Our Zoo Adventure...and Gadget (..the kitten formerly known as Suri...)

A wonderful mid-week Getaway to Indianapolis and The Zoo (and Zoo-Boo)

Beginning with Ralph- Our Adventure Bear and our Home-Away-From-Home in Avon...

And a delicious and delightful dinner at O'Charley's.

Who EVEN knew Wednesday was PIE DAY?????

(...and for the record...they have the most AMAZING French Silk...)

An oh-so-incredible night.

A wonderful breakfast the next morning...and a bit of excitement as

"I wonder why the AVON police are outside."

What do you mean...it's for US?????????????????????

LMAO!

(...it's a long story...convicted...no...never convicted...lol...)

The day started coolish and overcast, as we wandered the gardens together.

And greenhouse.

Then it was into The Zoo (proper) to look for critters...and maybe a relative or two...

Ah ha...found him.

Looks like a yell...but it was really a yawn...

Not only were there

Lions

(...unrequited love...)

and Tigers

And Bears...OH MY...

But also

(...and I won't put ALL the photos here...because we took over 400...not counting the short videos!!!)

Rays

And

Preggo Seahorses

And
'

Spiny Urchins and a whole assortment of Ocean Critters.

Oh, and a "petting" Shark Pool...yeah I, KNOW, right...

The possibilities are endless!

(...could have been a real blast with a tube of that Halloween Blood and a Fake Hand...I'm just saying...)

"Yeah...barred...from the Zoo...for LIFE...but so worth it!"

And Penguins rock-hopping and diving about.

The Zoo was decorated throughout for
Halloween...

The Fall Foliage was about PEAK

 

And my favorite The Desert Biome and

Meercats!

Aren't they the cutest guys ever!

And Gila Monsters

Desert Tortoises, Lizards and More... 

And SNAKES...

So many snakes...

Who even knew there were that many different varieties of Rattlesnakes???

Also Spitting Cobras, Tree Boas, Anacondas

And MY favorite

This Guy

A Deadly Black Mamba.

With such an ATTITUDE.

 He was picking with John through the glass...

"Come on in here...I will sssssoooooooooo kick your assssss...!!!"

We watched the Dolphin Show

Which I still haven't pulled stills from the videos yet...

Very neat, because two of the dolphins (that were born here in captivity) are now new members in the show...and I remember them when they were newborns...

Saw more lions on The Plains...

Rhino

Porcupine...and learned how big they really are...and how LONG those quills really are...from 8 to 12 inches.

One seemed to be perpetually half-cocked, pissed and ready to rumble. 

They were in with a huge Wart-hog  (Pumba) who was giving them wide berth.

The Cheetah's were very active and we got several great videos.

And Giraffes

I love watching them walk.

So elegant and graceful!

And there were birds.

From huge Ostriches and Vultures...

Maribou Storks, who looked more likely to EAT a baby than deliver one...

Noisy Macaw

and an Interactive Lorakeet Building...

Beware...they love to nibble on EVERYTHING...hair...glasses...ears.

You can also feed them nectar.

They are loud, too!

Flamingos

and Flamin-gone

"Yeah..that's it...I'm outta here..."

And "Ellies"...of course.

A Great Day!

Even managed to see a T-Rex!

As the kids started filing in for Zoo-Boo and treats, pretty much as we were leaving...

Arrived home to greetings by Our Pride.

"You came BACK!!!"


Now about the WHOLE "Gadget" thing.

This is our kitten...The Kitten formerly known as SURI.

After losing Gizmo suddenly...and realizing that a shelter cat was just not something we were up to...

And the fact that Suri was essentially John's kitten when he was here...and basically ignored me when he was...preferring him...

Falling asleep in John's lap sitting up...

We made the decision to split the kids.

And rename her what we were going to name a shelter kitty.

"Gadget"

A nod to John loving all things technological.

Since the name Suri activated all the phones and tablets and other technology in  the house (...thinking you were asking for Siri's opinion) the name change was necessary.

And she was a kitten and handled the transition well.

He and Robert have a hellion dashing about the house, which they love.

Sofi gets to be The Queen of The House again, which she seems exceedingly happy about.

I admitted that two cats is probably too  much for me these days...and don't have to worry about tripping over her or rolling over her in the middle of the night.

And Gadget has discovered TV.

"You never told me about TV, Mom!!! This is awesome..."

So much so that the first night she was home (after surveying every inch of her new digs...and Robert...)

She perched on John's shoulder and watched The World Series Game with him.

"Just watching The Game with Dad!"

And he has a game buddy, now.

Falling asleep with him that night...and she came in his room on her own.

By today she has learned all the important stuff...where my food and water are...my very favorite chair...where all the toys are...where my bathroom is...who I can pick with...what time is today's game against the Bronco's....will there be snacks...most importantly...

"Can I curl up safe in your lap to recharge my batteries, Dad?"

And we will all still be together sometimes...so we still have The Pride.

(...or maybe THEY have US...)

It's a win-win.


More Anon...

Off to weed the borders and work on the patio while the sun is shining!
 

 

Gadget sitting in the window

supervising the squirrels

Sofi says "I can sit up, too!"

But there is usually

food involved!