Saturday, April 02, 2005

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh, My! Day 16

The Reid Park Zoo is this really neat zoo in the middle of Tucson with a pond with ducks in the park area. There are all kinds of animals there, including lions, tigers, and bears. You can see all the lovely and exotic birds.

They let you go on photo safaris while you learn about all the animals.

They even have a special place on their website just for kids.I think the most unique animal is the Southern White Rhinoceros.


They also let you adopt animals. Here are some of the choices:

Kookaburra Mandrill Baboon Aldabra Tortoise Grevy's Zebra Oriental Small-Clawed Otter Chilean Flamingo

Lion-Tailed Macaque South American Caiman Llama White-Handed Gibbon Reticulated Giraffe Giant Anteater

I like this zoo very much!

Friday, April 01, 2005

Who's an April Fool? Day 15

We were going to think of some fun April Fool's jokes to play today, but somehow as the day progressed we got too caught up in doing other things.

I decided instead, I would show you another picture of our lovable fool, Rocky:

It's too bad he is such a temperamental brat who likes to ruin all Cheryl's stuff, because he sure is cute and she sure does like him otherwise.

Click on his picture to see him enlarged. Then if you get a little magnifying glass, click again and you can really get a big picture of him.

Thursday, March 31, 2005

What a Buck Buys: Day 14

Today I got to go on an adventure in shopping. It is called 'Dollaring'.

Everything is $.99 at Cheryl's favorite pastime. 'Dollaring' is going to a variety of stores around Tucson where everything in the store is one dollar or less. The challenge is to get nice and useful things, and not just junk. I was amazed at how many 'dollar' stores there are in Tucson. There are likely at least 100. Tucson has big malls, but almost every block is also a strip mall.

Tucson is also very spread out. The people who live up in the mountains get to have a great view of the entire city and stars. Closer to town it is more congested.

Cheryl lives inside the city limits, but on the edge enough to have nice views.

Dollaring is an adventure because you end up traveling quite a distance to get to all the stores. I couldn't figure out what I wanted so I bought some powder to absorb Rocky's urine that he seems to want to share with everyone...everywhere. :)

This is the store closest to us that has some good stuff to get. Cheryl let me ride in the cart and the staff liked me so much, they wanted to offer me a job!

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Biosphere: An Experiment in Ecosystems...Day 13

Today I learned about a place called 'Biosphere' just north of where I was staying. Here is some information we found on the web which will tell you all about it:

"Built in the late 1980s with $150 million in funding from Texas oil magnate Edward Bass, Biosphere 2 was designed as an airtight replica of Earth's environment (Biosphere 1). This 7,200,000-cubic-foot sealed glass and space-frame structure contains 5 biomes, including a 900,000-gallon ocean, a rain forest, a desert, agricultural areas and a human habitat.

Some of the early designers and managers were interested in space travel and the possibility of colonizing the Moon or Mars. By building Biosphere 2 and sealing people inside, they hoped to learn what problems would arise from living in a closed system. So it was that in 1991, a colony of 8 people set about to live inside Biosphere 2 for two years.

The people who were selected to be Biospherians and live inside Biosphere 2 during the two closure periods with humans came from 7 different countries. All spent several years in training to become more proficient in their own fields as well as gaining expertise in the skills of the others.

The first crew of Biospherians (4 women and 4 men) entered Biosphere 2 on September 26, 1991. The crew members remained inside for two years despite various problems, including limited agricultural productivity, and emerged on September 26, 1993. After a 6-month transition period, a second crew of 7 biospherians (5 men and 2 women) entered Biosphere 2. Unfortunately, after a number of physical and social problems developed, the project soon suffered scientific disdain and public ridicule before these experiments were suspended in 1994. Since then, there have been no resident crews living inside Biosphere 2, and no future human habitation is planned..."

Click here for more info.

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

'Til Tuesday: Day 12

Today we did lots of cooking different types of food. It was fun to mix salsa and spices with chicken.

During the early evening, we watched the sunset. It was so bright orange and beautiful. This is from the living room balcony:

Can you see me? You might have to click to see an enlarged image.

Monday, March 28, 2005

Mondays, Mondays. Just another day...11.

Today we woke up to a beautiful sunrise. I didn't think the sunrises could be as gorgeous as the sunsets, but they were. I helped Cheryl work today. We worked on some websites and articles, and I got to read and respond to email.

