It's been a really busy month with the holidays disrupting both work and home life. But Miss Wiggles and I make it a habit every Sunday to visit Riverbanks Zoo here in Columbia to see the animals. At least they are safely enclosed unable to hurt anyone else. I wish I could say the same about the state legislature.This fellow is enjoying the morning sun and I guess contemplating Quantum Physics and Heisenberg uncertainty principle. This is after he ran down from the small hill in the enclosure and rammed the window in front of me then sat down like you see him, picked his nose, and then ate his buggers. That being the case you are probably looking at the future football head coach of the University of South Carolina.
No this is not Dick Cheney despite what the sneer on the face might suggest. I do not like gators and no matter how many years I have come to the zoo first with Spoilboy, who now thinks the zoo is uncool, and now Wiggles I hold my children tightly anytime I get around this gator. Strangely sharks I can handle to a great extent but this fellow and others like him gives me the creeps. While Wally Gator and his cousins might have been endangered a few decades ago down on the coast they have rebounded with a vengeance and in many cases developed a taste for small dogs. Of course with development on the coast stripping huge areas of what was once wetlands and swamps I'd hazard a guess that most of those I call newcomers have no idea of the nature of the environment these fellows once enjoyed around what is now their McMansions so I'll call a few missing dogs an even trade.
Miss Wiggles here is enjoying the company of five lorikeets feeding off the sugar water the zoo sales for them. This is actually parrothead training for Wiggles whose final exam will be a Buffett concert sometime in the future. There is some danger associated with these little fellows. They have a nasty habit of pooping on you if you move the sugar water away too fast. It should please everyone to know Wiggles passed this training with out receiving a special gift from them. I was not as lucky and got hit three times.
22 comments:
My Daddy works for the Federal Govt. so he got Columbus Day off.
My Ma & Daddy would take to Riverbanks every Columbus Day when we were young. It was so much fun!
Miss Wiggles will cherish these memories.
oooh, every week to the zoo? that sounds like a great time. love that picture of miss wiggles and the lorikeets. too cute.
I think you've stumbled upon a great idea- just move the signage from the National Zoo in Washington and put it up around the White House, complete with the "The Monkeys May Bite" and "Tapping on the Glass Irritates the Snakes" signs.
Then we could put in a few of the vending machines where you can buy a handful of peanuts to throw at the animals for a quarter, and probably pay off tyhe National Debt in a few years or so.
Yes, but I bet that Gator doesn't fling poo like Cheney does.
C.Rag: We joined the Riverbanks Society at least ten years ago and it was one of the best things we ever done. Whenever we get and urge to just go to the zoo all I have to do is flip out the card and get in. Wiggles does really enjoy it but i have to shell out a few extra dollars to pay for the ponies rides they have now.
Lime: I spared everyone the photos of the lorikeets pooping on me. But to be honest I probably enjoy it as much as her.
Colonel: Hadn't thought the idea out that far but I like it. One thing to ad more valve to the exhibits would be to have performing shows with members of congress and the executive branch doing shows like at Seaworld or the San Diego zoo. But the one problem I don't think Bush would be very trainable. But I would love to see the feeding of Cheney like they sometimes do for the gators or Condi doing flips for a fish like the Orca's do.
Mike: I do have a picture of one of the cotton mouths swimming in its exhibit that would fit Cheney better. I'm unsure whose bite would be worse, Cheney or the snakes.
Stay away from the tigers.
Simply Curious: We have a tiger enclosure somewhat similar to the one I read about in San Fran. One trip I noticed one of the tigers in the deep trench that seperates the enclosure from the viewing area. I had never seen a tiger down there and a week of so later when we came back they,the zoo staff, had strung wires on the side of the trench. I guess to keep the cats on their side.
Love the lorikeet picture! She is definitely on her way to being ready for a Buffet concert. (if he ever comes back this way!....he never announced a N.C. date this year, did you get one?
Creepy about the tiger in the moat that time......hmmmmm.
Oh, and colonel colonel: Love your idea! Can we get a peanut dispenser too, so that we can throw them treats. They'll have to perform for the treats of course! :)
Colonel Colonel: ditto.
