Next time the spiders won't be so camera shy...

[elleflies]

I am exhausted. And it's a good thing.

Since we are ferrying the plane to Hawaii today and the entire point is to sleep on the plane, I've forced myself to crawl out of the warm inviting bed and am currently trying to keep myself from thinking about how inviting the bed actually is so my body doesn't go crawling back in again. That would be very, very bad.

Anyhow, in a desperate attempt to keep myself occupied and out of the (warm, inviting, comfortable) bed, I'm going to share my photos of the Fort Worth Zoo instead. I spent the day tooling around with my friend Ben who knows me too well and took me to see the Arachnitopia exhibit at the zoo, since I'm one of the few people who looks at a spider and says "aren't you such a cutie" instead of the whole requisite girly screaming, then again, I wouldn't have owned a tarantula for three years (and a giant millipede) if I didn't like creepy crawlies like I do.


Anyhow, the Popular Bear thinks I've rambled too much and that you should click on the link below to look at more animals. Don't worry, I didn't take any spider pictures (they're camera shy) Oh, btw, lots and lots of pics below the cut and they are in no discernible order. Just a warning.




A Caiman, related to crocodiles and alligators but less famous. Don't worry, he's too tired to eat you. (dude, I so sympathize. zzzzzzzz.)


He'd like me to remind you that his skin, while pretty, looks better on him then on your bag.


Almost every bird I came across was primping. They loved my camera and this Stork was no exception. I think it's a stork, I keep trying to find what it is (because checking the sign at the front of the exhibit is too hard) and I can't figure it out.


This little guy has sticky feet.


I used to catch painted turtles when I lived in North Carolina. Then we pulled one of these things out of the pond behind our house with a head as big as my dad's fist. I didn't try and catch nearly as many painted turtles after that (I like my toes where they are, thank you very much)


I shall hypnotize you. You are getting very, very sleepy.. Zzzzzzzzz...


My what big teeth you have...


The ladies are still not impressed...


Mmmmmm Rat. Yum. Ben kept telling me I was going to get bled on as I tried to get this shot. Btw, it's a Harpy Eagle and yikes, I'm hungry...


See, primping every time. They aren't quite ready for that close-up yet...


I am so in tune with this meerkat right now. Soon I'll be laying around, being lazy, soaking up the rays...


The shark is not invited on my Hawaiian vacation. Does 12 hours in Hawaii even constitute a vacation?


Here we go with the primping again. Yeesh! Not quite sure what kind of duck this is...


No set of zoo photos is complete without Elephants, so um yeah... Elephants.


The Gorilla is not impressed. Simple human.



The Popular Bear is not impressed either. He's also jonesing for some man flesh...

Same song and dance as last time. Want to look at more pretty animal pictures, my Flickr account is waiting...

*wanders off in an exhausted stupor* Must... get ready... for flight... zzzzzzz...

Comments

[thekatebeyond.livejournal.com]

OMG! How are you so amazingly good? Zoo pictures are not supposed to be this good. *is jealous*

I particularly love the turtle. Great shot. And your captions crack me up.

Have fun in Hawaii! I hope there will be pictures!

[elrina753.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I had so much fun taking them, I was buzzing from exhibit to exhibit trying to get *the* shot. I just kept thinking "I wish I had a telephoto lens" because as great as my lens is (and as broke as it has made me) it doesn't have the nearly the reach I wish it had sometimes. Although I too was surprised at how good the photos came out, 'cause most of the time zoo photos are all: oh hey look... bars. But to give credit where credit is due, the Forth Worth zoo has an amazing set up. I was quite impressed.

I was kinda deliriously tired when I wrote all that, it shows. And you know what, it makes me laugh too.

And holy crap do I have pictures. I have the sunburn too (I am currently imitating a lobster)

[thekatebeyond.livejournal.com]

Oooh, sorry about the sunburn. *sends virtual aloe* But I hope you earned it by having lots and lots of beachy fun. ;-)

[veracity]

You have big cats AND meerkats. I love how bored the girls are, like "Whatever, dude. We're already in the harem. No need to impress us."

I think I love you.

[elrina753.livejournal.com]

hee! Zoo's are the best and meerkats make everything better. The Lionesses came off as aloof and hard to impress, they so very epitomize the cool cat.

My refrain the entire time was that I wish I had a telephoto lens. My lens, for all the happiness (and brokeness) it brings me, doesn't quite have the reach to really get close up, unless of course the animal is close up to me *g*

[veracity]

We dun have meerkats here, but I know Animal Kingdom does. I love them. I love lionesses, like "Bitch, please. I rule the roost, not you. You're the figurehead, no substance."

I've been I need to learn how to use my camera better, but then, I realize that I still suck at taking pics. Well, my little digicam doesn't allow much, either. But it was only like 300 bucks.

[elrina753.livejournal.com]

Everyone should have meerkats, for they are made of awesome. And the lionesses know who is really in charge in that there zoo.

There's only so much you can do with a point and shoot camera, and you only get better at it with practice :) My camera is the kind that's hoped up on steroids and has every feature under the sun, but there's a reason it's the only thing I got for Christmas from my entire family

[veracity]

No one wants to piss off the lionesses. That's a fools journey.

True enough. I got it a couple Christmases ago. I don't mind it, and I have a 35mm I could use (a 10 year old Kodak), but I prefer my digital. It's a Coolpix 2200. It's a good basic camera. But the older I get, the more I want a bigger, better one.

national geographic

[ext-42778.livejournal.com (from livejournal.com)]

I think you should be a photographer for national geographic, these are certainly not innocent bystander zoo photos.

Re: national geographic

[elrina753.livejournal.com]

Why thank you! That means quite a bit :) I do like that phrase "Innocent bystander zoo photos" It really sums up the kinds of pictures that most people take in zoos (I've been calling them "Ohh, pretty bar" photos *g*