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Two Pelicans

These two birds were just sitting on the rocks looking around.  They didn't move from the rocks for the longest time so I was able to get a lot of different images of them.  I liked this one the best.

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A Conspiracy

Saw this sign at the zoo.  

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Squirrel Eating

I decided to go to the zoo today.  I take just about the same pics every time I'm there, but it's something to do and sometimes the animals are doing something interesting.

As I walked along the path, I saw this squirrel on this fence only about 3 feet from me and since I had a long lens, it was a perfect shot.  It's probably one of the best animal photos I've ever taken even though it's an ordinary American squirrel.  He must have really liked what he was nibbling on because he stayed like that for quite a while and I was able to get a bunch of images.  

It's the little things that can give joy.

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Sign at Zoo

This afternoon my daughter/grandkids and I went to the Cisco Zoo for an outing.  The weather was beautiful (maybe a little warm).  The Zoo was in operation between 1920-1930 so now there's just walking trails and the remains of animal enclosures along with several abandoned cabins that were rented to people wanting to stay on the grounds of the zoo property.  

We spent time walking the trails on the property at the opposite end from where the animal enclosures are.  Obviously, there's a Balancing Rock nearby.  I got a laugh out of the sign.

The kiddos had a great time and they were very sad when we said it was time to leave.

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Lesser Flamingo

Just inside the zoo entrance there's an enclosure with Lesser Flamingos.  They're called Lesser Flamingos because they're the smaller of the flamingo birds and they skim the water with their beaks to find food instead of inserting their faces into the water.  They also seem to be a lighter pink.

They're just as beautiful as the larger variety of flamingos though.

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Jungle Bounce House

This afternoon the weather got really beautiful so I decided to make another trip to the zoo.  I didn't realize that there was some event going on there. There were a lot of families there with their kiddos and presentations happening throughout the zoo grounds. It was so good to see all the kids having such a good time.

This bounce house was right inside the entrance.  I've never seen one like it before, so of course I had to make a few images of it.  

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Pink Famingos

As you first enter the Abilene, Texas zoo there's a location where there are pink flamingos.  They're so beautiful and it's fun to watch them in this environment.  

They were pretty active since the air temp was about 55 and it was near feeding time.  

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Cheetah at the Zoo

Even though the holidays are over and all the decorations have been taken down at the local zoo, I decided to go there because the weather was so beautiful and I thought the animals might be a little more active because of the coolers temps.  

This Cheetah was walking around its enclosure and then it finally settled high up on the rock formation.  I was able to get an image that pretty much blurred out the bars.

Just gorgeous!

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Graffiti on Rock Wall

The abandoned zoo in Sisco, Texas is surprisingly undamaged considering that it closed in 1930. 

There were several animal deaths that were never solved.

There is some graffiti on the rock walls and the foliage is overgrown in many places, but there's about 1.4 miles of walking trails through the zoo grounds and it's open to the public.

It was a beautiful weather day so my daughter and I took the 4 grandkids to the zoo.  They had a great time running around, going into the enclosure caves and learning a little about the abandoned zoo.

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Pink Flamingos

The weather was incredibly beautiful again today and I wanted to spend some time outdoors without having to travel 2 hours to make some images.  I decided to go to the local zoo even though I've been there sooooo many times.  

Right at the beginning of the walking trail there's this enclosure with  these gorgeous pink flamingos.  I usually find it really difficult to get a good image of them, but I kind of like this one.

It was a beautiful day to be outside.

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Another animal enclosure

This is one of the animal enclosures in the abandoned zoo in Cisco, TX.  

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Abandoned Animal enclosure

In Cisco, TX there's an abandoned zoo.  It was active in the 1920s-1930s.  As primitive as it seems now, it was state of the art at the time.  It closed because of several suspicious animal deaths within the zoo.

Now there's about a mile of walking trail through what once was the zoo grounds and you can see the remnants of the enclosures and some of the fencing.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR'S

A new year, a new photo-a-day challenge.  I fell 6 images short of the challenge in 2023.

2024 is leap year, so an extra image will be needed.

I don't know why I find this challenge so difficult, but I'm giving it another go this year.

There's an abandoned zoo in Cisco, Texas.  It opened in 1923 and closed in the 1930s due to the unsolved mystery of the poisoning of a bear and the equally mysterious unsolved death of a deer.

Today the grounds provide hiking trails that wind past the old animal enclosures as well as cabins that were available to the zoo visitors.

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Two striped Ornaments

These two red and white striped ornaments are seen on an artificial Christmas Tree at the Abilene, Texas Zoo.  The zoo decorates every holiday season with many trees and ornaments as well as other

decor.  There are on-going holiday activities throughout the months leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

My heart is grateful that:

My youngest son and his wife will become parents for the first time this coming spring

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Jaguar

This Jaguar is resting in his enclosure at the Abilene, Texas Zoo.  Jaguars have two color palettes, the one seen here and total black.  They're local to South America.

My heart is grateful today that:

it was such a peaceful day

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Pink Poinsettia and ornaments

These beautiful pink decorations are seen on a white fir wreath on display as part of the decorations at the Abilene, Texas Zoo.

I'm grateful for:

beautiful colors

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Peppermint Candy Sculpture

The Abilene, Texas Zoo is decorated for Christmas and this peppermint candy sculpture is just one of the displays seen there.

I'm happy that:

I finished the church directory I've been working on for a couple of months. 

Another large job off my plate finally.

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Pink Flamingos

A quick trip to the zoo today because the weather is so incredibly gorgeous. 

I'm grateful for:

finishing a project that I've been procrastinating over for weeks

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Addax at the Abilene, TX zoo

The weather was beautiful and for once these animals were in a cluster.  They're usually scattered throughout the enclosure and too far away for my lens to get a good photo.

This zoo is like a little gem in an oasis, but it's not photographer friendly, so whenever I get even a decent photo of one of the animals I feel like I've scored big time.

My heart is grateful today for:

 A new recipe I had at my daughter's house tonight and one that 

I'm going to try myself, white chili

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Angolan Colobus Monkeys

It seems like, despite my determination to photograph and post one image a day, there are times when I fall behind.  So this is my second photo for today, from the same zoo trip as the previous post.  

I don't remember seeing these monkeys the last time I was at the zoo.  There were quite a few of them in the enclosure and since it was a cool day and  late in the day, they were pretty active.

Right near the fence it looked like a mama giving her juvenile the once over, just like most mothers do with their young children.  The mama was persistent and the youth was incredibly patient with all the attention.

My heart is grateful for:

memories of my children when they were young