A Morning at the Zoo

I had the pleasure of accompanying a friend to the zoo this past Saturday morning. He had the inside scoop on when the trainer would be visiting and feeding some treats to the Malayan Tigers. I enjoyed watching their behavior as they waited for the food to be tossed. If you are not familiar with Malayan tigers, here is a link to the WWF website for more information.
Connor and Christopher were born in April 2011 and have had a few months to grow. Their feet still look over-sized for their body. I am sure they will grow into them! I have never heard a cub squeak the way they did when they were begging for the trainer to throw the food. It was a sound unlike what I would expect to come out of those wide mouths.

I don't remember if it was Christopher or Connor that was more demanding. One of the cubs was more vocal and the other seemed more laid back. I was told that one can tell the two apart by looking at the stripes above their eyes. I guess I need to spend more time with them because when I got home I couldn't see the difference!

Mom is absolutely beautiful. She doesn't look like she had twins five and a half months ago.

We also visited the hippos and the mom and baby there were quite active this morning also. The abstract quality of this photograph prompted me to share it with you here.

I look forward to visiting the zoo in the coming weeks to watch Connor and Christopher develop. There are times when it takes hours to catch a glimpse of the cubs. Knowing when the keeper will be there to draw them out with treats is a definite advantage to viewing.
Here is the link to more photographs from this visit:  Zoo Image Gallery

Great Horned Owl

This past weekend I had the pleasure of spending some time at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum in Vista California. They had their Spring Tractor Show going on. It was a fun time as always, but I had a particularly thrilling experience. I got to see a whole family of Great Horned Owls in a barn there! Here are some of the photos I took of the family.

This one sounded like it was going to deposit an owl pellet and even looked like it but didn't.

It really was an exciting experience to be able to take photos of these owls. I have since learned that Great Horned Owls are usually quite skittish. These seemed quite comfortable with our presence. If you'd like to see more photos of this family here is a link to 16 photos I uploaded to a gallery. Owl Gallery
Great Horned Owl slide show

Wings Over Gillespie 2011



Took a trip to the Wings Over Gillespie Air Show 2011 this past Saturday. I love this air show because it is like a small town air show. It is casual and the pilots are very accessable. The variety of old planes is excellent. It is a fun show.

The sky was nice and clear blue.

Spectators are able to get very close to moving planes in this show.

I was missing Ace for the plane identification!

The gliders always intrigue me. I looked into flight costs and they were quite reasonable. Anyone want to go with me for a ride sometime?

Cool Wheels

The reenactment is always fun to watch.

I got to spend some time with my good friend Shawn.
All in all it was a beautiful day and lots of fun!
Slide Show Gallery of Photos from the Air Show

Maritime Museum of San Diego

Ace and I always enjoy visiting the ships at the Maritime Museum. This weekend the museum had a Pirate Event with a lot of fun activities. San Diego Maritime Museum is rich with historic nautical information. Click on the link above and check out the explore tab to see the ships and submarines available to explore. The Maritime Dancers performed on the HMS Surprise. They were so much fun Ace requested to return for their second performance of the day.

The guests on this day were all dressed in period clothing to add in the fun.

Ace had to check out the bunks on the Soviet B-39 submarine on exhibit.

My favorite pirate from the Maritime Museum. He really engaged with the guests and added much to the experience!

Ace looking mighty piratey.

More photos

Rancho Bernardo Winery

Rancho Bernardo Winery founded in 1889 is the oldest continuosly opperating winery in southern California. It is a treasure trove of wonderful antiques and quaint shops. The grounds are a photographer's paradise. For more information about the winery click this link
I had the pleasure of joining the SDDSLR group for a shoot and lunch at the winery. The winery mixes beautiful plants and flowers with intriguing rustic antiques.





The pop of floral color and rust!



Maybe it is the Cars movie influence but this old tractor has character!

 The mushroom soup at Cafe Merlot is the best I've ever tasted!

 The bread pudding is always a popular treat.

The Barrel Room is fantastic. The aroma of aging grapes fills the air. It hearkens me back to when I was a little girl visiting a neighbor who made wine in his cellar. The fragrance is rich and welcoming.

Please visit my Rancho Bernardo Winery Group Shoot gallery for more photos.



Charlie Sheen-co de Mayo

I had the good fortune of going to the Charlie Sheen-co de Mayo celebration in Lake Elsinore Diamond baseball stadium. The Storm was playing Bakersfield Blaze. I had never been to a Minor League baseball game. Initially I was taken back by the beautiful stadium. They were giving out Charlie Sheen bobblehead's and big clear dark frame glasses. I really would have liked to get a Sheen bobblehead. I've since learned they only had 500 to give out. Here is a link to the official site of The Storm 

 The fun to come as the game progressed was a surprise. The director of media relations was genius in coming up with this theme. Not only was the theme great, but they went all out all night long. If you've never attended a Minor League baseball game, I highly recommend it. They pack so much entertainment around the game that it is worth the price even if the game being played on the field is a snoozer.


To celebrate The Wild Thing.



Meet Thunder. If you want to see him in all his green glory, you'll have to visit the gallery link.



The Best Seat in the House competition

Not every day you get entertained by a gorrila strip-tease!

Wild Thing took the mound for a few pitches.



There were many sideline games. Never a dull moment.

To keep this post from being too long, I invite you to check out the small gallery I put together of the photos I took at Charlie Sheen-co de Mayo. You'll see the full strip-tease of the gorilla. If that isn't enough on its own, you'll meet Scoop and watch him melt right before your eyes! Gallery

Support your local Minor League Baseball team and go see a game soon! It will be fun!



Renaissance Faire

I went to the Renaissance Faire in Felicita Park, Escondido, California with a few friends. The day was beautiful fortunately as the park had a bit of rain in the days before. It was still muddy, but for the most part easy to move around the mud. Many of the same characters are at this faire each year and it is always good to see them. The food area is a popular place and the most popular and best tasting is the crepe vendor.

Plenty of happy people abound!

Performing Artists

The cast and crew take their reenactments seriously

The whimsy makes this faire fun!

Here is a link to the gallery of images I took this day: Ren Faire

And the slide show link: Ren Faire Slide Show