Wolf Center and Bambi II
Someone forgot to tell the weather that there's a JUNE between May and July. We went from upper 60's to mid-80s REALLY fast. Yesterday it almost hit 90 in the city even. For those of you who weren't playing in my LJ last summer to see my ramblings/whining: I have no A/C. I rely on open windows and a box fan - which I have yet to get out for the summer. I should do that today. *glares at the fish now occupying the fan's old spot, and the rearranging job coming up*
Anyways, yesterday was another Wolf Center day! I had to get up Too Damn Early - 5 am. At least there's no one on the roads at 6 am on a Saturday morning! Got there and hung around for a bit working on the jigsaw puzzle in the kitchen. There's one piece I've been trying to find for three weeks now, and it's starting to drive me nuts. :P Anyways, we were getting ready to shift the Alaskan pack into a subenclosure so we could spray weeds, so task 1 was to shift them over. Since they're not trained or socialized, it's mainly just us walking in there, spreading out in a big line and herding them towards the gates. Worked pretty well - we only missed Inuk on the first pass, which isn't surprising considering that he's the one that tends to be the most curious/comfortable around us. Anyways, we got him in pretty quick, then decided to do one of the Mexican enclosures as well. They're release candidates, so they're kept away from people as much as possible and so were VERY skittish and easy to shift. But they do tend to get riled up, so I was placed on jumping watch duty (like what I did last fall when we got the four Mexican girls). They were actually REALLY calm, though, so I got a few hours of sitting in the shade and the breeze with this view (it's a camera phone, it's crappy) of the edge of the Anza-Borrego desert. There are worse places to be at 8am on a Saturday morning than resting in the cool, shady grass and looking at that view! ;) I could have done without the foxtail, though. That shit HURTS.
After everyone was allowed back into their main enclosures, I checked/refilled water troughs, and found a Western Toad swimming a bucket in one of the Alaskan enclosures. He was NOT ready to leave, even as I sprayed the high-powered hose in there to fill the bucket. It was probably like his own little oasis on the edge of the desert, really! He was cute, though. Grabbed some food (I'd forgotten one of the volunteers brings feasts on Saturdays!) and helped out with the Saturday program. By that point it was almost 95 outside. Joy! But there were some Washingtonians in the bunch, so they were fun to talk to.
We headed out to the BBQ after that, which was fun! Some great food. I had a moderate headache (I assume from the dehydration/heat) so that was kind of a downer. But it was fun getting to chat with some of the people I don't see often and meet some of the new volunteers. We tried not to scare them with our teasing. ;) It was a gorgeous night, though. The person's house is right on the edge of the desert, too, with a GORGEOUS view. Once the porch was in the shade, it was wonderful to sit out in the cool breeze and talk and admire the view.
Also watched Bambi II this weekend, and it was surprisingly good. This one's sort of an inter-quel - it takes place just after Bambi is orphaned. The story is that Bambi is now under the care of his father, who isn't entirely happy with the situation. Bambi, of course, wants nothing more than to impress dad. IMHO, the plot was a bit cliched, but it was at least a well-executed cliche. The animation and art was gorgeous - very pretty, and I loved the sort of washed-out/foggy look that they used a lot. It really gave the sense of a misty forest morning. The characters were pretty on-model from the originals. Didn't care for the new voice of Bambi - I thought he sounded a bit TOO different than the original (the original voice was REALLY cute and high-pitched). Loved Patrick Stewart as the Great Prince, though! He struck the balance perfectly between regal ruler, and annoyed-yet-loving dad. Thumper's voice was pretty good, too, I thought. Story-wise, I liked that they brought in so many of the original characters and set up the rivalry between Bambi and Ronno. Overall, I thought it was pretty good - definitely one of the better DTV sequels to date. I'd reccommend it for Disney fans or anyone who just wants a cute movie. :)
Anyways, yesterday was another Wolf Center day! I had to get up Too Damn Early - 5 am. At least there's no one on the roads at 6 am on a Saturday morning! Got there and hung around for a bit working on the jigsaw puzzle in the kitchen. There's one piece I've been trying to find for three weeks now, and it's starting to drive me nuts. :P Anyways, we were getting ready to shift the Alaskan pack into a subenclosure so we could spray weeds, so task 1 was to shift them over. Since they're not trained or socialized, it's mainly just us walking in there, spreading out in a big line and herding them towards the gates. Worked pretty well - we only missed Inuk on the first pass, which isn't surprising considering that he's the one that tends to be the most curious/comfortable around us. Anyways, we got him in pretty quick, then decided to do one of the Mexican enclosures as well. They're release candidates, so they're kept away from people as much as possible and so were VERY skittish and easy to shift. But they do tend to get riled up, so I was placed on jumping watch duty (like what I did last fall when we got the four Mexican girls). They were actually REALLY calm, though, so I got a few hours of sitting in the shade and the breeze with this view (it's a camera phone, it's crappy) of the edge of the Anza-Borrego desert. There are worse places to be at 8am on a Saturday morning than resting in the cool, shady grass and looking at that view! ;) I could have done without the foxtail, though. That shit HURTS.
After everyone was allowed back into their main enclosures, I checked/refilled water troughs, and found a Western Toad swimming a bucket in one of the Alaskan enclosures. He was NOT ready to leave, even as I sprayed the high-powered hose in there to fill the bucket. It was probably like his own little oasis on the edge of the desert, really! He was cute, though. Grabbed some food (I'd forgotten one of the volunteers brings feasts on Saturdays!) and helped out with the Saturday program. By that point it was almost 95 outside. Joy! But there were some Washingtonians in the bunch, so they were fun to talk to.
We headed out to the BBQ after that, which was fun! Some great food. I had a moderate headache (I assume from the dehydration/heat) so that was kind of a downer. But it was fun getting to chat with some of the people I don't see often and meet some of the new volunteers. We tried not to scare them with our teasing. ;) It was a gorgeous night, though. The person's house is right on the edge of the desert, too, with a GORGEOUS view. Once the porch was in the shade, it was wonderful to sit out in the cool breeze and talk and admire the view.
Also watched Bambi II this weekend, and it was surprisingly good. This one's sort of an inter-quel - it takes place just after Bambi is orphaned. The story is that Bambi is now under the care of his father, who isn't entirely happy with the situation. Bambi, of course, wants nothing more than to impress dad. IMHO, the plot was a bit cliched, but it was at least a well-executed cliche. The animation and art was gorgeous - very pretty, and I loved the sort of washed-out/foggy look that they used a lot. It really gave the sense of a misty forest morning. The characters were pretty on-model from the originals. Didn't care for the new voice of Bambi - I thought he sounded a bit TOO different than the original (the original voice was REALLY cute and high-pitched). Loved Patrick Stewart as the Great Prince, though! He struck the balance perfectly between regal ruler, and annoyed-yet-loving dad. Thumper's voice was pretty good, too, I thought. Story-wise, I liked that they brought in so many of the original characters and set up the rivalry between Bambi and Ronno. Overall, I thought it was pretty good - definitely one of the better DTV sequels to date. I'd reccommend it for Disney fans or anyone who just wants a cute movie. :)