Introducing, Esther... Our NEW circus dog extraordinaire!

Meet Esther, everyone!

She's a 2-year-old Chihuahua mix that Tommy and I recently rescued from the county animal shelter, and the latest addition to our circus family. Since we lost our beloved 14-year-old Mr. Scoots back in February of this year (R.I.P.), we're VERY happy to, once again, have a little animal friend roaming around the house (and fairgrounds).

Aren't those BIG ears great?! Maybe we'll find out she can fly, just like Dumbo! Or, maybe, we'll soon discover that all she can really do is receive satellite radio with those dishes. Even if Esther has no special talents to speak of, we'll love her regardless. Besides, we already do... BIG TIME!

My New Zoo Review! (w/Family Foto Fun, Too!)

The San Diego Zoo isn't new, but this review of our family visit last Saturday is. And actually, the Elephant Odyssey exhibit that's there is a beautiful new addition, only a few months old. But I think, now that I've seen it in person, it's a bit overrated.

The 7-acre habitat is quite impressive. However, the way that it's designed does not allow for any kind of close-up encounters with the elephants. Not even nearby encounters! They were way off in the distance, and even if they wanted to come closer, they couldn't. Their enclosure, and the landscape within it, prevents them from doing so. There was an area where, thanks to fortunate timing, we were able to witness one of the pachyderms getting a bath in fairly close proximity. Well, a shower was more like it because the animal keeper was actually hosing it down. And, boy, did it like the attention! You could just tell he was loving it so much that it must've felt like a Burke Williams spa treatment!

We came along just in time for Ranchipur's shower.

And if you listened real closely, you could hear

him quietly singing this cute little song:

"A sprinkle a day helps keep the odor away...

Have you had your sprinkle today?"

A hydro-massage and a pedicure?

Now, that's what I call service!

Among other animals featured in the same exhibit, and one of my favorites, is the capybara. I'm not real sure what it is about those guys... it has something to do with their cute, bloppy shape. They sorta remind me of Moomins, I guess. And they are certainly cute!

Capybara and Moomin via Google Images

See, don't these two look similar?

Well, I think they do...

Speaking of cute, after we walked out of the Odyssey exhibit we came across the meerkats. I could sit and watch those little guys for hours! And they're just always so busy... I was particularly taken with the designated sentinel of the mob. He sat atop the highest rock formation attentively watching for predators, his tiny head twitching in every direction. I wish that we had spent more time at their enclosure.

I was glad to get this meerkat shot! His little

noggin was jerking all over the place, looking

for anything that might be a threat...

I felt this was an interesting shot, too, because it shows

some of their many digging holes. They were all very

busy scurrying around, or digging. Lots of digging.

Another of my favorite animals is the giraffe. They are so tall and graceful. I'm pretty sure I overheard a tour guide say that a newborn, on average, is about 6 ft. tall! Could you imagine if a human mother had to suffer such a burden? Of course, women are strong, and they would be able to endure it... The pattern on giraffe hides is beautiful, too. It's just those long, dark tongues that aren't. In fact, they're kinda gross! Oh, well. Nobody's perfect.

Tommy and me, posing in front of the giraffe enclosure.

"Where are the giraffes?", you say. Well, see, they're

not in the shot because Mom was taking the picture...

We also managed to see lots of different exotic birds, some bears (including polar), a monkey or two, snakes, a komodo dragon, a few tortoises, two rhinoceros, an anteater w/baby riding around on its back and a few other creatures I can't remember at the moment. Still, after being there for an entire day, we only managed to see about half of the zoo's inhabitants. We were there until almost 9 pm, too!

I feel bad that I don't remember the name of this

animal. It was some sort of hairy, piggish looking thing.

But how super cute are they, all cuddled-up together

like that, in a ditch?

Why, what do we have here? I don't believe it's

anything we've ever seen before! It appears to be

a tame creature, at least... Let's take a closer

look, shall we?

Yikes! Look out! Whatever it is, it's fierce and most

unpredictable! We must use extreme CAUTION...

It's real neat that they do the whole Nighttime Zoo thing in the Summertime, so you can see the nocturnal animals when they're awake and more active. The zoo itself is very pretty at night, with its lush landscaping of trees and plants dramatically illuminated. It was especially impressive from the vantage point of a Skyfari bucket. We rode one of those twice! Once during the day, and then again at night. Even the buckets were lit up all purty-like, in the dark.

It's a bit hard to tell because it's at night, but this

is Tommy & my mom in our Skyfari bucket as it

whisked us along, high above the "jungle" below.







Yours truly, "impersonating" a dorky tourist.