Jessica: Yeah, I've been wondering when Buffett would come back as well. Seems he is getting farther away all the time. Back in the early 80's there once was a bar close to Pawleys Island called The Grey Man that Buffett would drop into every once and awhile. As it would figure not long after I heard about it and started to hang out there, once I was old enough, he stopped coming and the bar was soon closed and turned into a Chinese restaurant.
Vigil: Of course all that would take place after they were spayed and neutered. I guess that would even make Bob Barker happy.
I'd be in animal heaven there!
Miss Wiggles is the cutest little girl ever. She is so sweet looking.
I always wanted a pet monkey!
Prepost Ponderings: Riverbanks Zoo is one of the few places in the Midlands I like. Its really easy to kill the beter part of a day there.
the only thing missing is the monkeys wearing santa hats and throwing merry xmas shit.
Nice. Now to hope Jimmy Buffet will be alive and healthy long enough to entertain a new generation of parrotheads.
While I'm not a fan of his music, if anyone has tickets, I'd go. I've seen enough pictures of his shows and the side shows around his shows to realize a good time is almost guaranteed.
As for alligators, as long as you see them, you're fine. If you shut their mouth, they go into a submissive position for they know they've been beaten. They are however sneaky animals and if they get the jump on you, it's not a good thing. So I can understand your concerns.
For me, it's mountain lions. I almost hit one with my car once and realized just how big they can get. I'd hate for one to jump me when I'm in the backwoods.
However, the chances of you or me or any of our loved ones to die by an alligator or a mountain lion realistically is probably a millionth of getting killed by a car.
Heh dude - just stoppin by as I spotted ya leaving appreciative comments over at my shack. Will have to come back here and make a proper visit - 'til then, here's wishing one beach bum a Happy New Year from another!
Tequila Mockingbird: Not far from what you describe the zoo staff had decorated the sea lion area with Christmas stuff. While no poo was flying it was bad enough.
Zombieslayer: I read at a Buffett site the "old" fellow spent Christmas and his birthday on his yacht in port at St. Barts. I'd just be happy for him to have a concert close enough so going to see it would not take a major week long vacation.
As for mountain lions, heard over the radio one time while on a field training exercise at Fort Carson one literally ran a fellow Stinger team from their position. No one got hurt but it sure was funny once we all got back together.
Beach Bum: Welcome and I will be adding you to my blog list. Hope you have a happy and safe new year. Since I'm tied to home marooned away from my ocean in a godforsaken place catch a wave for me.
awwwww i can't believe your son thinks the zoo is uncool! charming picture of the loris and your daughter though! that's a good daddy thing to do (the zoo)
Rose: I have a hard time dealing with Spoilboy's current attitude about the zoo since he and I went just as many times. But in a world of "Guitar Hero", his friends, his MP3 player, his Myspace page and all that goes with it, and his middle school social life that is more active than my high school social life I just have to deal with it.
As for the daddy angle I like the zoo just as much as Wigges. Hopefully I will get some decent pictures of the Botanical Gardens in the spring. The one time in the early Fall I didn't take my camera I could have gotten some great pictures.
Beach - That would scare me. Those things are HUGE! The one I almost hit had to be 155 pounds. I know that's not big for a human, but cats that big are really big because they're 100% muscle. The musculature on that creature was gorgeous, and I imagine a fight against a human, the cat wins easily if the human is unarmed or can't get to his weapon.
Hi, Beach -I'm finally back, with a lot of your stuff to catch up with. Tell Miss Wiggles she's the best thing you've produced so far. You're a lot more fun to read than I am, but I hope you'll visit me again after the holidays. Happy New Year.
Stopping by to wish you and yours a Happy New Year!
Slayer: The team that got ran off their position did get the poop scared out of them and our platoon sergeant about had a cow. For him it would have meant tons of paperwork. The entire battalion ended up having wildlife avoidance classes so the brass could cover their asses. But it was a good idea in the end. But after it was all said and done once everyone was back in the barracks and the beer was flowing macho stories and laughs started to flow like poop.
LittleBill: I'm glad to see you back. I hope the Silly Season was good to you and your family. As I have said many times in this venue and to others at work. I'm just glad its over.
Joan: Happy New Year to you. Making any more blueberry pancakes? I'll be making the kids some in just a few hours.
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