Tucson has a really cool museum of live animals. It is called the Desert Museum. Animals get to live in their natural habitats. Here is a picture of a mountain Lion and a lady taking his picture:

They also have a gem and mineral museum:

This cavern is really neat. Look at these formations coming down from the ceiling. Do you know what they are called?

They have a kids section too. If you check this site, you can read more fun facts.

Sunday, March 27, 2005

Origins of Easter: Day 10

In honor of the Christian holiday of Easter, we found this interesting article on:

Origins of Easter
Brief history of the spring holiday
by David Johnson

Christians celebrate Easter to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some trappings of modern Easter celebrations, however, pre-date Christianity and have ancient pagan roots.

Ancient Fertility Goddess

Easter takes its name from Ishtar, the Babylonian and Assyrian goddess of love and fertility. The Phoenicians knew her as Astarte, sister and consort of Baal, a God worshipped in much of the Middle East and Mediterranean. Some of the ancient Hebrews also worshipped Baal.

Astarte spread through Europe, becoming Ostara, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, fertility, and the rising sun. The Old English word for Easter, "Eastre" refers to Ostara.

Around the second century A.D., Christian missionaries seeking to convert the tribes of northern Europe realized that the time of the crucifixion of Jesus roughly coincided with the Teutonic springtime celebrations, which emphasized the triumph of life over death. Christian Easter gradually absorbed the traditional symbols.

Eggs and Rabbits Have Long Legacies

The egg and the rabbit, two of Easter's most common symbols, also have ancient associations with spring.

Eggs symbolize birth and fertility in many cultures. Ancient Egyptians and the Persians colored eggs to give as gifts during their spring festival.

The legends of ancient Egypt connect the hare, which comes out at night to feed, with the moon. Rabbits have remained fertility symbols in other, later cultures.


According to Anglo-Saxon myth Ostara, wanting to delight some children one day, turned her pet bird into a rabbit. The rabbit proceeded to lay brightly colored eggs, which Ostara gave to the children.

Easter Egg Hunts

In ancient Europe, eggs of different colors were taken from the nests of various birds and used to make talismans. The eggs were often ritually eaten. The search through the woods for eggs gradually evolved into the Easter egg hunt, while painted eggs eventually replaced wild birds' eggs. Easter baskets were probably originally intended to resemble birds' nests.

Forbidden Eggs

In Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent. Therefore they were a prized Easter gift for children and servants.

Eggs were painted bright colors to resemble the sun and springtime. Often, the colors and patterns had romantic symbolism, and lovers exchanged eggs as they send Valentine's Day cards today.

Different Traditions

Orthodox Christians in the Middle East and in Greece, painted eggs bright red to resemble the blood of Christ. Hollow eggs (created by piercing the shell with a needle and blowing out the contents) were decorated with pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other religious figures in Armenia.

Germans gave green eggs as gifts on Holy Thursday. They also hung hollow eggs on trees. Austrians placed tiny plants around the egg and then boiled them. When the plants were removed, white patterns were created.

Artistic Creations

The most elaborate Easter egg traditions appear to have emerged in Eastern Europe. In Poland and Ukraine, eggs were often painted silver and gold. Pysanky (to design or write) eggs were created by carefully applying wax in patterns to an egg. The egg was then dyed, wax would be reapplied in spots to preserve that color, and the egg was boiled again in other shades. The result was a multi-color stripped or patterned egg.

Cards and Chocolate

Easter cards arrived in Victorian England, when a stationer added a greeting to a drawing of a rabbit. The cards proved popular.

The Germans probably began making chocolate bunnies and eggs. Immigrants took the custom to Pennsylvania. As Easter celebrations became more common after the Civil War, the custom of chocolate eggs took hold.

Easter Parades

After their baptisms, early Christians wore white robes all through Easter week to indicate their new lives. Those had already been baptized wore new clothes instead to symbolize their sharing a new life with Christ.

In Medieval Europe, churchgoers would take a walk after Easter Mass, led by a crucifix of the Easter candle. Today these walks endure as Easter Parades. People show off their spring finery, including lovely bonnets decorated for spring."

We are going to spend our Easter relaxing and enjoying the beautiful day. We might even take a trip to LaSalsa for some veggie tacos!