Daily Newsie

As Rue suggested last week, today the husband and I took a (very) mini-break to Nashville to relax after the stress of thesis writing/election helping/victory celebrating these past few weeks. We visited the Nashville Zoo, where I had an awesome purple sno-cone and scared myself by looking at the snakes, and almost peed ourselves laughing when a woman declared at the gibbon exhibit, “This monkey’s boring. We’re going to McDonald’s.” We didn’t follow her and her brood to the Golden Arches, but rather stopped at the Opry Mills Mall on the way home so I could get some candied apples at the Apple Barn store and so we could indulge in Great Steak & Potato Company cheesesteaks. A little NPR on the way home, some “America’s Next Top Model” on the TV tonight, and I’d say this was a pretty good day.

Now I’m so tired I could fall asleep at the computer, but first! Here are some pictures of non-boring animals (click to embiggen):

A butterfly perches on a cosmos flower at the Grassmere farm.

Find the Bengal tigers! Here’s a hint: look way up at the top.

The giraffe in the foreground was very contentedly licking the tree. Fascinating to watch, really, since their tongues are freakishly long.

“Don’t be koi,” says my husband as we come upon this pond. He’s so hilarious.

Find the cougar! Hint: he/she is on the stone bridge.

Yup, that macaw is chewing on the other one. I just like their colors.

A rhinocerous iguana lounges with its Mini-Me.