4-23-11 SQUIRREL!!

Two squirrels have taken up residence in our backyard. When I got the camera out to take his picture he was not happy. He just chirpped, chattered and flicked his tail at me. He had a buddy that was smaller and not as adept at climbing trees. They entertained me for quite a while.

4-21-11 Buckboard Wagon

"A buckboard is a four-wheeled wagon of simple construction meant to be drawn by a horse or other large animal....Originally designed for personal transportation in mountain regions, these distinctively American vehicles were widely used in newly settled regions of the United States."--Wikipedia

4-21-2011 The Chaplain is In

Even the soldiers of the Civil War needed to talk to a chaplain once in awhile. I'm sure he had other duties as well.

4-20-2011 Shooting the Cannons

While at "Cowtown: The Civil War", they gave a demonstration of firing a real cannon. I was amazed at the empact the sound waves made. Above the soldiers have their sticks crossed to symbolize a misfire. That way no one will walk in front of the cannon.

4-19-2011 Where Have All The Soldiers Gone?

I saw this shot and immediately thought, "Where have all the soldiers gone?"

4-17-11 Extra! Extra! Read All About It!!

While in "Cowtown" we stopped by the Wichita Eagle City Newspaper to see what the news of the day was. Although the news was quite old, we did learn that the Kansas Pacific Railroad was offering a free ride to claim a part of over five million acres as a Kansas homestead. Sign me up!

4-17-11 Hoop Trundling

This is called "Hoop Trundling". The idea is to roll a hoop, varying in size and made either of wood or metal, with a stick, keeping the hoop upright as long as possible. This was played during the middle to late 19th Century. This boy was demonstrating it at Cowtown, a living museum in the Wichita area.

4-16-2011 Reflecting On the Past

Today Tim & I spent the lovely day at the living museum, Cowtown. They were celebrating the lives of the soldiers of the Civil War. There were re-enactors from the Civil War, as well as, town folk from the late-1800's. Towards the end of the day, some of the Civil War soldiers were firing off the cannons to show what it was like.

4-2-11 Feed the Birds...

The robins have been stuffing themesleves this last week in our front yard. We have berries that have fallen from our Bradford Pear tree and the robins have been enjoying a feast. This is great as those berries fall everywhere and stick to everything. Enjoy the feast!!!

3-27-11 Ring-tailed Lemurs

These guys were peeking out of their little hut to see what was going on. Their friends were huddled behind them at the back of the hut to stay out of the 30+mph winds.

3-26-11 Red Kanagroo

This guy was just hanging out in the kangaroo pen at the Tanganyika Zoo. As they move, I thought Mother Nature played a cruel trick on them in making their front legs so short, while their back legs are so long.

3-25-11 Caninie Computing

Keilo decided he was going to help Tim with a project. After I took the picture, he put his foot on the keyboard and hit the "play" button on the video that Tim was editing. Guess he wanted to see Tim's handy work!

3-24-11 Baby African Tortoise

This little guy is already three months old. The inhabit the edge of the Sahara and are the third largest tortoise in the world.

3-23-11 Let Sleeping Birds Lie

This is a lorikeet. Lorikeet's are a small to medium-sized arboreal parrots characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar and small fruits. This one kept falling asleep on the branch. Unfortunately, it didn't get to sleep long as the wind kept shaking the branch he was perched on.

2-22-11 Reticulated Giraffe

Went to Tanganyika Wildlife Park today with a friend to take pictures. This little zoo on the far west side of Wichita was fascinating. Most of the zoo is "hands-on"; you can touch and feed the animals. They also have several animal handlers walking around holding animals that you can ask questions about and touch.

3_18_11 One Clean Dog

Today was "Give the Dog a Bath" day. If I keep him brushed, I don't have to bathe him that often. However, both were WAY overdue. He's pretty good about letting me brush him as long as I do it on a table. Getting him in the bathtub is another story. He's not thrilled, but will finally go. But look out after the bath.....he runs around acting all silly, rubbing against on the carpet, against the couch to get the water off of him. This dog HATES being wet!!!

3-15-2011 March Madness Time!!

I have to admit, by the time March comes, I get into post-season basketball. Kansas has two teams, KU and KSU, in the NCAA tournament and WSU in the NIT. Fun times for Kansas basketball fans!

3-8-201` It's Mardi Gras Time!!

Okay, so I don't normally get into dressing my dog up in silly outfits, but I just couldn't help myself on this one. He's such a good sport!!

3-2-11 You're Never Too Old...

"You're never too old, too whacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read with a child!" Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!!

3-1-11 Grillin' Season Returns

WOO-HOO!! Grillin' season has returned. With the weather getting warmer, I can now return to the outdoor grill. I'm so excited!