Going to the Zoo (again!)

A few weeks ago, we took a trip over to the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park.  We tried to get there early, before it got too warm and were rewarded by such sights as an elephant pedicure.

Many of the animals were out and about. Some were just finishing breakfast

Some were already taking their morning siestas

And some were just being themselves

We spent a few minutes chatting with Bai Yun and Gao Gao

All in all, a very satisfying morning.

Catching up

I can't believe it's been six weeks since I posted something.  Not just from the "omg-it's-been-so-long" perspective, but also from the "omg-so-much-has-happened-since-my-last-post" perspective.  We went back to the zoo, we went back to the Botanic Gardens, we went back to the dog beach, and I got to go home for four days, which was badly needed.  More on that later.

In the meantime, I've discovered Instagram!  I don't use it that much and I still haven't got the hang of how it works as a social thing, but it's great to be able to capture images and share them immediately, without having to go home, download the RAW file, edit the image, upload to Flickr or wherever, and post on the blog, or on photo-sharing websites, or on Facebook.  So I'm going to try to share some of my more recent captures here.  Tell me what you think.

All around our building, there are bird-of-paradise flowers and sooner or later you get to the point where you've seen one, you've seen them all.  This however, is a shadow of a BOP plant that's projected on the wall of our underground garage.  It was really striking to me, and I don't know if I've captured the essence of it or not, but there it is.

This one I call "Two of my favorite things" and the traffic outside the window isn't one of them!  Robert had just made me a Kahlua and cream, and he'd managed to float the cream on top of the Kahlua, and it was really pretty.  I set the glass down, and suddenly noticed the reflection of the Giants game in the window and thought, Gee, I wonder how this would look in a photo.  And here it is.

One more.  The dog beach from Pandora's perspective.  It's a very cool place, where all shapes and sizes of dogs can play together.  They all steal each other's toys, most of them go at least partway into the water and the only rules are mind your manners (for the dog) and pick up after your pet (for the humans).  I didn't get a photo of it, but the other day, I saw a 2-pound Chihuahua playing with a 50-pound boxer-type dog.  As I said, all shapes and sizes.

It's not a fish!!

I went with my ex-brother in law and my niece to Sea World the other day. 

It was the first time I had been there in several years and I couldn't tell if anything had changed.  But the weather was great and it was so much fun to spend a day with my niece, who is crazy about dolphins. 

Like everyone else who goes to Sea World we went to the "Shamu" show.  I put it in quotes because the original Shamu passed away in 1971, but the name lives on.  It was awe-inspiring to watch these beautiful animals performing for the crowd, but I wish they would call them orcas instead of "killer whales".  It's probably just a personal preference, and whatever you call them, they are beautiful animals.

We spent so much time hanging with the dolphins that we almost didn't get to see any other animals.  We got to check in with the pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) and their perennial guests, sea gulls and egrets. 

And it wouldn't be an Images by Karen post if I didn't include a few flowers and plants!

Look at the pretty flowers!

Last weekend, we went to the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas, north of San Diego.  It's an absolutely beautiful place with about four miles of trails and a huge variety of plants and flowers.  We only saw about a third of it, which is great because it means we have to go back and see the rest.  Here are just a few of the flora (and fauna) we saw.

Outings

We are beginning to get settled in our new home here in San Diego and we've recently found time to do a little exploring.  In previous visits, we have taken Pandora to the dog beach in Ocean Beach, where she has had endless amounts of fun.

But we heard there were a couple of other beaches where dogs could run and play, so we went to find the one in Del Mar, a little north of San Diego.  Unfortunately, when we found it, there was no parking whatsoever, so we ended up driving around the town, and then going for a walk along the top of the bluff.

The weather was perfect and the only downside was that we couldn't get to the beach.  But hey, there's always next weekend.

This past weekend, we went back to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, near Escondido.  We had heard about an exhibit of butterflies that was there and we wanted to check it out.  I also wanted to play with my brand-new lens, so off we went.

I had totally forgotten how heavy that sucker is!  I'll definitely have to play more often so I get used to it, hehe!