Visionaerialist

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Zoo Who

Entered the huge glass dome of the Lied Jungle and I was greeted by curious and cute Golden Lion Tamarins playing hide and seek, betcha can't catch us, between the roots of the man-made mangrove.

Waterfalls and water surround you, the negative ions generating a feel-good vibe.

Around the corner. . . monkeys in trees. Right over head.
Hey, monkeys can jump. FAR!
I felt a bit vulnerable. If they wanted to stage a mutiny, they could.

Winding around, who's watching who?

Hanging out

Designed without barriers, great photo ops.

Our neighbors' dogs treed one of these recently.

This phone is handy, but I'm thinking it's time I got a better camera.

Thunderbolts and lightning. . .

very, very frightening!

As the tent was erected in the afternoon, storm clouds gathered and the radar images showed huge storms and tornadoes heading our way. It dumped rain and hail at one point. While unloading the wind was changing and lightning bolts flashed across the sky constantly.

Luckily it was a short walk and just as we arrived the drops started to fall.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Pachyderms and Hummers

Drove all day to a secured location where the elephants were unloaded so they could stretch while their quarters were cleaned and water refilled.

Hundreds of Hummers as far as the eye could see. $200,00 each. Our hard-earned tax dollars, hard at work. (Excuse me. Could I please have beautiful art instead?) Getting lifted by the crane and loaded on a train to be shipped. The train yard hummed at night an eerie call, blessing all the handsome young men and brave young woman that will climb into the Hummers, who knows where, who knows why? I wonder what's the point? So I can be free to drive across this country and watch TV. Plenty of fossil fuels to use. What does it mean? Men feeling their pain by inflicting it on others? Enter the cave and the dragon emerges. . .

Wilkes Barre elephant walk out

I bought a present for Karen today. I think she'll like it.

As we purposefully parade down the street it's literally easier than walking into town because we are going downhill.

I reflect that even in my comparatively short life span I've seen major changes. Half as many elephants as there once were, twice as many people, still enthralled by the sight of these huge gentle giants silently trudging through their neighborhood.

This is a very special moment as time is taken to smell the elephants.
"Look Mom! No gasoline!"
No fossil fuels are used to propel them down the street.

Kids and adults alike scream with excitement at the sight. Beaming with JOY!
Dogs are driven mad with confusion.
Biggest darn four-legged creatures ever to set foot in their territory.
Bark! Bark! Bark! Make it go away!

Witnesses to a pachyderm parade, here and then gone, leaving huge boluses of plant matter in their wake. The brief scent of their presence wafting by.
Once upon a time their numbers were thought infinite.
Now we know different. Perhaps they're here to tell us.
Evolve or die. . . .

:)