We all had a great time! It was a wonderful Saturday at the zoo, as well as an awesome birthday gift from my mom! If you've never been, I highly recommend a visit to the San Diego Zoo. But if you go, Mom says, "Don't forget the sun-block and comfortable walking shoes."

Lions, Jaguars, and Elephants? Oh, My!

Please, oh please, don't let us run into this guy, tomorrow! His name is Maynard Livingston, and he's the official Park Master & Greeter for both the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park. Ugh... Maybe, we'll luck out and he'll be over at the Wild Animal Park, instead.

Whatever the case, my mom, Tommy and I will have fun at the zoo on Saturday, anyway. The outing was my mom's idea, and it's also her birthday gift to me! She knows that I like elephants (and animals, in general), so she thought that I'd like to go check out the new Elephant Odyssey exhibit that just opened this last May. It's a $45 million, 7-acre addition to the main zoo that features elephants (obviously), lions, jaguars and California condors. The habitat has several pools for the elephants, including one that holds 137, 000 gallons of water and is 7.5 feet deep at its deepest end. That's certainly big enough for a swim, even for an elephant!

On these hot Summer days, I would love to join these guys.

I wonder if Esther is in the pool, somewhere...

Pinky TUSK-adero, taking a relaxing bath.

Lions are so majestically beautiful...

They make me proud to be a Leo.

I've always wanted to drive one of these.

It's probably crazy of us to go on a Saturday in August, what with Summer crowds and all, but it should be a fun family adventure! Then, the following Saturday (A.K.A. my actual birthday), Tommy and I will be going to Disneyland because I'll be getting in FREE! Did you know about that special promotion? They're letting people in for FREE on their birthdays, all this year! But you had to have registered for it by a certain deadline last year. They even aired T.V. commercials about the whole thing. I guess that it sucks to be you, if you didn't take advantage of it... (Hee-hee!)

Have a great weekend, everyone!


~All photos via Google Images~

It's Christmas in July at Santa's Village!

I guess that I should have titled this post, 'It WAS Christmas in July at Santa's Village!' because it is, sadly, no longer there amongst the pines of Skyforest, California. Well, technically, it does still exist. Only, it hasn't been open since 1998 and what's left is falling into total ruins! The parking lot IS being used for a lumber yard, however. I wonder what they call that, Paul Bunyan's Village? It really is heartbreaking that after 43 years of bringing the enchantment of Santa Claus and the wonder of Christmas to life, it all just ended. Closed for business. Will return at... never o'clock! They just walked away and left it sitting there, discarded like some old worn-out shoe. It somehow seems even more depressing that it wasn't torn down, but was instead left for vandals and the elements to slowly devour.

Having been to Santa's Village only twice, once as a child and another as an adult, I am especially grateful for those memories now. The park's Grand Opening took place Memorial Day weekend in 1955, only 6 weeks before Walt opened the gates to Disneyland. But I didn't come along until the 1970s. I can just imagine how fresh and magnificent it all must've looked in the '50s... Still, I thought it was pretty great my first time. I know that somewhere there are old snap shots of me on many of the Christmas-themed rides, and I'm pretty sure that there's at least one shot of me screaming through tears while seated on Santa's lap. I WAS loving absolutely everything, EXCEPT that jolly old elf!

I can remember, as a little boy, thinking the place seemed truly magical. It looked alive with color, and the surrounding mountain air felt charged with an exciting sense of "anything-is-possible". I mean, I was frolicking around the place where Santa LIVED, after all! With all of his elves and reindeer, no less! Not to mention it looked as if you were in a fairytale, what with the storybook architecture of shops and houses populating the village. Also, those gigantic patterned mushrooms... WOW! I don't know how such a park would be perceived by the seemingly jaded young children of today, but back then, it certainly made an impression on me. Quite a happy one, too!





"Well, missy, you've got two choices. You can either hang
out with Blitzen, by that North Pole... Or you can reach
into these velvet pants and visit my SOUTH Pole!"






A couple of elves on their way back from the parking lot,
having just "caned" someone for not buying a souvenir.






This was the Whirling Christmas Tree ride. You hopped
into a giant ornament, and away you went!




Here are just a few random facts about Santa's Village in Skyforest, California:

• The park was created on 15 acres of wooded land.



• It cost $1 million to build.



• In 1955, Children 11 yrs. & under got in FREE, Juniors 11 to 18 yrs. paid 40 cents, and Adults paid $1.00 (Federal Tax included)



• At first, the park was open 364 days a year, and CLOSED on Christmas Day.



