Travel Plans and more Zoo Pics

I took a little time off from "blog land" this past week....really hadn't plan too, but that is how it turned out.  We have made our departure plans and we will be pulling out this Saturday and heading over to Vegas for a 3 night stay. I made our reservations at Sam's Town.  The price was not bad and they have a shuttle service to downtown Vegas that runs every 15 minutes.  That way we can come and go as we please and don't have to worry about parking or traffic.  I'm really looking forward to seeing the inside of some of those casinos....and the lights!  We don't gamble, so we will just be enjoying all the sights and sounds.  
Last Monday, I made another trip to the zoo.  I got there around 7am....nice thing about the membership we bought, I can get into the zoo 2 hours before they officially open to the public.  That was so nice.  It was a beautiful morning and I practically had the whole place to myself.  Here are just a few photos.....

 I have no idea...but those ears are way cute!

 I'm not sure, but I think this wild dog is thinking "breakfast"?  Hope the fence holds.

 Gotta love that face!

 Good morning, Sunshine!

Oops!  I don't think he is a morning person....he! he!

I have taken over 1000 zoo photos....love my new camera, thanks Billy!  Lots of inspiration for new paintings!

Day at the Zoo

I went to the Zoo on Wednesday and OH, what a day I had there.  Billy dropped me off around 9am.  I was loaded....had both my lenses, my camera, my monopod, my umbrella, and water and a snack.  It was an overcast day, which made it nice temp wise.  It did sprinkle a couple of times, but I had my trusty umbrella so I was good.  I really took my time and got some great shots....around 500 photos.  By the time I left I was really tired....I think it was around 3pm when I decided to call it a day.  I certainly can't post all 500 photos, but here are a few of my favorites.

 I was actually just shooting the flowers when this little guy magically appeared right in my camera frame...how cool is that!

 The latest addition to the zoo....Jaguar

 This beauty is a Cheetah

Bobcat

 Look at all those teeth!

I love, love, love my new telephoto lens....it did a great job of bringing in those shots.  Keep in mind, that all of these with the exception of the hummingbird, were either shot through glass or cages.  I do plan on going back....I have been reading up on my camera settings and want to try some different things.  Knowing where all the buttons are and what they do on my camera is a challenge....but, practice makes perfect!

Yesterday was spent resting up a bit (my legs were sore from all the walking) and cleaning up the fiver.  Belle seems to be fully recovered, but now Cosmo has had an incident.  So, we will see what tomorrow brings.

The Zoo

We went to the Living Desert Zoo over in Palm Desert.   It was wonderful.  Here are just a few of the marvelous animals we saw....

 This is Black Crowned Night Heron.....looks blue to me

 This is the Common Egret....nothing common about this beauty in my opinion

 Priceless!!

I want to paint them all!!  In fact we enjoyed the zoo so much that we purchased a membership.  The cost was $70 for both of us and allows unlimited visits for the year.  It also includes many other zoos around the United States...giving us entry at no cost or at a reduced cost.  We are going to be here in Desert Hot Springs for another 3 weeks and I plan on spending several more days at the zoo. 

Another Great Evening

Yesterday, Rick came by and invited us out to dinner.  We originally made plans to go to dinner tonight, but then Paulette came by and ask if we could make it that night.  Well, of course, that is the beauty of being retired and fulltime....all our plans are set in "jello" and can be changed at the drop of a hat!  So, off we went...over to Palm Springs for a great buffet at the Spa Resort and Casino.  We also were introduce to another great couple here at the Sands...Gary and Sandy.  The six of us had a lovely dinner and the conversation was even better!  We are just having too much fun here at the Sands.....now if we could just do something about this ding, dang wind!  Enough already!
Yep, the winds were a howling all night long and have continued this am.  It is truly amazing that...just over the way at Palm Springs...usually no wind..calm as can be.
Today I think we may mosey over to the Living Desert and Zoo.  I want to see what animals I can "capture" with my new camera!

April 20, 2009 Living Desert and Zoo

Today we went to the Living Desert and Zoo in Carlsbad. I have to say we both really enjoyed the visit. The photos are just two out of the 80 shots I took. It took us about an hour and a half to walk the path by and through all the exhibits. My favorites were the prairie dogs and the Avery. The birds in the Avery were so used to humans that you could really get close to them and the prairie dogs were just plain fun to watch. I don't think I have ever been this close to a buffalo. The cost for all this is a mere $5.00.

After the zoo, we ended up dining at the local Furr's cafeteria and guess what? I got my first 'senior discount'. Now, don't laugh--I know most folks, especially women, might be insulted to receive a senior discount (60 and over) when they are but a mere 51. But Hey, God gave me all this grey and white hair for a reason and I say USE IT to the best advantage. After all, don't I look maaarrrvelous for a 60 year old. LOL!
Well these two 'seniors' took themselves back to the fiver and after receiving many, many wet kisses from our furballs.......we decided it was nap time. Tomorrow should be another great adventure. We are heading to Calsbad Caverns--I love caves and we have heard so many great things from all of you out there who have seen them.....we are really looking forward to the adventure. My only disappointment is that the bats are not back yet and I would have loved to have seen them leaving at dusk. Hopefull we will be able to see that at some point in our travels.

I did get our reservations for Bottomless Lakes state park and we will be heading there on Thursday.