R.I.P. James

Today a family laid James to rest at the age of 41. His father is a long time family friend. Although I didn't know James well, when I first saw this picture in the media, it took my breath away. He looks so much like his dad - same eyes and smile. His father is one of the friendliest and kindest people I know and he would do anything for anyone. His father served 22 years on the police force in the very town where James' life was stolen.

James was found shot to death last Saturday.  Yesterday a 17 year old boy (man?) was arrested and charged with the murder.

A family has lost a son, brother, cousin, uncle... five children will grow up without a father. Lives are shattered and I can't make any sense of it.

St. Louis Zoo

Tuesday I took a much need day off work. My sister, two nieces and I enjoyed perfect weather at the St. Louis Zoo. After suffering through weeks of hideous humidity we definitely deserved a day like this:)

The main attraction we wanted to see was Kali the new polar bear and the newly reconstructed habitat. Kali is 2 1/2 years old and already weighs 850 pounds. He was orphaned after an Alaska Native hunter killed his mother in a subsistence hunt - not realizing she had a cub. He arrived in St. Louis this summer.  The hope is to find him a mate and perhaps have cubs in the future.

Between 8-9 a.m. the keeper prepare his habitat with food and enrichment activities. We were there to watch him find lettuce in a suspended barrel, meat on a bed of ice and various other ice piles that he munched on and laid in. You can see a couple more pictures of his cuteness on yesterday's post.

As I mentioned a few days ago I have a bit of a fascination for flamingos (or fladingos as my family calls them). I wouldn't mind a pond full of them at my house :)

My niece worked at the zoo for several years. It was interesting to hear all her behind the scenes factoids. One fun tip she gave us was how to get the gorillas to come close to the viewing windows. Sit in the window with your back to them. Apparently, it is a sign of respect. It didn't work this day because the four bachelor gorillas were too busy gathering up food from the yard and getting into hoarding position to eat. It was fun to watch their antics and posturing.

A lovely lion couple. Apparently the male is quite obsessed with his Swedish lioness.

It is a rough lion life.

The ostriches share a yard with the giraffes. The giraffes were still inside. On other visits we have watched these bad birds harass the baby giraffes - the parents don't seem to mind. I guess they figure the babies need to learn to fend for themselves.

It is a bit startling to see the evidence of the city that surrounds the zoo.This is the Banteng - wild cow of Southeast Asia.

Somali Wild Ass

This trip was the first time I went through the sea lion / seal tunnel that was built a few years ago. The nice thing about early on a weekday is not nearly the crowds. I could have watched these guys for hours.

A capybara - cousin to the guinea pig.

The hippos lounging underwater while the fish clean their skin. The little bubbles were fascinating.

The youngest of the elephants enjoyed some pool time.

Reaching for a snack and a sneak peek inside that that big mouth.

On our way out we stopped to see the polar bear one more time. This time he was having a grand time playing with a barrel in his pool.

I am always wowed by this life sized models in the education center.

Of course, there was a little shopping in the newly remodeled gift shop. So many interesting things so little money :)

At the risk of making you all jealous, I have to tell you this zoo is FREE. Yes, free! Of course, there are some additional attractions within the zoo that have small charges (i.e. railroad, carousel, etc.) We paid for parking and lunch - although if you are willing to walk a block or two you can find free parking and bring your own lunch for a super cheap day of fun.

I remembered to wear my Garmin and was surprised to see I ended up walking 5 miles! 

I can't wait to go back. If I lived closer I think I would want to go walking and photographing there every day :)

What I Learned from a Polar Bear

Our weekend started with a not so fun trip to the oral surgeon. I have had a "sore" in my mouth for a couple of months. It has slowly become more obtrusive. Then after it started bleeding, I finally figured I better get it checked out. The surgeon doesn't think it is too much to worry about, but he is going to remove and biopsy it. Despite a doctor's reassurances, dropping the word "biopsy" had a small part of me asking - seriously? why can't gall bladder surgery, a miscarriage and the ever present MS be enough medical drama for one two year span?

While we were on that side of town we made a little trip to the Lego store after the appointment. There is a wall of random lego pieces you can purchase by the cupful. Unfortunately, they didn't have what my husband was looking for to build a stand for his Imperial Shuttle.

I enjoyed the fun little displays.

Of course, my husband was most interested in this section of the store. He was a bit disappointed in the selection of Star Wars sets.

However, seeing Boba Fett's ship Slave I, in person, helped. This is definitely the next Lego set on his list. I am trying to hold him off until his birthday, but not sure I can....

Another perk on that side of town is a bakery/deli that serves the most yummy Oven Roasted Salmon Panini - salmon marinated in lemon dill vinaigrette on focaccia bread, havarti, feta and cream cheese, topped with red onions and capers. It is pretty decadent, but we are rarely on that side of town so I am relatively safe :)

Saturday morning I was proud of myself for getting up and taking a walk - 3 miles and a decent pace. I am completely out of selfie practice it seems. This was the best one I managed.

Love these pods - anyone know what kind of tree it is?

 Looks like a bad lotion accident :(

I spent some time in the garden. Things are not going so well in that department. The squirrels are still winning the tomato war and the last of the zucchini died :(  A few carrots got left behind so at least I know what a carrot blossom looks like.

 I harvested the Brussels sprouts that were supposed to be broccoli.

 I ate a giant plate of sprouts for dinner, but still have not forgiven them for not being broccoli.

 My cucumbers are still doing well. I made a batch of Fresh Cucumber Salad - so simple and tasty.

Speaking of cucumbers...I grew these Mexican Sour Gherkins last year. The are about the size of grapes and have a bit of a lemony taste. The volunteers that came up this year are stronger and more productive than the ones I purposefully planted last year.  Now I am wondering if I will ever be able to get rid of them.

Back to work on Monday morning. We were holding a workshop at the campus of a local community college. The buildings are a former plumbing fixtures factory built in the late 1800s. It is such a pretty campus I couldn't help but take a few pictures while I waited for people to arrive.

The clouds back at my office were incredible.  It couldn't seem to decide if a storm was rolling in or not. We ended up with a few sprinkles.

 Please tell me I am not the only one who sees a dragon lurking over our building!!!

Tuesday we had a great day at the zoo. There will be tons more pictures tomorrow, but I had to share a little polar bear lesson for weigh-in day.

Just because you eat your veggies....

...doesn't mean you won't be 850 pounds and have a gigantic hiney. Sorry little bear for the fat shaming, but we bloggers gotta make our points. Dear Self: I am proud of you for trying, but eating a few veggies is not going to negate the results of those other goodies and inconsistent exercise.

Which brings me to my weigh-in... Even though I made some great choices this week I made some bad ones too. The scale tells me it is was 2.8 pounds worth of bad choices. I will never understand how the gains show up so much more quickly than losses...grrr!

Here is to a week of better consistency.