Lions and Pandas and More . . . oh my!

While we were in California, we had the opportunity to go to the San Diego Zoo.  Neither of us had ever been there before, and we were not disappointed  They have a SkyTram ride which soars over the Zoo, from one end to the other.  We started with that, and then leisurely strolled back past the animals.

 I don't remember what kind of a bird the above one was, but the one in flight is a California Condor.

                                                         

 Definitely the king of the beasts.  I was very glad to have a telephoto lens on my camera, as I wouldn't want to get close to this guy.

 This giraffe is pretty cool looking in a distinguished way, as opposed to the flamingo, who looks like he just sat on a pine cone.  The giraffes were quite active, and we watched one carefully sit down on the ground.  It was not an easy process -- I guess it's pretty hard to be that tall.

 We were thrilled to see that pandas, especially since the docent said they usually sleep about 16 hours a day,  It was lunch time, and Mama and Baby were both busy chowing down on the bamboo!  This is Mama.  Her back was toward us most of the time.

 Baby was not camera shy at all.  He even seemed to be grinning at us.

We've been back for a week now, and I'm finally feeling better after my bout with bronchitis.  Stay well, and here's to spring arriving soon!

The Beach!

My youngest daughter and I just returned from a wonderful escape from the land of ice and snow to sunny southern California.   It was a much needed, healing week for both of us, and here are some of my favorite pics of the Oceanside Beach.

 This was the view from our balcony our first night, and we could not believe the gorgeous colors of the clouds.

 Torrey Pines State Park -- one of the best places to hike and enjoy the sunshine sparkling on the water.

 Such a wonderful surprise to see this lovely rainbow greet me one morning.

 Sunsets at the Pier are magical.

 Love the birds . . .

 And the colors . . .

 Sharing it with my daughter . . .

And our final night eating fish and chips at the harbor while enjoying this beautiful show!

Now we have been back in Chicago for three days and I have been sick in bed with bronchitis.  At least I have these memories and images to remind me of our trip!

Nation's Capitol

We were on vacation for ten days and, although we've been back for four days, I'm still trying to catch up.  But here are a few pictures from Washington, DC.  This is the first time I've been to our nation's capital.  Three days were not nearly enough to see and do all that we wanted to, but it was certainly all my feet could manage!  I really enjoyed taking night shots, but most of them weren't the best, since I didn't have a tripod with me.  The capitol building with the reflecting pond is one of my favoritesl

This is the least blurry of my Iwo Jima shots, but from here it looks like real Marines, not a statue.

 Ahhh, the Washington Monument with the Capitol building in the background.

 And most everyone's favorite, the Lincoln Memorial.

The Korean War Memorial.  

 We had an awesome tour of the Capital, made possible by our Congresswoman!  Here are all four of us, not acting tired at all!

And here's my husband right after the tour.  I think he needed a nap.

We made some wonderful memories, but it's great to be back home.

Vacation Memories

Back from a wonderful and relaxing week in the Florida Keys and trying to catch up with things here at home.  One priority is to get back up to speed with the Beyond Layers class.  They have been doing some really fun stuff, like making a "time capsule" of daily images.  But since I have about 800 vacation pics, I decided to make a different collage, of the evening we kayaked out into the Florida Bay to enjoy the sunset.

The people in the other kayak are my cousin Barbie and her husband Dannie.  They are the ideal vacation comrades!