In Color...

Nelis Dutch Village, Holland Michigan

So I have discovered an online photo editor that I kinda like.  And I was playing around there for the last week or so, and have discovered that I really like pictures that are in both black and white and color.  This is what I have spent the last week doing, now that my semester is over.  Bringing the Pleasentville treatment to my photos.  Most are flowers, I found they were the easiest to work with, but I have some animals, and some landscapes.  Those with vibrant colors were the most fun.

Wild Thing: Frogs

So I was going through my pictures, I've been doing that lately.  I was looking at my trip to the Mississippi River Aquarium in Dubuque Iowa, and while I love the albino alligator, the frogs where what called out to me.  So cute!  I am pretty sure I've got frogs from several different trips.  But hey I guess we'll find out together.  The only ones I could find were from Iowa and one lone frog from a butterfly garden in Malaysia... odd.

Silly Snow Leopards

So yeah, this post while hilarious to me, probably won't be to anyone but my sister, and I am fairly certain she doesn't even read my blog.  So yeah, oh and these photos were taken on the cell phone, so crappy they might be.

Come play with me!

So while at Como (I love that place) we wandered into the big cat area.  And naturally stopped by the snow leopards.  Where we were treated with quite the show from a rambunctious leopard and a rather stately one trying its best to ignore the other.  Which lead me to proclaim that we were witnessing the Mikko Kiouv and the Antti Miettien of snow leapards.  (Background story: It sure seems like Mikko Koivu demands that Antti be on his line all the time, and in videos, interviews etc it is alluded to that they are always together (much to Antti's utter dismay)

Maybe he won't see me

It started halariously enough, the stately (Antti) was pacing back and forth, looking adorable by the glass, when the other one (Mikko) decided he or she (honestly wasn't paying that close attention) wanted to play.  Took a run down the rocks and slipped on the snow and took a flailing leap (that sadly was not captured on camera as it was adorable).

Wait for me!

Then the Mikko leapard jump the other one, and tried to entice it to play.  Sadly, the Antti took off like a shot and went and hid in a little cave like area.  While the other paced back and forth trying to get his attention.  Then decided to play for a bit and entice the other out.  It didn't work, so naturally he had to go down and flush the other one out.  

Got Ya!

Antti leapt up on to the rocks and stood there as still as possible as if he was trying to ignore the other.  Who would stare at him, try to get him to play and then when all else failed, jumped him again.  It was hilarious and the look on the leopards face was a "just shoot me" face (the same look that the Real Antti has when ever he is sitting next to Mikko for an interview).  Eventually he shoves the other one away and escapes up the rocks.  We left the scene with poor Mikko sitting (and plotting) how to get the other to play.

Plotting

Quick be free!

Wild Thing: Monkees

Batu Cave in KL Malaysia

OK, first of all I feel bad that I haven't blogged in a while, I can't even use busy as an excuse. I'm sorry :(  Now back to the fun stuff! Monkeys! I like monkeys they are pretty adorable and smart.  My sister adores them like nobodies business, so I wind up taking lots and lots of pictures them!  I might even have a monkey picture from Malaysia they were cute most of the time. 

There used to be monkeys in La Crosse Wisconsin at Myrick Park.  We used to go there as children in school and with our gramma and it was cool, but then they decided that monkeys were not local to La Crosse and got rid of them.  Sad face!  But there are still monkeys at Como, and they are a playful lot.  The ones at the Minnesota zoo are pretty awesome too.  I don't know if they are more playful but they are just so adorable grooming each other!

Wild Thing: Polar Bears at Como

Ok, taking a hiatus on the petals series.  I adore it but feel as though it might be repeating a bit.  And I need to gather more pictures.  So I am gonna start another weekly thing.  Probably similar to the petals but with adorable little critters and the places I see them.  I am not sure how exactly it is gonna work... if it will be location based or animal based.  Or a strange mix of the two.  So hear goes nothing!!!  Lets start with something that gets me in the wintery mood.  Polar bears!!!

So sadly I have never gotten to see them in the wild.  My big brother has, he went up to Churchill Manitoba on the shores of the Hudson Bay.  There is research school/something up there.  But I was at Como the other month, there was polar bears!  This made me happy.  Yeah, I know zoos aren't always fabulous, but sometimes it is as close as one can get.  These little(a relative term) buggers were wonderfully active.

I've seen many bears in my day, trust me there will be bear post coming out of my ears.  That is a side effect of life in Yellowstone.  It was awesome to see these polar bears, not as awesome as it would be to see them in person up in the frozen north.  But hey, ya take what you can get!

Petals: Como Zoo-Teil Zwei

So I know, I know Como Zoo been there, done that...cop out post... Well not really as it is a place that changes all the time.  It ebbs and flows with the seasons.  And in the year between visits there are many things that can change.  They have polar bear now...yes, I know not a flower, but super cool anyways.  And an itty bitty baby giraffe, well itty bitty is not the best descriptive term for a giraffe, but you get my point.  But I digress and on with the pretty!

 

Just a warning, I bet there will be a few orchids in these here pictures.  I like them...so deal with it ; )
But like I said, it was just that much different, and by the way still as humid.  I was really drawn to the fern and palm tree-esque plants.  What can I say, but the tropics would be nice this time of year.  But it was September when I was at Como and an absolutely gorgeous day.

The only thing I would change about Como is to make it bigger, the plant part (conservatory) not the zoo part.  It kinda feels like you go in and boom, you are done.  And I feel as though I am being rushed to get through ahead of other people.  The actual conservatory seems quite large and that there is a lot of space that is not being used, but I guess they do what they can.  But it is one of my absolute favorite places in the Twin Cities!

Petals: Como Zoo

Lady slipper

Como Zoo is an awesome little zoo/conservatory in St. Paul.  They had a lot of monkeys there.  And at some point in the next year, polar bears.  Which is totally a post for another time.  It is awesome, but in the fall, which is the season it was when I went there last, many of the zoo critters are not there.