Wednesday April 1 & Thursday April 2

Wednesday

Happy April Fools Day!!!!

There was a big frost overnight and it was foggy early. By the time we left for Toledo the fog had cleared and it was turning into a gorgeous day.

There was quite a crowd at the Zoo and for some of the areas we had to queue rather a while. The animals we saw were cool although some species were not out and about. The penguins and flamingo were not in the water as it was too cold while some exhibits were closed also due to the cold. 

While I totally understand this I feel that they should not be charging the full rate in the "off" season or they could offer free parking ($7). 

It would also be really helpful if they had a handout on entry that explained what was closed/not out and about as well as the times of any events being run. 

As we were waiting to enter the new Aquarium, a bird show was announced to start five minutes hence. If I had known, I would like to have gone to that.

The otters were very playful and active while the polar bears were completely the opposite. The wolves were also resting and are magnificent. 

There is a small aviary where two bald eagles that have injuries are housed. Many injured birds are handed in to the Zoo and are released if they recover sufficiently. 

The Giraffe had a small outside area open from their inside quarters and all four were outside enjoying the sunshine. However, they did not have anything to nibble on and their inside quarters are not very large. 

The penguins were cute but restricted to a very small area and did not look very happy. Two cheetahs were lounging in the afternoon sun.

We also visited the Parakeet, or Budgerigar, house where they fly free. There were so many different shades of blue and green but also, unusually, a few grey budgies who lack a certain pigmentation.

The highlights were the Great Ape exhibit and the monkeys. They are such natural comedians and they do love to show off in front of people. 

One of the monkeys had a baby and the funniest part was when she removed it from is position on her tummy with its arms and legs holding onto her and "hung" it up on the wire fence, all in the blink of an eye!!

The new Aquarium has a nice decor and many different exhibits but I think the hype outweighs the actuality. There was no real point of difference from other aquariums and there were no really large fish exhibits.

There is a station where they educate people about some fish and there is also a huge pool where people can stroke the small rays. Two fingers are used along the back of the fish, they have a very velvety feel. 

There were also some juvenile Horseshoe Crabs although ancestors of the species date back 450 million years or so. They, of course, had shells on their backs and these were very hard.

To be quite honest I cannot understand why Toledo is, apparently, the number one Zoo in the USA. I have visited San Francisco, Washington (free entry) and Seattle Zoos and found them all superior to Toledo. I must say I prefer the safari-type parks where the animals have large areas to explore and people drive through in their cars. Also, having been to South Africa and seen animals in their natural environment in huge reserves, anything else tends to pale by comparison.

Thursday

I was woken up early today by my bed shaking. A few seconds later there was a clap of thunder. The shaking was Bruno who as on my bed and hates storms, he literally shakes with fear, poor dog, and I could not get him off the bed! The storm went on for quite a while and finally it and the bed shaking ceased, lol! I went back to sleep and the next time I woke up there was a smaller warm body curled up beside me, Guido!

This morning I made the cheesecake with the almond flour base and a strawberry topping, using fresh strawberries. This is to take down to Cincinnati where we visit Deena and Mike for a couple of days to celebrate Easter. It looks OK even though it is a challenge cooking in a strange kitchen, lol, at least Lisa let me loose in her kitchen!