The Zoo

Yesterday Doug and I went to Utah's Hogle Zoo with his family and my brother Jess. We started with the colobus monkeys. I love their long white tails.

Next we stopped by the elephants and rhinoceros. I like the picture of looking under the belly of one rhino to see the other one eating.

The zoo has a new exhibit area called Rocky Shores which has bald eagles, river otters, harbor seals, sea lions, a polar bear, and grizzly bears. Jess and I took turns in the eagles nest.

The polar bear really liked to swim in her pool and stroll around her enclosure. She dove for some fish that the keeper tossed in. It was really fun to watch her swim. The viewing area is great because you can see underwater, on the land area, and in her den.

The grizzly bears had a special ice treat in their enclosure. We make these for our puppy Penny sometimes with chicken broth and hot dog chunks.

Near the end of our visit the zoo keepers worked with the seals and blind sea lion. They teach the animals behaviors to help with veterinary work and to keep them safe. They can retrieve items that fall into the water and take them to their keepers for a fish reward. They also hold out their claws to be clipped and open their mouths to have their teeth brushed.

The blind sea lion has a stick with a ball on the end that makes noise so he can follow it. He did pretty well swimming around and didn't run into things. He stays mostly in one corner of the pool but he seems happy.

After Rocky Shores we saw the tigers, giraffes, and some marsh birds including a swan.

We saw a lot more animals but my camera battery kept dying so I had to be selective with my photography subjects. I'm glad I got to see so many beautiful and diverse creatures. It was a wonderful day near the end of summer.

The Challenge

My first random acts of craftiness challenge is here. It arrived yesterday via Erin's blog. I have to use game pieces. Well, there are a million games, and probably billions of pieces. After thinking all day I was stumped. I should have known better than to try and think during the day, especially a day while I was at work. When I woke up in the middle of the night to take sweet Penny my puppy out to the bathroom, I had lots of time to think while I was falling back to sleep.

In that hazy back to sleep fog, I had a vision. It may include jacks, fishing line, and a hanger but you'll just have to wait until September 24th to see what I create. Be excited, and maybe afraid, but mostly excited.

"Om"brella "Hand"le

When Doug and I went to the Natural History Museum of Utah a few weeks ago I also made it a point to stop by the campus surplus store. When I lived in the dorms at the U, I found the most amazing store you could ever imagine. It sells whatever is left over on campus that people don't want anymore. They have tons of computer stuff, furniture, and even stuff from the hospital. It's the thrift store of the U. And it's amazing. I could have spent hours looking at stuff. Unfortunately our parking meter was only free for 20 minutes. But during those 20 minutes I found the coolest umbrella I've ever seen. Feast your eyes on this.

Yes that is a hand as the "hand"le. My family thought it was creepy. I can't find anything else like it anywhere online. I would love to know who made it and its story. As fa as I can tell it's either the "om" hand position or the "okay" sign used in diving.

What do you think? Any ideas on how to figure out where it came from?