• Glenn Holland, the park's creator, insisted that in order to help sustain the theme and illusion of a Christmas fantasy land, money was never to be exchanged inside the park at any of the shops or eateries. Instead, a small passport ticket was used to keep track of the guest's expenses, then checked out and paid for at the end of the visit in the exit shop. He felt strongly that children's belief in the myth was paramount.



• When the park closed in 1998, all movable goods were sold at public auction. Today, the pastel-colored toadstools, Santa's sleigh, giant candy canes and a clock with months instead of numbers decorate homes and stores all around the mountainous area.

Elves communing with precious 'Bim the Burro'. He only
LOOKED harmless...






The Good Witch's Bakery. This was where nice little
children got cookies & donuts, but the ill-behaved ones
got stuffed into an oven! Guess she wasn't always so
"good", after all.






I don't remember seeing any scary clowns. They
probably caused that cute boy to eventually
become a serial killer!






Doesn't this just look like the ideal toy & doll shop?!
Well, this was where you bought 'em...






...but this was where Santa's helpers made 'em! It's
the Mill Wheel Toy Workshop.






"Tickets! Get your tickets here!" Eager children line
up for a ride on Santa's Magic Train.






I don't remember seeing this Jack
Pumpkinhead, either. But I do know
that if I had, I would've RUN the
other way!




I'm afraid that my follow-up to this post won't be as fun. In fact, it will be a bit sad as I'll be sharing a few examples of this park's slow deterioration into obscurity. But until that smack of reality, I hope you continue to enjoy this nostalgic look back at a true pop culture classic!


{All images via alamedainfo.com}

Show & Tell: Henry

Here is yet another post unrelated to pop culture, but I so enjoyed Heidi's post about her kitty, Dizzy, over at her Gold Country Girls blog, that I felt inspired to share with you MY late Tonkinese cat, Henry.

Gosh, I guess it's been about a decade now, since we lost him to kidney failure. That was very hard. We actually had to have him put to sleep, after he had been through all that the doctors could do for him. And, I think, that was the most DIFFICULT thing I've had to do in my life. If you have ever owned pets, odds are that you probably know what it feels like. I'll never forget how paralyzed I felt when I was trying to sign the release form authorizing Henry's euthanasia...





Henry, in the thick of it all!



In case you aren't sure what a Tonkinese cat is, it's a Siamese/Burmese cross-breed. I much prefer it over a normal Siamese because Henry did not have the typical eyes that they do. His were the same pretty, light blue, but they did not look crossed. I was so glad about that since I've always thought that the cross-eyed ones look really DUMB! (Sorry, if you have one. I'm sure that yours is just lovely.)

I can remember Henry's coat being VERY soft, which made it especially nice whenever you held him. And I miss how you can usually hold a cat in the same manner as you would a baby, cradled in your arms. Every once in a while, I attempt to hold Mr. Scoots that way, but he wants NO part of it! Oh, well...

I asked Tommy what quirky things he remembers about Henry, and he mentioned how, at Christmas time, Henry absolutely loved to lay under the glowing tree for hours in an almost trance-like state. While under there, he also enjoyed selecting one particular hanging ornament (usually something irreplaceable) to bat at, and then eventually squirrel away with to nibble on!





Tommy & Henry, caught playing
their reindeer games!






Oh, to be a cat... Wouldn't that be nice?



I'd like to have a cat again, someday. I love Mr. Scoots, but there's just something about having a cat for a pet that is sooo different from a dog. And vice versa, of course! Even if we did get another cat, I doubt that we'd ever find another one as SPECIAL as our Henry was!

Movie Moments: Disney-Pixar's 'Up'

All photos from Disney-Pixar's 'Up'



Yay, I finally got to see 'Up', Disney and Pixar's latest collaboration! And it was REALLY good! Of course, that came as no surprise. Everything that they do is top-notch quality and a whole lotta FUN! I saw it in 3D, too. Not sure if you can see it without...?

Anyway, it's got a wonderful story (My author husband said afterward that he was impressed with the screen writer's ability to formulate a story that encompassed so much and evoked such emotion.), terrific animation, awesome sound, VIBRANT colors and excellent characters. What more could one want from a cartoon movie?!

The story begins to take flight!

Old fuddy-duddy, Carl Fredricksen.

Perpetual optimist, Russell.

Ever faithful & furry, Dug.

Here is the official movie synopsis from Disney ~

"a comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell."

And if I told you any MORE than that, I'd surely ruin it for you. So, do yourself a favor and see this film. Unless you're a curmudgeon like the story's protagonist Carl, it will most certainly BRIGHTEN your day!

Amusing & colorful, 13-foot-tall Kevin.

