Showing posts with label World Famous San Diego Zoo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Famous San Diego Zoo. Show all posts

September 14, 2011

Flashlight Madness & Swimming Bears

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Not too much has been happening with Abby, so there hasn't been a whole lot to write about. She's doing well, after that little scare she gave us (in my previous post) with the combined tummy trouble/toe problem/heat issues. We've been taking her to the beach and she runs like her usual nutty self. Her energy and appetite still both seem to be really good, so we are pleased about that!


"Woah, it's dark out there."
You probably all heard (and some of you lived through...) the Great San Diego Blackout of 2011. Well, we missed all the excitement. We left town that day at exactly 3:20, missing the traffic chaos by twenty minutes. Whoohoo! We went to spend the night at my sister's, so Abby stayed with aunt Terry and uncle Jon and cousin Lou, the Corgi. We called that night to check on Abby and to see how they were doing in the blackout and heard a LOT of barking in the background. That was when I remembered that Abby goes nuts for flashlights. She has "a thing" for lights and reflections of any kind (sort of an Overly Attentive Light Disorder), and flashlights especially make her crazy. Apparently so do candles. :) So my sis and brother-in-law had the fun of trying to keep her calm with all the flickering lights and flashlight beams!
"Aunt Terry, the flash is too bright!"
Exhausted from the blackout madness.
On the plus side, Terry said they had a lovely walk at dusk and everyone was out and about in the neighborhood (cuz there was nuthin' else to do). Abby was apparently quite the topic of conversation with neighbors they had never met before. Ah, three-legged dogs... bringing folks together. (In that picture to the right, she is resting on the daybed that she's not supposed to sleep on without a cover on it, but she gets away with a lot since she is the sweet cancer puppy... Besides, she looks cute on it!)

In other non-Abby news, but in cute-photo news, Mike took Tuesday off and we went to the zoo. I was a little worried it would be boring since it was mid-morning by the time we got there and sort of warm, but the heat was a good thing since we saw a lot of animals in the water, even some of the elephants which was very cool. The best were the polar bears, so we watched them for a long time. The one bear had a bone that she was totally batting around underwater, like it was a volleyball.
Dropped the bone and had to dive for it.

 


This big ol' polar bear grabbed a mouthful of carrots off a rock and then sat in the water right in front of the window eating them. If you click on the pic and see the bigger version of it, you can see what a slob he is -- there are carrot crumbs all over his tummy. I can relate to that. Although, with me it is usually something more like cookie crumbs...

That's about it for news around here. Abby has a follow-up appointment on Friday. It shouldn't be a big deal - no x-rays this go round - but keep fingers and paws crossed please that when Dr. V. listens to her lungs and heart everything will sound good!

August 11, 2011

It's All Happening At the Zoo...

...including carrying around a stinky stuffed dino in a backpack and whipping him out every few minutes for a photo op. My sister, Kathy, went with me to help me take the pictures. We had a good time, giggling as we set up our shots. I think Barney had a good time too - even though we kept stuffing him back in the bag and were generally embarrassed to be seen with him. He seemed oblivious to all that though. (I think because he is a few fluff balls shy of a full bag of stuffing!) 

Anyway, here he is at the zoo. 
First stop: the flamingos

Barney loved the hippos. (Same body type.)

The leopard totally ignored Barney...

...but I'm pretty sure the polar bear wanted to eat him.

Barney thought the polar bear wanted to eat him too and attempted to flee the scene
Later he found solace with this sloth
...and found a little something with this elephant statue as well...
He needed some water after that.

And he demanded another massage. (Spoiled!)
A giant eagle tried to fly off with him!!
But Kath intervened just in time and saved him. Phew!
 
The irony of the dino skeleton on this little Ranger Rick guy's jacket was lost on Barney. (Is it any surprise that Barney doesn't get irony? I don't think so... He's basically a complete moron.)
We also stopped at the gift shop and let Barney pick out some items for the box that he travels in. (There are lots of mementos from his other visits.) He selected a nice picture frame and a panda bear pin. He saw these guys while we were shopping and had to stop for a moment; he said they were his "peeps":
We had such a good time at the zoo that afterwards we took him to Balboa Park as well.
Hanging at the Lily Pond
Chillin' by the fountain
"Look, I'm Godzilla! I'm going to knock down the Bell Tower!" (He thought that was hilarious. Such a tourist.)
Up next: the beach - and Abby brings the hurt.

August 9, 2011

He's Heeeeere!

...which she immediately started to destroy
Last time I posted it was the day before Abby's 2nd birthday. Before we get to the Big News, here's a quick run down of her extended birthday celebrations in photos:
On her bday, she got a new toy...
The next day, she got ANOTHER new toy - this one from her Aunt Terry...
...and she did not want to give it up!
The *next* day, she got a new bone.
Have to be creative when chewing these!
 

THEN... she got a box full of goodies...
...including Barney!
Yes! The Kill Barney Tour has arrived in San Diego! A shout out to the Oaktown Pack for sending Barney our way, and especially to Codie Rae (who is a star tripawd and seen in a real live music video. She is kinda a Big Deal and is Abby's idol.) You may recall I blogged back in June about how we were Begging for Barney, [and if you don't recall, you may want to check that post out because it explains all this Barney stuff...) and now he's here!

Barney has been to see a lot of Tripawds and he's getting a bit...odiferous. Abby gave him a very thorough sniffing.
She sniffed him ALL over.

And then she started to eat him.
 Now, it is the KILL Barney Tour, but I have plans for him first... so I had to get him away from her:
 Then I had to put him up where she couldn't get him:
He travels with a box full of goodies - some memorabilia from all the places he's been, plus a diary that journals his travels. There is also a stamp pad to add your tripawd's paw print into the journal. Haven't done that yet.... Should be interesting. Anyway, the stuff he travels with is getting pretty stinky too, so here is Abby looking for Barney - in vain - amongst his accoutrement:
Here's the thing... I don't think we should just leap right in and kill him. I think we should lull him into a false sense of security. And THEN kill him. Remember that scene in Marathon Man when Dustin Hoffman THINKS he's being rescued by William Devane... but then William Devane just drives him right back to Laurence Olivier for more torture?? Well, think of me as William Devane, Abby as Sir Laurence, and Barney of course will be playing the Dustin Hoffman roll. Is it safe, Barney? Oh yes... he thinks it is!
Here he is having a recovery nap after the Oaktown Pack had their way with him.

Here he is unwinding with a nice massage

And the ultimate in relaxation: a nice long steam shower
He's resting comfortably in the other room right now. Next: we continue to lull him into relaxing and completely letting his guard down with a trip to the zoo. (Heehee. He thinks he's just here to unwind in San Diego; see the sites! Little does he suspect...)

Whaddya think, Barney, is it safe?