Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

I know this post is super long and overdue, so bear with me. After the Reds game on October 10, Jim and I spent the night in Columbus. I had the following Monday off for Columbus Day, and since we didn't need to go back to Cincy, we decided to hit up the Columbus Zoo. Since we have a Toledo Zoo membership, admission was only have price because of their reciprocal zoo program. What a deal! I hadn't been to the zoo there in about six years, and I think it was ten plus for Jim. So it was cool to see all the changes they have made. You know how I love my zoos! I took a ton of pics, and actually think I got some pretty good ones. When we leave the zoo, I always like to ask the question of what was the best animal of the day? Both Jim and I agreed it was the polar bears. Their exhibit is amazing. There is an underground part where you can look up and watch them swim. And it was a beautiful day too. It was in the 80s and people were in shorts! So crazy.

American Bison

Polar bears enjoying the water

Grizzly bear...he has some big feet!

Sun bear...I've never even heard of these before

Red pandas

I love this pic of the Siberian tiger...he was yawning

Flying foxes....they look like giant bats

Fluffy...see below

Manatee Coast...I love this exhibit

Stingray in manatee pool

We got to watch the penguins during feeding time

Leopard

Red river hog...interesting

Mandrill yawning...I think they are cool looking monkeys

Okapi

Komodo Dragon getting some sun

Open kangaroo exhibit...super cool

Koalas...I love these things!

They sleep like 22 hours per day and we were fortunate enough to see BOTH of them awake!

Flamingoes

This video of the polar bear is adorable! They were so playful and fun that day.

No Place Like Gnome

Petsmart Halloween Photo

Every year, Petsmart holds a two hour window where you can bring in your pet(s) in Halloween costumes and have a picture taken. They always have a pet parade and contest for prizes, and they give away goodie bags with pet freebies and samples. This year was our fourth year participating, an event that sometimes I think Jim does not enjoy as much as I do. Last year, Sloopy was a police dog from the K9 unit (yes, I went there), and Griffey was a pumpkin. Sloopy won 2nd place in the costume contest (she was rewarded with a $10 Petsmart gift card, which helped purchase her a new pink leash). I switched things up this year and Grif dressed as a lion and Sloopy as a cow, complete with udders and a tail! You should have heard everyone ooohing and aaahing over Grif's costume. He was definitely the crowd favorite. But unfortunately we did not have time to hang around for the contest, so we'll never know if Grif would've topped Sloopy's previous #2 finish. I think the above picture turned out great, except I wish you could see more of Sloopy's costume. If you didn't know, you might think she was a dalmation!

Side note: for those readers out there who may be wondering, yes, I am aware that dressing up dogs in Halloween costumes makes me one of those people. I am comfortable in my skin and I am who I am :)

Fall Doggie Pics

The other day I came home from work and let the dogs out first thing like I usually do. It was an amazingly gorgeous day, and I enjoyed just watching them explore their surroundings. Sloopy was not being especially photogenic, but Griffey let me get some good pics of him, and video! Unfortunately, the video is not uploading right now, so I will post that another time. Grif decided to roll in the leaves and it was pretty cute. That explains why I find random leaf particles throughout the house...He's such a silly dog!

Finally Feels Like Fall...

So today after work, I headed to Sadowski's in Swanton -- Swantucky, for you NWO peeps, to pick up our pumpkins. Even though the mums had bloomed, our house did not feel totally like fall until I got the pumpkins on the front porch. Every year we pick out four to put on the steps. The biggest one represents Jim, then me, then Grif, and then Sloopy. In the past, we've always talked about carving them, but never get around to it by Halloween. Maybe this year will be different...

Here's Crow posing with the pumpkins. Sadly, Crow used to have a hat, but I suspect that the squirrels chewed it right off his head and took it away to their nests. I scoured the yard, but was unable to locate his hat anywhere.

Helga the goose with some funky gourds and a mini bale of hay

I just had to add this picture to the post. I am super excited about my "bargain" purchase. I got a 1/2 peck of tomatoes for $6.00. The tomatoes are excellent quality, and the box had ten inside. I did the math and figured there was no way I could get that many at the local Kroger or Meijer store for that price. Also, the massive zucchini in front was only 75 cents! It blends in some with the counter top, but trust me, it is ginormous.

No Place Like Gnome / My Sunday

My gnome insisted on posing with the latest veggies I picked from our garden today. Two green peppers, one jalapeno pepper, and twenty-three cherry tomatoes. I cannot believe how well the peppers are still growing. If we don't have a frost for a while, I think I'll be picking veggies into November!

I had to take some pics of the beautiful leaves, as they are just starting to turn shades of yellow and orange. Something tells me that I'm going to be doing a lot more raking this week...

And I cannot forget the children. Since it was in the sixties today, I decided to give them a much needed driveway bath. Sloopy was first and she was absolutely horrible. Not listening or cooperating, and was running away from the hose. I ended up moderately wet by the time she was done. If I thought Sloopy was bad, Griffey ended up being even worse. He had me soaking wet to the point that my neighbor yelled across the street to me, "I thought you were washing the dogs, not them washing you!" I walked them afterward to air dry their fur, and now they are all soft and fluffy, and smell great! Here they are posing with their Halloween bandannas on.

No Place Like Gnome

What a perfect fall day! I cannot believe I was raking leaves in short sleeves today...

Reds Playoff Game

On Sunday, October 10 (10-10-10), Jim and I and my parents went to Cincinnati to watch the Reds in their first playoff game since 1995. We were fortunate enough to be able to purchase tickets thru a lottery system. Our seats were up in the 500 section on the right field line, but you really couldn't complain because it was so awesome just to be there. The atmosphere was incredible until Orlando Cabrera (SS) made an error in the first inning that allowed the Phillies to take an early 1-0 lead. That totally took the crowd out of the game, and 44,599 fans went silent for the majority of the game. While the outcome was not what I wanted to see (a 2-0 loss and a sweep by the Phils), I am so proud of the Reds for the incredible season they did have. I am just hoping that they can keep on the winning track next year because I want to see a World Series championship in the Queen City again (the last one was in 1990). Until Spring Training starts, I will be counting down the days until baseball and I will be enthusiastically cheering on the #1 Buckeyes. Here's some fun pics from the day. The above picture is all of us touching the brick at Great American Ball Park -- a family tradition that my dad makes us do every time we go to the park. The brick reads, "The Harrisons/Sylvania Ohio/Reds Fans 4ever"

I like this pic of the NL standings...it's cool to see the Reds on top!

Jim and dad eating Skyline Chili cheese coneys...a GABP tradition

Gapper, Rosie Red, and Mr. Redlegs

The teams lined up for the national anthem

Good ol' Gapper

The Hall of Famer, Joe Morgan, throwing out the first pitch

Aroldis Chapman -- "The Cuban Missile"

He actually hit 105 on the radar gun once, but I wasn't able to get a pic of it