#Wildlife Safai

[apsychicandapoet]

Boos & Brews Night (Wildlife Safari)

Saturday night Terry and I ventured to the annual Boos and Brews night at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon. It turned out to be a pricey evening, but we did have fun as we always do when together. The Wildlife Safari staff typically decorate with lights around the village, and put up the appropriate decorations around the viewing pens of those animals inside the village and not on the drive thru. They had created a nice ambiance for the Halloween holiday arriving soon. 

As you walk in, there are smaller creatures in a pen set off in the back portion of the village. The animals in this area are especially for children to see, pet, and enjoy. The enclosure next to the petting zoo houses owls, snakes, tamarins, and different species of birds. Tonight everything along the path was lit in an array of rainbow colors, each covering the trunk of a tree or framing a skeleton in a tree or sitting on a bench. 

I petted a small donkey, a miniature horse and a goat or two, then we moved on toward the middle section to capture pictures of Halloween decor. Cobwebs, witches hats, candles, and black cats were hung from trees and pressed into the dark recesses of a tree trunk. The lights added an ambiance of the upcoming holiday. 

The dance floor under the dome on the opposite of the village was filled with lights, loud music, and people who appear to be having the most fun. As we walked closer, I could tell why they looked happier. There were four tables with different types of beer and wine for sale. A large dance floor was at the ready. Terry and I perused the beer tables. He chose his favorite and asked for one. 

We headed out in search of other events happening around the park. Turning on my flashlight app on my phone was a must! The path was dark which added to the eerie feeling. Off in the distance, you could hear the roars and growls of the lions in their fenced area. The sound of the snarling and roaring of the amazingly large kitties made your skin crawl. It was quite frightening to hear them so close, yet you knew they were behind fences. Or at least you hoped. 

Terry and I ventured off to the cougar enclosure, where we saw a group of folks watching something inside the pen. One of the employees had a large flashlight and was shining it into the setting. The beautiful cat came into view. It was tough snapping the right shot of the cougar, since it was so dark in this corner of the park, even with the light provided by the staff. Terry and I were making attempts at getting a good shot, but to no avail. Finally Terry yelled, "Walk toward the light," which threw me into a fit of laughter. 

Now kitties do what they want to do. This pertains to the larger cat family as well. Staff members said the cougar's name was Rogue. He got the name because of the area in which he was found. Roaming around the Rogue River area, he was brought to the safari to be cared for and protected. Rogue was throwing something up in the air, tossing it, turning it over and over in the grass, then placing it in his paws, rolling on his back and kicking it as he brought his hind feet up to meet his front paws. The staff member moved the flashlight over a bit and it dawned on me the "thing" he was throwing around was a rabbit.

We watched the cat play around with his rabbit for a while, making feeble attempts to snag that one picture or video that would allow us to place it on the blog. Terry finally achieved as good of a video as we could get, using what little light was available and his Samsung Galaxy 22 camera.  

All in all, I would say the trip to the Wildlife Safari Boos and Brews went pretty well. The music was great. The DJ was playing popular sounds such as, "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," and "Uptown Funk," and we can't forget the classic, "Thriller". The group of folks there at the time were smaller in number to keep it simple, fun, and less crowded. All in all, visitors were being quite friendly and pleasant to each other. Another good adventure, great memory, and my favorite way to spend time, another great time was had with Terry as company. 

[calamitysshatteredson]

Safay and Lux finally have a life somewhere usually warm and always calm. There is no war, and the coming winter seems like a kiss from a snowflake and not the Glacian herself. Suddenly, Safay realizes they're dead and this is their paradise.

Part of the angst call

Everything really had been beyond his hopes, well past anything he could have imagined.  It was a happiness and a peace of mind that he hadn’t even thought possible, let alone that he would have been allowed to indulge in.

Allowed.  A strange and distant idea.  Though he supposed Lux had allowed him, had broken him out of a crumbling future…

Safay had already promised himself not to spend too much time contemplating that.  It was over and done and not worth lingering on.

In the warm weather, it felt as though Lux was always taking his hand or pulling at his sleeve to show him wonders.  Thick forests, meadows overrun with wildlife, waterfalls; some places he’s seen from the air but never had a proper chance to explore.  Flowers and warmth and greenery, and sometimes simply laying beneath the stars.  Simple pleasures.

The winters weren’t… what he’d been used to.  No longer things to dread, the snow wasn’t something that needed preparation, and merely walking outside at certain points in the year no longer required specific gear just to make it a few feet without frostbite.  Sometimes, when spring was just around the corner, he could actually stand out on the porch and just… take in the beauty of fresh snow.  He’d never known it to be beautiful before.  The concept of “snow angels” had taken a bit longer to accept, however.

He’d asked Lux sometimes, if the man had any idea the extent of his gratitude.  The blond would smile back and never respond in words.

Everything around him, everything, was… ideal.  Almost as if his life had never mattered.

He ignored the pit that opened up in hi stomach at that thought.  Ignored the thought altogether, turning to Lux again to suggest going right back to bed–

But there was a frown.  The first he’d seen in such a long–

Since–

Safay blinked.

He was at peace.  He felt no pain.  No worry.  No stress.

There were no responsibilities, no fear.

It was good.  It was good.  And he told that pit in his stomach to go away, to leave him be, but–

There was blood.  There’d been blood.

It’d been his.

“Lux.”  The word was a whisper.  He didn’t… want to leave.  He suspected he couldn’t have, anyway.  But he needed to know.  He needed to know.

“The–”  He swallowed, feeling a chill that wasn’t there.  A chill he’d felt in life.  “What about the war?  Did…  What happened?”

[letviewtanzania]

When it comes to #wildlife #safai, Tanzania has it all!. See More - letviewtanzania.com

[letviewtanzania]

When it comes to #wildlife #safai, Tanzania has it all!. See More - letviewtanzania.com