vituperation

September 5, 2003

Don’t tell anyone, but:

I’d give you a link, but when I did that Friday it went from #6,000 to like #58,000. I’m wondering if they base the rankings not only on sales but on people who look but don’t buy. I mean, it bounced back and went on up even higher, but still. I’m anal, remember?

While perusing the Huntsville calendar of events on the Huntsville web site yesterday, I came across something interesting:

"Drive-through observation & feeding of free ranging rare & endangered animals. Your self-guided tour also includes reptiles & amphibians from around the world, as well as various species of fowl."

How could I resist something like that?

Since I wanted to surprise Robyn and the spud, I didn’t tell them where we were going, just that I thought it would either be really cool or really lame. On the drive there, I had visions of lions, tigers (and bears, oh my!), and other wild creatures roaming free in an Alabama field, perhaps chasing down deer and consuming them for the pleasure of those of us who were witness to the event.

It wasn’t quite like that.

It was, however, pretty cool, and we got plenty of pictures. Should you be in the area, we went to the Harmony Park Animal Preserve.

Can you imagine the omelette you could get from an ostrich / emu egg?

The deer can actually jump the fence to come to the car,
but they don’t get too close.

This guy snuck up on my side for some corn while Robyn
and the spud were looking at the deer.

Bambi!

..and his buddies.

And the zebra and emu shall live together in perfect harmony.
Hey, maybe that’s why they called it Harmony Park!

This sure does remind me of a Far Side cartoon, even
though this is a running emu.

I share a moment with a blue-eyed pony.

My wife was obsessed by the Zebra’s weiner.
Possibly because it was so small next to mine.

Ostriches are just plain cool.

And this guy reminds me of a Mountain Dew commercial.

A piggie! Or a boar. Or something like that.
I like his attitude.

The beasts of burden.

I bond with an ostrich.

Quack!

The tortoise was the last guy we saw as we left.