Zoo Zunday

Yesterday my daughter, Lisa's dance team performed at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.  I haven't been able to attend many of her performances lately so thought I would join them.  They were scheduled to perform at 11:00 AM and then after their performance everyone was free to have fun at the zoo.  As I backed out of the driveway the drips of rain appeared on the windshield, then the drips got bigger and by the time I traveled less than a mile it began to pour and pour it did all the way to the zoo.  Today was the last day of Lolapalooza (big rock festival) in downtown Chicago, the end of the 3 day Susan G Koman walk for breast cancer and Lisa's dance team performance at the zoo.....not a good day for  rain.  I pulled into the parking lot with the rain still coming down, but by 11:00 AM, the rain had stopped, the sky had cleared, turning brilliant blue, and we were ready to have fun.  Mother Nature smiled on us.

Make-up is applied....

The troupe gathering as the rain slowly stopped....

All dressed and ready for the performance....there is one young man that danced with all the girls, I think he is exceptionally brave to perform with all these girls, and very studdly of him to stand a little apart with hands in his pockets separating him just a bit from all the girlish giggles. 

This is my daughter, Lisa giving last minute instructions and introducing the team.  What's with the finger pointing, you think she got that from her Mother??

A few shots of the performance....just imagine some rockin' music and 15 or so girls with 1 guy dancing to the beat. 

All done and ready for some zoo fun....

My 2 granddaughters (the blonde with the black stripe and the brunette with the sunglasses) and their dancing buds.

With each trip these girls take together, a jump shot is a must....they are really pretty good at jumping high and together....thank goodness my camera can take those fast, multiple shots.

As we walked back to the car to eat our picnic lunch....Lisa prepared homemade chicken salad sandwiches packed with scallions, celery, golden raisins, dried cranberries, mayo..a homemade potato salad, drinks and cookies...yum, I shot this Chicago skyline from the zoo parking lot. 

As we ate our lunch these ladies from the 3 day Susan G Koman Walk for Breast Cancer walked by.  They looked in good shape and still smiling after walking 3 days...I don't know how many participated, but my hats off to them all for walking this walk to raise money for the millions with breast cancer. 

First stop the Ape House.....nothing better than napping on a lazy Sunday afternoon.....

What do you suppose he is thinking??  Probably something like "wish the idiot humans would go away and leave me alone and stop staring at me." or maybe...."sure wish I was back in my jungle land, swinging with my best bud, Tarzan from tree to tree."

 Wait a minute....am I coming or going??

I love staring at this animal, he looks like a work of art. 

This was actually shot thru a green fence, you can just barely see the green outline of the fence, I should have removed it, but it was so faint decided just to leave it. 

The colors of nature are more brilliant than any we could try and duplicate.  

Time for another group jump....this time in front of the Chicago skyline....

Two shots of Bailey with her main squeeze, Shane.  This was possibly the worst time of the day to take portraits, bright sunshine straight overhead, but they are still a vividly handsome couple. 

Heh, why don't you guys join us....the water is fine. 

When we first approached this exhibit we almost thought these were statues, they were so still and not moving, but as we got closer we could see the slight movement in their heads.   Again, works of art. 

I think this is almost frame-worthy...love it with the softness of the trees along with the summertime sky.  I am linking this up to Lisa's Creative Exchange. 

This poor little guy only had one horn, if I didn't know any better I could easily pretend he is a unicorn, the zoo is a magical place.

And what would a trip to the zoo be like without lions and tigers and bears, oh my.  Well, the lions were sound asleep at the back of their exhibit, and I didn't get a good shot of the bears, so we will just have to settle for a tiger. 

Have you ever seen those animal specials on TV starring the Meerkats??  OMG they are the absolute cutest little animals.  I could sit and watch these charming creatures all day.  What personalities and that face....!!!

 
And ofcourse, I had to add a few images of the flowers found at the zoo.  All old fashioned flowers, the anemone, the zinnia, the hollyhock, and the sunflower. 

A Green-Apple slushy for the ride home, oh was that good and cold and icy.....and then

This little piggy with a big smile on my face was tired and went home.....

"Life itself is a gift.  It's a compliment just being born: to feel, breathe, think, play, dance, sing, work, and make love for this particular lifetime."  -  Daphne Rose Kingma

Until next time......