Gallivanting in Galveston: A Zoo To Do!

Question:  what do Grace and i consider to be an enjoyable outing when everyone else has had to leave and we have a day to do just as we like?

Answer:  we go to the zoo and a vegan restaurant, of course!

Some questions are easy.

Little Ninja and Sunny had to leave Tuesday, Sunny because that's when she had booked her return flights and Little Ninja, because she was Sunny's ride to the airport.

We hugged a lot, since we won't get to see each other probably until next year, and Grace and i waved them off, then got Carmin the Garmin (and yes, i know that i spell Carmin wrong, but my GPS is a diva and the name had to rhyme) and set out for Houston's zoo.

It's a nice zoo.  They have a Komodo dragon with a support brace on its wrist, which is something i thought i would never see.  Red pandas in person were a new one for me, too.  There are zookeeper talks scheduled each day, and we got to see the piranhas fed.  If you ever get to Houston, try to spend a day at the zoo.

By the time we left it was hungry time, so we went to a vegan restaurant Grace had scouted out and, as she said, it's a happy change to go to such a place with a person who isn't just going along to be nice!  Her husband and others she goes to vegan restaurants with let her choose the restaurant often and go to the vegan places where she lives, but she knows they are being nice and giving her a turn to choose the place. This time, the only person she was eating with wanted to be there as much, if not more, than she did!

No, we don't have vegan restaurants where i'm from.  It's not a south Louisiana "thing".

While in the restaurant and driving back, we had swamp weather -- a pop up thunderstorm that rained only on some parts of the city and didn't last long, and didn't cool anything down, but went away soon so you could enjoy the rest of the day.

We returned to the condo happy and waited for it to cool off a bit before walking on the beach.  It's a lovely way to end, since it has to end.  Today is drive home day, so i should be back to my usual soon.

Today is:

Anne Bradstreet Day -- Massachusetts, US (by Proclamation of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to honor Anne Bradstreet, America’s first poet, who is also recognized as the first published woman poet in the English language)

Cherokee Strip Day -- Oklahoma, US (anniversary of the last land run, in 1893, which opened Native American land to white settlers)

Collect Rocks Day -- i guess it means besides all the ones in my head

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 6, Children & Youth (sponsored by We, the World)

Festival for Ra, Osiris, and Horus -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Golden Aspen Motorcycle Rally -- Ruidoso, NM, US (trade show, bike shows, riding tours, skills event, stunt show, parade, and fun; through Sunday)

Hari Taika/Teej -- Nepal (special holiday for Female Employees Only, to celebrate a special, traditional women's festival)

Independence Day -- Malaysia(1963); Mexico(1910); Nicaragua; Papua New Guinea(1975)

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer -- UN (commemorates the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer)

Martyrs' Day -- Libya

Mayflower Day -- the ship left England on this day in 1620

National Championship Air Races -- Reno, NV, US (through Sunday)

National Cinnamon Raisin Bread Day

National Guacamole Day 

National Guitar Flat-Picking Championships and Walnut Valley Festival -- Winfield, KS, US (through Sunday)

National Heroes' Day -- St. Kitts and Nevis

National Play-Doh Day -- unofficial; get some anyway and be a kid again for a little while

National School Backpack Awareness Day 2015 -- US (or anywhere else that you want to weigh your child's backpack on the 3rd Wednesday of September, to make sure it's not heavy enough to hurt them) 

National Teaching Assistants' Day -- UK 

Owain Glyndwr Day -- Wales

Pendleton Round-Up -- Pendleton, OR, US (traditional rodeo with the participation of local Native tribes; through Saturday)

St. Cornelius' Day (Patron of cattle, domestic animals, earache sufferers, epileptics; Kornelimunster, Germany;against earache, epilepsy, fever, twitching )

St. Cyprian of Carthage's Day (Patron of Algeria, North Africa)

St. Euphemia's Day (Patron of Rovinj, Croatia)

St. Ludmilla's Day (Grandmother of St. "Good King" Winceslaus; Patron of converts, duchesses, widows; Bohemia; Czech Republic; against in-law problems)

Stay Away From Seattle Day -- yes, really

Stepfamily Day -- US and others who choose to recognize it (if you have stepfamily you love, celebrate it wherever you live; begun in 1977 by Christy Borgeld) 

Working Parents Day -- internet generated, enjoy if you are a working parent or have a working parent you want to thank


Birthdays Today:

