SNAPSHOTS: The Cincinnati Zoo

After our first visit in July, the Cincinnati Zoo fast became my favorite. It's wonderfully laid out, the exhibits are huge and they do a great deal of work behind the scenes at helping reintroducing species back into the wild - to the point it's often considered the sexist zoo for all the breeding programs that help repopulate wild populations. So when we had a long weekend just after my birthday, I couldn't really turn down a road trip back there. 

It's always great returning to the zoo after a couple of months (one of the reasons why I love my Detroit Zoo membership) those lion clubs were getting so much larger and daddy Lion was back in the exhibit, Tofu the baby Red Panda was out and about, those baby Flamingo's were just as big as their parents. Plus we managed to catch a glimpse of those animals we missed the first time around - like the crazy cute Sloth to those calling the Gibbon island home. Plus the zoo is home to my favorite penguins - those baby blue ones and with the cooler weather overhead they were being adorably active - splashing, swimming around in their pool. 

LIFE: Small Things

Once October rolls around I feel like one of the few people that doesn't go for the whole pumpkin thing, so forgive me while nothing pumpkiny fills up today's small things post. While everyone might be stocking up and drinking gallons of the pumpkin spice whatevers, I've been feeling more at home with my huge box of Yorkshire tea that landed on my doorstep (along with packets of instant custard and angels delight) in a birthday care package from the homeland for my birthday. Now that's more my kinda thing!

Otherwise other happy things include;

• Joe brought me a brand spanking new laptop for my birthday. Yey I finally have a working laptop that actually came with Windows 10 so I didn't get to kill another laptop in the upgrading process.
• Said laptop coming with the kindle app and a local library that offers downloadable books for free to borrow - I'm far too excited. 
• Dear Ms Leigh is the expat blog of the month over on Expat Blog - for which I rambled on about myself. 
• Stitched a Halloween Kitty although I forgot to take a photograph of it completed before passing it to my friend ... oops 
• That birthday of mine.
• I finally got around to ordering my spring bulbs. Over 200 of them. Far too excited for them to arrive - lots of daffodils, iris's, glads, crocuses to name but a couple.
• Doing lots of reading - Night Circus, Friends with Boys and Ocean At The End of the Lane being particular highlights of the last two week.
• Binge watching How To Get Away With Murder - love that show and season two is looking to be just as good.
• Lots of tasty new food places and cocktails drinked. 
• Hungry Howie's chocolate brownies with raspberry topping mmmm
• Taking a birthday road trip to Cincinnati - enjoyed the night in a hotel and got to visit the zoo again (couple of blog posts upcoming ... eventually) but think baby red panda and blue penguins! 
• Oh and feeding a giraffe - much fun! 
• Seeing some of the Ohio countryside/farmland while trusting google maps diversion around accidents and roadworks. 
• Starting a Scandinavian advent calendar cross stitch kit - a birthday gift my parents picked u[p in Norway which is far too cute and I'm loving every stitch. Fingers crossed I get it finished in time for December 1st. 

So tell me, what's been rocking your world lately?!

OHIO: The Cincinnati Zoo

The Cincinnati Zoo fast became one of my favorite zoo's, and I've been to a far few over the years. Not only because of those penguins. But there's great natural exhibits, encounters, great landscaping and it's huge. And it's not just a zoo, it's also a botanical garden and, as a result, offers a beautiful blend of gardens and flowers as you wander around between the exhibits. Plus gives the animals that all important privacy if they want to keep away from the crowds.

From rain gardens, a green (low input plants) garden and a conifer garden to name but three, the flower borders are also filled with plants butterflies and pollinators love are bright and bold. My favorite, the Pollinator Garden is found on the main loop by you guessed it, the insect building. Borders are crammed full of nectar rich, long flowering plants and shrubs perfect for butterflies, bees to birds. If you're anything like me, a wannabe butterfly garden gardener, you'll leave with so many ideas and plant names.It's all certainly a great approach to landscaping and wildlife and I wish more places would follow suit.

