My day with the Cats....and a few other animals

Late in the day yesterday, I decided to go back to the zoo again.  The weather forecast was sounding positive.  Not too warm, but not cold or rainy either.

I got up early, did a little bit of work and then got ready to drive to the east end of the city.  I couldn't believe how busy the roads were at 10:00 a.m.  I would have thought by then that everyone would be at work.

Today, my plan was to go see the new lion cubs.  I didn't realize that they are not normally outside yet, but because it was such a nice day, an exception was made and I was able to see them play.

I had a good long walk today as the lions are on the far side of the zoo.  I saw the baby Indian Rhino. He's really cute.  Sadly he was inside and not in an area that was nice for taking pictures.

I stopped to see the Tiger.  I wondered if he was lonely as there is no other animal in the enclosure with him.    He paced back and forth while I was there.  This area is quite difficult to get a nice picture as it is only a sloped hill.  It's a really beautiful tiger though and worth spending time with.

The giraffes were indoors as well so I quickly went by them and headed further into the African Savanna area of the zoo.

Finally I came upon the Cheetah enclosure.  What magnificent animalsI  In some ways, they look like they are somehow related to the Hyena family as they have a large bump on the top of their neck.  I met this man in a wheelchair and he shared with me that the Cheetahs love to run after him as he wheels his chair.  It was true and fun to the watch.  They would run back and forth as he wheeled by. I spent a long time here enjoying these animals.

After leaving this area, I came upon the Baboon enclosure.  I remember this being such an interesting exhibit but it really was pretty quiet.  I saw a few and they were busy picking bugs off of themselves but otherwise didn't hold my interest for very long.

As I approached the next area, I knew that I was at the lion enclosure.  I could tell by the excited yelling of all the children.  I could feel my excitement mounting as I got closer.  I quickly checked to make sure my camera was set to the right exposure settings.  I didn't want to miss out on the "perfect" shot.

It certainly was fun to watch the cubs play.  

At one point, one of the cubs decided it wanted to play with his Dad.  It didn't take long before the male lion showed his dislike at the antic's of the cub.

I really enjoyed my time at the zoo.  A few hours of quiet time is so refreshing and I look forward to coming back again soon.

On my way to the truck, I took a slight detour and went to see the tiger again.  I wasn't disappointed as he had settled down and was  relaxing in the beautiful sunshine.

A day at the zoo

This year I bought myself a membership at the Toronto Zoo.  I have always loved going to see the animals and haven't had the time to go in years.  It was a beautiful day to walk around the grounds.  Since I plan to make multiple trips, I focused my visit on only Eurasia Wilds and Tundra Trek.

In this area, the Baby Panda's along with the Giant Panda's have their enclosure.  As well there was some Mountain Goats, Owls, Eagles, Snow Leopard and the Polar Bears.  I spent alot of time watching the Panda's and Polar bear.  As well, I was intrigued by the Snow Leopard and went back a 2nd time to find him out of his resting area.

Our wonderful grandchildren

There isn't a day that goes by that we don't give thanks for our wonderful grandchildren and family.   This past weekend was Easter and we enjoyed a lovely day at Laura and Jay's.  We also were blessed with the opportunity to celebrate Hailey's 9th birthday.  Happy birthday to a very special girl.

Grenadier Pond

Today, for the first time in a long while, the sun was shining brightly.  The morning started out pretty cool but warmed up as the day progressed.  I had a few errands to run but thought I would take my camera with me in case an opportunity came up.  Since I was visiting the Cheese Boutique, I decided to drive into High Park.  I thought it might be nice to just sit and relax while looking out over the pond.

To my delight, there were some ducks along the shoreline so I sat down on a rock and pulled out my camera.  Last week a duck was in our backyard and we weren't sure what it was.  After looking it up in our bird book we were pretty sure that it was a female Mallard.  I was able to confirm that today and it was very similar to the females that were swimming in the pond.  These ducks were only about 6 feel away and they weren't frightened at all. It was nice and relaxing to simply watch them.

As I was watching, I noticed a swan coming around the bend.  I wondered if I might get a chance to get a few pictures.  To my amazement it swam right towards me.

Wow I thought.  This is great.  What an opportunity to practice.  I then wished that the sun would go behind some clouds so that there weren't so many shadows.  Can you imagine that?  I have been yearning for sunshine for weeks and now I'm wishing that it would go away.  It was a good opportunity to teach myself a few practical reminders when I head out. Make sure I have the proper filters with me and have patience.  I was rewarded with a beautiful display.  I sat quietly for an hour with the swan and ducks.  It was so peaceful and I was thankful for such a relaxing afternoon.

A visit to Kortright Center to see the Maple Syrup

We woke up this morning to the sun shining brightly.  It was a perfect morning for a visit to the Kortright Center.  We packed a lunch and headed out to enjoy a nice walk and learn about Maple Syrup.  The children really enjoyed themselves.  It was a beautiful morning and perfect for a walk. We finished just before the rain came.

The sap wasn't really running because the nights are too warm but we were able to catch this drop

Can you see any Sap?

Look Brody - what do you see?

Ready to start collecting.

The sap is boiling down into syrup. It will be ready in 24 hours.

It was a perfect day for a family race!

Go Brody go!!!

All smiles

Nice and relaxed