If these bars weren’t here…
Originally uploaded by Hadassah28
This amazing photo opportunity arose while I was visiting the Calgary Zoo last winter. I think I look like lunch to these yellow eyes.
Check out my recent blog entry featuring the Calgary Zoo with a note about the zoo’s recent stingray deaths.
Cheers,
Sheree Zielke
The stingray deaths at the Calgary Zoo have continued to baffle authorities. The cownosed rays began dying en masse this past Sunday in a new exhibit that opened just a few months ago, in mid-February. Toxins or poisons are suspected in the rays’ deaths although recent water tests have come up as clean. Zoo veterinarians have eliminated the possibility of moisture lotions or sunblock creams as the source of any contamination of the touch pools.
As sad as the stingray deaths are, the Calgary’s Zoo, Botanical Garden, and Prehistoric Park, with over 290 species of animals, has so much more to offer its patrons. Opened in 1929, The Calgary Zoo celebrates its 80th birthday next year.
If you’re planning a trip to western Canada, be sure to include the Calgary Zoo in your plans. And here’s why you should do that . . .
Guns, knives, hand grenades, alligators, and bottles of water — these things will be confiscated if you try to take them through American airport security. But what currently is allowed in your carry-on luggage?
Since the terrorist attacks of 9-11, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has changed its mind repeatedly on what is and what is not allowed onto a plane. Nail clippers, once taboo, are now okay. But what about foods? Can you take your lunch onto the plane? What about lithium batteries? A camcorder? What about a tube of face moisturizer?
The answer is “Yes,” to some things, and “No,” to others. If you are still unsure, here’s a quick checklist of some of the most common items allowed and those disallowed in airport security.
Read on . . .
Airport layovers are seldom part of the travel experience we usually anticipate with joy. However, if you must be stuck in an airport, then make it the Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
We recently spent several hours there while awaiting our connection to Houston. The time flew by in this bright and cheery place. But the designers need to give their heads a shake. There’s a feature in the women’s washroom that gives pause for thought. Especially if you are visually impaired.
Read on . . .
“Why do you have to travel so much?” he asked.
“Why do you have to breathe?” I shot back.
For some, travel is an addiction to adventure; for others, travel is a way to survive, in the same way that breathing oxygen ensures our continued existence. The knowledge that an escape has been planned can make our daily routines — our weekly drudgery — that much easier to bear.
But what if you can’t afford to travel? That might be, but that shouldn’t stop you from having a rejuvenating adventure. Some of the best escapes are right in your own backyard. But like all travel, they’ll take a little planning.
Read on . . .
Okay, call me a traitor, call me a fool, call me any name you like but I had to take the chance. I made a decision, before a recent trip to southern Texas and New Orleans, to leave my heavy Olympus Evolt E-300 DSLR at home. I replaced it with a sleek little 12-megapixel Fuji FinePix F50 compact digital camera.
My husband looked at me askance as he repeatedly asked me if I still wanted to take my DSLR camera. I told him, firmly, “No.” That I would take my chances. And that I would live with my decision. Only time would tell if I had made a terrible mistake . . .
Don’t let the look of the ketchup bottle put you off. You simply must visit this tiny 84-year-old restaurant hidden away in historic downtown Brownsville, Texas. You’ll be able to say you’ve rubbed shoulders in a place where American President, Lyndon Johnson, once rubbed shoulders, too.
And rub shoulders is exactly what happens here – the walls are only about 6 feet apart.
Read on. . .
A tidal wave of sweat surged across my body, and my stomach rocked with nausea. The writing file I had requested was not to be found. An error message about incorrect paths was the “helpful” information appearing on my laptop’s screen. Had I accidentally erased my entire writing file? My mind spun as I comprehended the enormity of my situation, and the potential data loss. Helplessly, I wrung my hands in despair.
I took a deep breath, gave my head a shake, and forced my heart to quell its tap-dance against my chest wall. Then, I took the steps needed to solve my problem.
Has this happened to you? Have you gone in search of a necessary file only to have your computer spew out a heart-stopping message that your document cannot be found? If so, there is good news: The problem may be very simple, and even simpler to fix.
Read on . . .
If you desperately need an escape from reality, and you will be traveling in the vicinity of New York City, then a visit to the New York Renaissance Faire could be the perfect fantasy tonic for you.
Located in Sterling Forest, Tuxedo (about an hour’s drive out of New York City), the Faire is one of those tourist-type memories that only get rosier with time.
Don’t think the fantasy aspect of the Faire is childish; it is not. This is adult entertainment, but kids will have a blast, too.
Read on . . .
New York City has an ample supply of police and security personnel; that’s commonly known. However, there is another type of policing official you might not know about: the “line-up police.”
If you are a theatre-lover, or a lover of the Bard’s works, and you plan to take in New York’s famous Shakespeare in the Park event, then you are guaranteed to meet the Big Apple’s line-up police.
Read on . . .
