratic campaigns and following the top 3 with almost equal fervor.  I would be happy supporting the one who can convince me that he/she will put the "public" back into public servant.  We've had enough "corporate servants" during the last 8 years,  I will also use that criteria to choose local, state and national congressional candidates.

I had wanted  to get started again with my blog and will make an effort to write/take photos more often to jump-start my appearances here.  A belated Happy Holidays 2007 to everyone.

Tian makes six!

My son's family arriving in Denver airport from 2 weeks in China.

They left for China as a family of three and returned with a second daughter, so we now have six grandchildren--three girls and three boys.  The only problem is that three of them are in Wisconsin, too far away to see often.

Surprisingly, the two girls traveled well during the long flight from Hong Kong to Denver. We are now waiting for them to get back in Denver's time zone so we can get to know the new family member much better.  We'll see them all on Thanksgiving as we show our gratitude for another healthy child. 

Even as I am thrilled to have these two girls in my life, I am saddened by the situation in China which results in thousands of young girls being "lost" or deposited at night on the steps of an orphanage.  Even though China has relaxed the one-child rule to allow couples to "try again" for a boy, it is the second and third daughters that seem to disappear.  In the rural areas, parents depend on their son and his wife to care for them in their old age, so the problem is more cultural than it is a devaluing of females. After so many years of this custom the gender balance is now so lopsided that many young men must travel to other countries to find wives. 

Mystic scenery

Mystic Pizza on Mystic's main street

I don't know if this place appeared before or after the movie but I wasn't the only one taking a photo. 

After spending 3 hours at the seaport outdoor museum, we drove through Mystic proper and then over to New London waterfront.  We probably should have gone into New London itself as the waterfront was, well, too much waterfront, trains, tracks, cranes and infrastructure.  As we left we saw some beautiful homes and architecture in New London--from a distance, but were running out of time and energy.

I did get some late-afternoon shots of some picturesque pond-front homes on our way back to our hotel.

Obviously these are high-end homes, but I noticed that even the smaller homes on smaller lots had a lot of charm and character.  It is a beautiful area that I'd like to visit again for a longer time.

Behind a restaurant on Mystic River, just outside the museum

This was about 2:00 p.m. and already the wind-chill was in the air.  By sunset at 4:30 we were looking for a warm place and a hot drink.  It was exactly what I have always enjoyed about the autumn season:  beautiful colored leaves, warm days with a little nip of cold on the cheeks toward evening. 

Of course we had seafood for the evening meal both nights.  The first night our meal was accompanied by a "Flight of wines,"  5 different 3 oz. pours of wine which we shared and rated.  Great idea, a good-sized taste of 5 wines for $10.  For a quick 3-day trip we felt we sampled the flavor of the place--both in the food and in the culture.

Mystic Seaport Museum

A seaport museum of antique ships and support buildings

When my husband mentioned a quick trip to Mystic, Connecticut, I had no idea where we were going.  I had seen the movie Mystic River and found it to be powerful.  I had heard about but not seen the movie Mystic Pizza which launched Julia Roberts.  Sadly I admit that I did not know for sure which states bordered Connecticut and was surprised that we were to fly into Providence, R.I. and drive only 47 miles to Mystic.

My husband is the one who reads about and builds models of antique ships.  He is currently building a model of  The Charles Morgan, a whaling ship that operated for 80 years, making over 37 voyages--some as long as 5 years away from her home port.

I am a lover of museums of any kind but was still unprepared for how special this outdoor museum on the water is.  We spent 3 hours  walking onto ships and listening to knowlegeable people explain the culture of the sea and management of a ship's crew.  It was a fascinating experience.  One thing I learned is that life at sea was a very demanding and difficult one.  Just managing the live food on board--chickens and goats--would have had me wanting to go home.

Bob beside the Charles Morgan (above) and on board with a docent (below)

We both were amazed that there was still a lot of autumn color in Connecticut as late as November 13.  It wasn't the peak of autumn but the colors were still beautiful and made a perfect frame for the many typical colonial-style homes in the area.

 

Penguins and Mini Med School

TV buttons, not Halloween, are his priority

My son, DIL and grandson came over to show us his costume and to give out goodies while we went to our Mini Med School Class at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  The lecture on Sleep--as all the lectures have been--was excellent.  It is a 9-week lecture course taught my faculty of the Colorado University Health Sciences Center. Next Wednesday will be a last lecture.  I'm really going to miss it.  It is just another way that the Museum gets science information to the community at large.

At a time when our current governmental leadership is dumbing down the country where science, knowledge and critical thinking are involved, I am thrilled to be a member and volunteer of such a great Museum organization.

Animals at the Boo!

Bat eared fox resting with vigilant eyes partially open

This big-eared cutie didn't seem to mind all the costumed children running past his/her enclosure.

Below I caught a dangerous wild animal in an almost loveable pose.

Two-year old zoo-raised male grizzly orphaned as a small cub.

I'm not quite sure how it happened but I just pointed my camera, sometimes right into sun and shadows, and something special was captured.  In this case it was a kangaroo eating.  When I uploaded my photos I realized there were two kangaroos eating--a mother and a joey.

BOO At The ZOO!

 

Clio as Princess Belle for the Halloween Party at the Zoo

Saturday morning before the Rockies game we took Clio to the annual Boo at the Zoo, where sponsoring companies provide treats as the children go through the zoo.  Many of the animals are kept outside all the time so that photos are readily available. 

I took a lot of really good animal photos but I must confess that the costumes on children and adults were what drew my attention most.  Below are some favorites

I'm sure the little guy in the photo below had no idea who he was dressed as, but all the adults knew and had a little chuckle.

After Elvis came my favorites, triplets dressed as Tigger, Eyore and Piglet.  I thought it a pretty innovative way for the parents to manage three toddlers.  I wish I'd had a little train like that when my 3 were young.

World Series Game 3 at Denver

Bob and I before the first game in Colorado--yesterday!!!

What a thrill!  I've never been to a World Series Game and to be there the first time that our beloved Rockies have gone to the Series was fantastic.  The crowd was great.  Both Rockies and Red Sox fans supported their teams without booing the other team.  There was almost no casual conversation and most people stayed in their seats the whole game.  Everyone followed every pitch and every play on the field.  It was great baseball.  Of course I would have loved to see our team win or at least take it to seven games but the Sox have a very talented team and their pitching was awesome.

The opening ceremony was pretty exciting too:

Representatives of the armed forces presented a giant flag.

The flag was carried in and unfurled on the field and remained so while Carrie Underwood sang the anthem.

After the anthem the team members were announced and the game began.  It was so exciting.  We watched the other games at home with friends over.  When my dear friend Paula heard that we'd gotten tickets, she brought over the boa that I wore to the game.  With the high winds and my jumping around, I brought the boa home a number of feathers lighter than it appears in the photo.

The two teams lined up along baselines before the game.