Nick Jonas, 1992
Sabrina Bryan, 1984
Alexis Bledel, 1982
Amy Poehler, 1971
Marc Anthony, 1968
Molly Shannon, 1964
Richard Marx, 1963
Jennifer Tilly, 1961
Orel Leonard Hershiser IV, 1958
David Copperfield, 1956
Mickey Rourke, 1956
Robin Yount, 1955
Mark McEwen, 1954
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 1950
Susan Ruttan, 1950
Ed Begley, Jr., 1949
Elgin Gay Baylor, 1934
Anne Francis, 1932
Peter Falk, 1927
B.B. King, 1925
Lauren Bacall, 1924
Janice Page, 1923
Allen Funt, 1914
James Cash Penney, 1875
Francis Parkman, 1823
Anthony Panizzi, 1797
Hildegard of Bingen, 1098


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Frasier"(TV), 1993
"Miami Vice"(TV), 1984
"Logan's Run"(TV), 1977
"Bridget Loves Bernie"(TV), 1972 (first mixed marriage portrayed on television)
"Mannix"(TV), 1967
"Shindig"(TV), 1964
"The Outer Limits"(TV), 1963
"Broadway"(Play), 1926


Today in History:

The Massachusetts village of Shawmut changes its name to Boston, 1630
Handel's "The Messiah" premiers in Dublin, 1741
The Great Seal of the United States is used for the first time, 1782
Russians set fire to Moscow shortly after midnight – the city burns down completely days later, 1812
Slavery is abolished in all French Territories, 1848
The Cherokee Strip, in Oklahoma, is opened, making land available to white settlers, 1893
Roald Amundsen discovers the magnetic south pole, 1906
William Durant, carriage-maker, founds General Motors Corp., 1908
Juan Perón is deposed in Argentina, 1955
Malaysia is formed, 1963
Cape Verde, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe join the United Nations, 1975
Shavarsh Karapetyan saves 20 people from the trolleybus that had fallen into Erevan reservoir, 1976
An earthquake measuring 7.5-7.9 on the Richter scale hits the city of Tabas, Iran killing about 25,000 people, 1978
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines join the United Nations, 1980
The Montreal Protocol is signed to protect the ozone layer from depletion, 1987
The Pound Sterling is forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism by currency speculators and is forced to devalue against the German mark, 1992
Mexico celebrates its 200th anniversary of independence, 2010
Denmark elects its first female Prime Minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, 2011
NASA scientists announce the discovery of a circumbinary planet - a planet the orbits two stars instead of one, 2011
The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announces a successful artificial insemination as Mei Xiang gives birth to her second giant panda cub, 2012
The brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, is found in tap water near New Orleans, the first time ever detected in the U.S. water supply, 2013

Wednesday was Wonderful

While its official title is the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, Animal Planet has dubbed this place "The Little Zoo That Could."

It is little, but it packs a lot of fun into a small space.  They were given a larger tract of land further inland, to be more protected from storms, but they are still raising the funds needed to get moved over there.

Meanwhile, as i noted, they make great use of the space they have.  There are a lot of critters that love to eat the "zoo puffs" that you can purchase, so you get the enjoyment of having your hands licked by sheep and goats and alpacas and deer and a very cute little donkey.  If you want, you can go in to have animal encounters with reptiles, lemurs, and kangaroos.

The lemurs are among my favorites.  They love belly rubs, and for some reason, they always take a shine to #2 Son.  He won't bother to go in with the kangaroos, but the lemurs flock to him.  He really does have a way with animals, i think they sense, somehow, that he understands them and won't hurt them.

Sweetie, as expected, stayed as far from the reptiles as he could.  Little Girl spent as much time at the wolf exhibit as possible.  All of her friends claim she's about half wolf herself.  If i believed in totem animals, i'd say hers was the wolf.

This year, we even got to see Chuckie.  This behemoth of an alligator,  instead of being way in the back of his exhibit where he could barely be seen, was right up front, lying in a puddle of water in the sunshine.  If 'gators could smile, he would have been grinning from ear to ear.  

Chuckie has been at the zoo longer than any other animal.  He used to live in one of the local state parks, but he took to stealing picnic baskets.  Yes, really.  Instead of simply destroying him, park rangers tried to find another place for him.  He was accepted by the zoo and given a new home.

During Hurricane Ivan back in 2004, he got out of his exhibit.  He didn't leave zoo property, he just got into the swamp behind his exhibit to lie low until the storm was over, and it took them a while to figure out where he was.

This year's trip was one of the most delightful zoo trips we've had.  Not too hot, no rain threatening, and we all got to see all the critters we like best, including one i love, the capybara.  Yes, really, there's a special place in my heart for the world's biggest rodent.

Right after the zoo, Sweetie and i made a trip to a Credit Union Service Center to conclude the business portion of our trip.