JoAnne Worley, The Nutty Aunt I Wish I'd Always Had!

There is just something about the inimitable JoAnne Worley that I find very endearing. Of course, I have no idea what her demeanor is like in real-life, but if she's anything like her public persona I would love to know her! Heck, I'd have her to all my family functions. "That kooky Aunt JoAnne...", we'd say. "She's such a hoot!"

Worley was born in Lowell, Indiana on September 6th, 1937 as the third of five children. Even back in high school, she was developing a reputation for being funny as she was named the 'School Comedienne' by her peers. After studying drama in college, she went on to do many professional theater productions, including musicals. It wasn't until 1968, when JoAnne landed a regular spot on 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In', that she really broke into the main stream and became a star. After about 2 years on 'Laugh-In', Ms. Worley moved on to making movies and continued to spread her distinctive personality around the T.V. landscape.

Isn't she... pretty in pink?

Growing up in the 70s, I can remember seeing JoAnne (and hearing her trademark laugh) on many a television show. Why, she was on everything from 'Love, American Style' to even 'Love Boat' in the 80s. Then there were also several game shows of which Ms. Worley was a regular on, such as 'Hollywood Squares', 'Match Game', 'Password', and even 'The $10,000 Pyramid'. I would've "bet my sweet bippy" that she had also appeared on 'The Liar's Club', but I couldn't find any record of it. I must have dreamed about that the same night I dreamed an evil Billy Barty was injecting a couple of helpless young ladies with a syringe full of terror...

As a child, I didn't always understand what everyone was laughing about, but just hearing her laugh or suddenly break into operatic song was enough to make me giggle. And the clothes she would usually wear, with all the feathers and/or boas were certainly attention-grabbing! Not to mention, she was obviously a fan of the bouffant. Quite fashionable, really!



I think Big Bird had something to do with this!

Looks like JoAnne's sharing an operatic

moment with Goldie on 'Laugh-In'.

In somewhat recent years, she's done voice work for animated productions such as Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' (she was the Wardrobe/Armoir character) and even the Sony Playstation 'Kingdom Hearts' video game. She's also played both, the role of the Wicked Witch of the West in a stage musical of 'The Wizard of Oz', and Madame Morrible in the huge hit 'Wicked'. And most recently, she even played a bit part on Disney's T.V. show 'Wizards of Waverly Place'. I think JoAnne must have a thing for Oz and wizards!

Perhaps the best thing Ms. Worley has been doing, is her work as the President of Actors and Others for Animals. It's an organization that is dedicated to the promotion of humane treatment of animals. They say their main mission is to try and curb the pet overpopulation problem by subsidizing spay/neuter surgeries, but they do so much more. Please, use the link to see all that they do!

As a kid, I dug everything about JoAnne Worley. Today, especially since I know of her efforts toward helping animals, I really admire her! Now, if we could just have her over for our next family dinner night...

Video Game Fun Time: Nintendo's 'Animal Crossing - City Folk'

When I have the time, I love playing video games! But since I don't really know anyone else that is willing to join me, the majority of my gaming library consists of single-player games. Among those is a game for the Nintendo Wii that I've really been enjoying. It's called 'Animal Crossing - City Folk' and I'd like to tell you about it.

It's actually the 3rd game in the 'Animal Crossing' series. The very first one was for the Nintendo Game Cube system and the 2nd one was for the portable Nintendo DS. This most recent version is, by far, the BEST and most interesting! How do I begin to describe it?



Is that cat talking... to me?!


Well, at the very beginning of the game you meet a talking cat named Rover. He's not the only talking animal in the game, they ALL talk! In fact, the language they speak is Animalese (which sounds very cute when spoken), but it doesn't matter if you're not fluent. Everything said in the game is also subtitled on the screen for those of us who don't speak it. Anyway, Rover will take you on a bus ride to the town that will become your new home. Along the way, he will ask you some important questions such as the current time & date (Everything in the game world runs according to real-time and even has an in-game clock/calendar display. All of our major holidays are included in some way with corresponding special events), your name, and if you're a boy or a girl. You type in all of your answers on a virtual keyboard that pops up. Rover then asks you where you're going, which is strange since HE'S the one taking you on this bus ride in the first place... but it's actually just a way for you to name your town. After typing that in, Rover continues making conversation with you about things like whether you're excited to be moving and what you're planning to do for money. It's not just small talk, however! Each answer you give helps to determine what your character will LOOK like when you get off the bus in your town.



Play as either a boy... or a girl.
And if you're lucky, you'll end up
as cute as one of these two!



