Zoo Anyone?

Well, I was going to work on this post yesterday but…

I have been felled by the dreaded summer cold.

All thanks to this fellow.

This is Slim Jim, otherwise known as Shoe Queen’s boyfriend. Isn’t he a cutie? Very nice, good sense of humor, doesn’t look at us with a lost expression when we start in with the movie quotes.

And he brings gifts! Colds all around. I know I like this guy. Actually I do like him.

Oh aren’t they just as cute as bugs ears.

Are bugs ears cute?

Do bugs have ears?

But I digress.

So on Saturday we indulged in several hours at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Rainforest. And had a total blast. Despite the fact that it was

H. O. T.

91F to be exact. There were some clouds but with all that concrete it really didn’t make all that much difference. We were toasting. I was sweating. It wasn’t pretty.

The big new attraction at the zoo is the “Elephant Crossing”. I guess that is because they can go from one side of the attraction to the other and swim in the pool. Something that they were NOT doing when we were there. In fact this is what I saw at first.

Elephant Butts! And they wouldn’t be the last butts that I would see that day. No siree. Finally someone deigned to let me take an adequate picture.

He just seemed like he wanted to be in black and white. I am not sure why but it spoke to me. The darn editing software made me do it.

Then it was on to view the flamingo butts. I swear whenever I walked up the animals presented their posteriors. I was starting to get a complex by this time.

Momentary panic when Slim Jim thought that a bird had made a sewage deposit in his pocket. It turned out to be just a seed. But the aim was fabulous.

Look a camel butt!

I became momentarily obsessed with the camels. For a “nominal” fee you could ride one around a small enclosure. I have ridden a camel, in the Negev desert, I don’t need to do it again. I cannot believe it would be any more comfortable now than it was then.

And it wasn’t comfortable then.

We are always poking at each other. It drives my MiL crazy. But we keep telling her…

We poke because we love (and we want to annoy). Here HHBL is doing his level best.

Contemplating the koalas. The koalas were contemplating the backs of their eyelids. It wasn’t the last time that we would see this. A hot Saturday afternoon isn’t when the animals are going to be at their most energetic.

See what I mean.

No matter what angle I came at him Mr. Tiger wasn’t going to move anything except the tip of his tail which would occasionally twitch.

So we moved on to the Primates. Who were more active.

I am so sorry. I apologize profusely. I just couldn’t help myself. And this was one of the “cleaner” pictures. Everyone in the primate house seemed to be very “happy” that day if you get my drift.

Please do not make me explain that last statement.

Then it was on to the Butterfly exhibit, one of my favorites. I was looking forward to taking some excellent pictures in there……except…….

Mr. 50mm lens was always right in front of me. Close in to the butterflies. Click, clicking away until the butterfly flew away. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

So by the end I contented myself with taking pictures of children who were at the zoo. I love taking pictures of children.

Children come in all shapes and sizes….

and ages.