The Cinci Zoo is rather historic too - opening in 1875 it remains America's second oldest zoo. While located in the heart of Cincinnati's Avondale district you'd be forgiven thinking you were miles away from the hustle and bustle of city life with how peaceful and green the zoo is.

It's home to over 1,800 animals over 500+ species. From the huge Elephant reserve, the new African exhibit (more on this to come) special night creature exhibits to gorillas and manatees, there is so much to see. We even managed to spot some baby flamingos which I have to admit, after the penguins came close to being a favorite. There's also a great mix of inside and outside exhibits, so if you're visiting on one of those hot summer days like we were, there's plenty of ways to cool off. 

While it might be a three and a half hour drive from Detroit, I think we'll certainly be popping back for another day trip, it's well worth a visit. 

View Larger Map  |  Get Directions  |  View Bird's Eye
 Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens
3400 Vine St, Cincinnati, Ohio

OHIO: Penguins at the Cincinnati Zoo

With penguins being my favorite creature, I thought i'd start my posts about my visit to the Cincinnati Zoo with a post entirely dedicated to them. You'd think having a Penguinurium at the Detroit Zoo i'd have my fill of penguins, but with visiting the Cinci Zoo and the chance to see some different species you can never see too many. Any chance to see some penguins I haven't seem before, yeah i'm all over that. 

There are two chances to capture a glimpse of these birdie creatures at the Cincinnati Zoo. Inside the Wings of the World indoor exhibit you'll spy the gorgeous huge King Penguins as they splash around in their pool - it was actually great to see such a deep pool too. There is something very majestic about King Penguins swimming. But over in the Children's Zoo you'll find African Penguins and Little Penguins (also known as Fairy/Little Blue). 

Little Blue's - a name owing to their blue tinted plumage is the smallest of all penguins happen to live in a warmer climate than most penguins calling southern Australia and New Zealand home. And they are adorably cute as they sunbathed in the warm Ohio heat. 

The Children's Zoo is also where you'll come across the African Penguin and a certain character that wandered around the fence as if on patrol. This charmer of a penguin loved to follow you back and forth along the fence, it was rather funny to watch. I think he was making it his mission to safeguard the penguin flock.

Aren't they just the cutest?!

LIFE: 30 Days Wild #3

So here rolls out the final part of the #30DaysWild challenge. This last part actually sees me getting out of the burbs and travelling through the countryside between some of America's big cities which made a nice change. It's always a welcome sight seeing cows and horses when you haven't seen them for months on end. The countryside smell, not so much - I'm a proper townie these days can't you tell?!

Day 21 // stuck inside a hospital for hours on end made me welcome the sight of a fluffy cloud afterwards

Day 22 // poppy appeared in my wild patch

Day 23 // my little Eastern Tiger Swallowtail has been in and out of my garden for the last month or so, always too fluttery for a picture but this time she settled long enough for a quick snap!

Day 24 // Wednesday saw us driving to Kings Island, and in the rather warm midday Ohio heat, the shade from the old trees was much appreciated between rides.

Day 25 // lusting over this vertical garden at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens.

Day 26 // Taking Interstate 71 across Ohio to Pennsylvania we had a quick stop at a rest stop right in the middle of the countryside. Hay bails and all.

Day 27 // Totally missed this day - crazed dog and a kids party to blame.

Day 28 // Pretty blue skies, fluffy clouds and green fields along the Ohio Turnpike.

Day 29 // First sweet peas of the year picked, fresh from the garden.

Day 30 // morning working in the veg patch and picking some fruit & veg fresh from the garden

Missing only one day on my first of such photograph challenge I think was pretty good. #30DaysWild has certainly made me more aware of what nature is around me, that you don't necessarily have to be out in the wild per say to enjoy it.  Which in turn has made me even more grateful for my garden and having a park (even if it's more of a playground) close by. And even if you're just travelling through the countryside, it's nice to see and appreciate it. It's encouraged me to get learning more about the wild flowers, the birds, the butterflies that pass by, being able to put names to things is always an advantage in my book.

If you missed the first two parts to #30DaysWild you can find them here and here.