The rest of the day was slow paced and included some examinations of the insides of my eyelids for cracks, one of my favorite vacation occupations.


Today is

15th Khordad National Uprising -- Iran (1963)

Apple II Day -- the Apple II first went on sale today in 1977
     note that some historians say it went on sale June 10, others say the first models were shipped out that day

Arbor Day -- New Zealand

Curwood Festival -- Owosso, MI, US (over 40 events commemorate the life and work of James Oliver Curwood, the Owosso-born author and conservationist; through Sunday)

Fardagar -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (time when farm workers moved from one farm to another, the time to settle debts, and until the 20th-Century, the day to start the fiscal year; always the Thursday through Sunday of the 7th week of summer)

Farmington Country Days -- Farmington, MO, US (fun for the family, celebrated the old country way; through Sunday)

Festival of Popular Delusions Day -- begun as this was the last day before D-Day that the Germans could delude themselves that they could win; thus a day to question your own assumptions and try to align your beliefs with facts and reality

Great American Brass Band Festival -- Danville, KY, US (this year's theme is Slides Rule, a Celebration of the Trombone; through Sunday)

Grunklovsdag -- Denmark and the Faroe Island (Constitution Day)

Indian Arrival Day -- Suriname (marking the arrival of indentured laborers from the Indian subcontinent)

Judgement Day -- Fairy Calendar (Nosegays)

June Bug Days -- Baldwin, WI, US (music, tractor pull, free outdoor movie night, and more; through Sunday)

Liberation Day -- Seychelles

Natalicio de Oblang Nguema Mbasogo -- Equatorial Guinea (President's Day)

National Attitude Day -- if this is really a day to celebrate, try to have a positive one

National Gingerbread Day

National Moonshine Day -- with its own sponsor

Nones of June -- Ancient Roman Calendar; related observance
     Festival of Semo Sancus -- god of loyalty, honesty and oaths (one of the oldest Roman cults, probably Etruscan or Oscan originally)

Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival -- Oklahoma City, OK, US (more than 100 tribes meet to pow wow and celebrate their heritage, through Saturday)

Shavuot -- Israel (Pentecost, ends at sunset)

Shelburne County Lobster Festival -- Shelburne County, NS, Canada (celebrating the Lobster Capital of Canada; through Sunday)

Shirane Takogassen -- along the Nakanokuchi river bank in Shirone, Japan (kite flying and kite fighting; through the 9th)

St. Boniface's Day (Patron of brewers, file cutters, tailors; Fulda, Germany; Germany; Saint-Boniface, Manitoba, Canada)

Stevenson Depot Days -- Stevenson, AL, US (bringing back the days when the Iron Horse of the Rails was king of transportation; through Sunday)

Winnipeg International Children's Festival -- The Forks, Winnipeg, MB, CA (a premier family festival with incomparable entertainment and activities; through Sunday)

World Environment Day -- UN


Birthdays Today:

Chad Allen, 1974
Mark Wahlberg, 1971
Brian McKnight, 1969
Kenny G, 1956
Jill Biden, 1951
Suze Orman, 1951
Ken Follett, 1949
Spalding Gray, 1941
Margaret Drabble, 1939
Bill Moyers, 1934
Tony Richardson, 1928
Richard Mcclure Scarry, 1919
William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd, 1895
Panco Villa, 1878
Adam Smith, 1723 (O.S. Date)
Thomas Chippendale, 1718
Pu Songling, 1640


Today in History:

Traditional date for the sinking of Atlantis, 8498BC
Titus and his Roman legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem  in the Siege of Jerusalem, 70
Kraków, Poland  receives city  rights, 1257
The first Great Lakes steamer, the Frontenac, is launched, 1817
Houston, Texas is incorporated by the Republic of Texas, 1837
Denmark  becomes a constitutional monarchy, 1849
Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery serial, Uncle Tom's Cabin or, Life Among the Lowly starts a ten-month run in the National Era abolitionist newspaper, 1851
Denmark  amends its constitution to allow women's suffrage, 1915
Elvis Presley introduces his new single, "Hound Dog", on The Milton Berle Show, scandalizing the audience with his suggestive hip movements, 1956
The first government of the State of Singapore is sworn in, 1959
The Apple II, the first practical personal computer, goes on sale, 1977
Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi orders an attack on the Golden Temple, the holiest site of the Sikh religion, 1984
A severe heat wave across Pakistan 
and India  reaches its peak, as temperatures exceed 50°C (122°F) in the region, 2003
The planet Venus makes its last transit of the 21st century beginning at 22:09 UTC June 5, and ending 4:49 UTC June 6, 2012