The in-game clock/calendar
passes time in sync with the
real world. That is, unless
you time-travel... And you
CAN, in fact, time-travel!



You've ARRIVED! Now, what?


Upon your arrival, Town Hall is the first stop. There, you'll find out about homes that are for sale and get to pick one out. But how will you PAY for it? The loan on your modest little 1-bedroom home will need to be paid back in Bells, which is the game's currency, and you'll earn those Bells by doing various tasks for Tom Nook. This Tom Nook happens to be a friendly raccoon that owns and operates a kind of general store in your town. He's also the man, er, raccoon that sold you the house and that's why you will be working for him to pay off the debt. Does that make sense? It's all really much SIMPLER when you're actually playing!



Stop in at Town Hall if you don't want to be
"sleeping in a van, down by the river".



You'll get a tiny place like this, at first, to call
your "Home, Sweet Home". It gets BIGGER
throughout the game as Nook remodels it for
you. But it's not going to come cheap!



Tom Nook, local shop-owner and task master!
You'd better do what he says or your house
might end up in foreclosure...


In addition to running errands for Nook, there are several OTHER ways to earn Bells. You can take fruit from the trees and sell it to Nook for a handsome profit (100 B each for native fruit, 500 B each for foreign and/or coconuts). There is also a rock somewhere in your town everyday that, if hit with your shovel, will spit out a few thousand Bells like a slot machine! But only ONE a day. And it's always a DIFFERENT one.

Another way to earn some "cash" is to catch fish or bugs with either a rod or a net, respectively, and then sell them to Nook (for an amount which is dictated according to species rarity). You can also go around shaking the trees to see what falls out! Aside from fruit, you might end up with a few Bells or even a piece of furniture for your trouble. Then there's the whole turnip trade market thing, but I won't bore you with THAT!



See the shiny, red apples? They're ripe for
the pickin'... and a-sellin'!



While strolling along the beach, you may find a
coconut. You can either sell it or plant it to get
a palm tree that will bear even more coconuts.
Hmm... what ever WILL you do?


When you feel that you have some extra money to blow, remember there's that new house of yours that's going to need some furnishings! It's time to SHOP, and that's where you'll have FUN letting your inner-interior design talents come out! There are literally hundreds of different items to collect for your home (furniture, wallpaper, flooring, etc.) and NO LIMITS to how you can mix things up. And whenever you grow tired of your current style or theme in a room, just sell those things back to Nook and buy something new! However, the new stuff IS limited to whatever Nook has in-stock on the showroom floor. The good thing is that his inventory changes often. No worries if you want to order something that you had previously because once you have an item in your possession, no matter if it was bought, found, or received as a gift, it is automatically added to your permanent catalog and can be ordered again at any time. You do have to pay for it again, though. While you're into the collecting thing, you can buy all sorts of clothing, too! So, you can make BOTH decorating AND fashion statements.



Nook, using the hard-sell on a hapless shopper.


Let's not forget the neighbors! Tom Nook won't even let you start working for him until you've introduced yourself to all six of the animal residents in town. Some will stay for a very long time while others will get antsy and move out often, being replaced by a completely new animal pal for you to get to know. With a total of more than 200 different characters aside from special event and holiday visitors, you have plenty of socializing to do!


Below, are just a few of the ones you'll encounter.



Clockwise: Mayor Tortimer, K.K. Slider, and Sable & Mable Able



These are a few of the special holiday characters.



Clockwise: Jack, Franklin, and Zipper T. Bunny



There are really so many facets to this game that I could go on for pages and pages! But I must tell you about the main thing that makes this version different. Going into the CITY, of course!

To see the city, you have to hop on the bus again and take a little ride. Once there, you have many choices of what you can do including getting a "new do" at the 'Shampoodle' hair salon, shopping at 'Gracie Grace's' department store, having your fortune read at 'Katrina's', or there's even a theater where you can watch and learn EMOTES. An emote is an emotional expression performed by your character on your command. I've found that they're not at all necessary, but it's still cute to see your boy or girl act out the different emotions!



Steppin' out in the big city, a girl needs to stop
at the salon and get her hair "did".


As lengthy as this little overview has been, it still only BEGINS to cover this fun, colorful and entertaining game! I think, also, that Nintendo has only scratched the surface of the city's potential in 'City Folk'. And I'm sure they fully intend to give us more in a future release, as long as people keep playing these games.

I, for one, WILL keep playing... and playing... and playing...




((( Special thanks to Prima Games and their official 'Animal Crossing - City Folk' game guide for all of the screen shots and info I used in this post. Also, thanks to Nintendo and their artists for creating such a cute, interesting game environment & character designs. )))