Gratitude & Pictures...

And we are beginning August 2025. We are more than half way through another year. It is really true, time goes must more quickly the older one gets. 

I keep a Gratitude Journal. This blog entry will be what I am grateful for each day with a few pictures mixed in.

Friday, August 1st, I had a very bad nights sleep Thursday night. I found myself very grateful at the end of the day on Friday when I was able to look back and see I had still accomplished things, even when not feeling great all day. That, to me, is the enable power of Christ's Atonement at work in my life. So grateful for that blessing.

Grateful Claude was able to begin Physical Therapy on his ankle. It will be work, but he will have a stronger ankle when finished.

Grateful Claude has a nice, helpful audiologist. When Claude awoke from his nap, he couldn't find the rubbery part of his hearing aid that goes in his ear. He looked all over. I asked him if he felt it in his ear. He did not. He quickly went to the audiologist office and explained his situation. This good doctor paused in his appointments and looked in Claude's ear. That rubber piece was stuck down in Claude's ear!! He told Claude he would try to get it out, however, if he couldn't, Claude would need to go to the emergency room. We were greatly blessed that the audiologist could get the rubber piece out of his ear. No ER visit. Hallelujah!!

I found this picture of the Roper family in Grand Rapids. This is the location of the building of the LDS Temple in Grand Rapids. They are so looking forward to the opportunity to attend this temple. That is an answer to prayer and a huge blessing. 

Saturday, August 2nd, I am grateful for Jake calling to talk and sing Happy Birthday to me. Oh how we love this son. It is uplifting to listen to him plan his life, enjoy his life, enjoy his cat, and be at peace. Very grateful I am his Mom.

Sunday, August 3rd, I am grateful my parents sacrificed so I could take piano lessons. I was able to substitute in Primary. Love doing this and grateful I can still play and help in some small way. I love hearing the little ones sing. 

I am grateful for finishing the PowerPoint about our Italy trip in February/March of 2024. It took Claude a long time to write about our experience. Now I finished putting my pictures with it and we have a digital scrapbook of Italy. Yeah!!

Monday, August 4th, was my annual mammogram. No issues were found. I am so grateful for that. 

I am grateful Claude was able to figure out how to put our house numbers on our garage. We purchased these in 2024 when we were on our Italy tour. We drove up and down the Amalfi Coast. We went into a ceramic shop and we purchased these numbers with lemons on them. The Amalfi Coast has giant lemons the size of a softball. You eat them rind and all. Claude and I picked this spot on our home for the numbers and he put them up. They look wonderful. Now we can think of the joy of being in Italy when we return home to our garage. 

Tuesday, August 5th, I am grateful, once again, for the enabling power of the Atonement. I weeded our front flower beds. It is very hot here. I have a hard time getting up and down. I am grateful for a wooden stool that I take outside to sit on and it helps me to sit on as I weed. 

Wednesday, August 6th, I am grateful for help again in getting the sedge grass out of the front side yard and the back flower beds weeded. It took two sessions in the heat with a nice break in between, but I did it, once again. 

I am grateful to finish ready Betty Zane by Zane Grey. I started this in conjunction with our trip to Zanesville, Ohio. Betty Zane is a real person and was Zane Grey's great grandmother. She kept journals and he used them to write this book about this period of her life. This family started the settle in Wheeling, West Virginia with Ebenezer Zane. Betty was his little sister. Their brother Isaac, we taking captive by the Wyandot tribe for 10 years. He fell in love with the Indian princess who actually had a white mother and a native American father. Zanesville is named after him. So much history and very interesting. Good read.

Thursday, August 7th, I am grateful, most times, for Facebook. I came across a weatherman who posted this about things happening in the sky during the month of August. I saved it and was able to share it with our son, Jake, who loves these types of things, and with my BFF, Laura, who also shared it with her daughters. I appreciate finding the cute and fun things on Facebook and also the things of interest and learning. 

This was another Facebook find that I was able to share on our family Facebook page. This is an absolute truth that anyone my age really lived. There were to red liquids that a mother kept in her medicine cabinet when we were kids. One was mercurochrome, which for some unknown reason, we called 'monkey blood'. It did not sting.

The other was methylate and it did sting. We always wanted this as a second choice. Many a child with a skinned knee or elbow, had a red coating on it of one of these two medicines. Ahhhh, the good old days.

Friday, August 8th, I am grateful for funny experiences. My intent this day was to clean my bathroom tub/shower. With that in mind, I only wore a large t-shirt. When I finished with cleaning this bathroom, I wanted a soda. I stopped in the kitchen and picked up the items on the counter that needed to go in the garbage can by the garage door. Claude had been cutting the grass and was inside cooling off before his next round of work. When I got in the garage, I heard a rummaging around. I thought maybe an animal had come in because Claude leaves his side of the garage open while he cuts and edges the grass. I still had on no pants, just my big old t-shirt. Then I heard a man's voice. I paused to consider on taking a risk and getting to the garbage can without being seen or going back and putting on pants. I opted for quickly getting rid of the garbage. All this time, I am wondering what man is outside our garage. I quickly got a soda from the little fridge and hurried in without being seen. I went to the study window and saw a delivery truck at the end of our driveway and the driver was getting back inside. I slowly opened the front door a bit and, sure enough, there was a package by the front door. I went back inside and asked Claude to retrieve the package and I still was only wearing my big t-shirt. So silly. I was chuckling all the way. 

I opened this box addressed to me and found a wonderful gift from our Nissa for my birthday. She had tried to get me my favorite cookies from the Amish market near their home. But they were always sold out of these delicious cookies when she and Todd drove by on their way home from work. Todd was finally able to get that last bag on the shelf one day. 

I am very grateful for a silly experience that allowed me to know that a driver left a package by our front door. I am extremely grateful for a precious daughter and her hubby who didn't give up and got me my favorite cookie for my birthday! Twice blessed!

Saturday, August 9th, Claude and I drove to LaGrange to give Bailey her treasures I crocheted and to give Michael his birthday card. Andie provided us with a great Tuscan Chicken lunch with a nice salad and ice cream for dessert. 

I am grateful my arm healed enough and I can work with my right hand enough to crochet again. Bailey loved her afghan crocheted in her school colors. She was also happy with the scarf I crocheted with the extra yarn. Thursday, her parents will take her to school and get her set up in her first dorm room. Big moment in her life. I am grateful she diligently studied and chose her college.

Sunday, August 10th, I am grateful for my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am grateful we are each given a calling, an area where we can serve and contribute a little bit to the ward family. My calling right now is Relief Society secretary. This calling fits in my wheelhouse of abilities very well. Today was the Sunday to take roll and it also was my turn to conduct Relief Society. I love walking the covenant path with my Savior and Heavenly Father. I know they are aware of me as an individual. 

I am grateful for a good week. Good things accomplished. So much in my life to be grateful for!

75th Birthday Trip to Zanesville, Ohio...

It is not everyday a girl completes her 75th trip around the sun. It was time for that to happen to me! Hard to believe it when that milestone arrives. Claude suggested we celebrate by getting away for a few days. He saw a video on Facebook of a man who went to Zanesville, Ohio and the things he found to do in that city. Claude shared the video with me and it struck a cord. We have driven through Zanesville on I-70 but never stopped there. It is only 3 1/2 hours from our home. It would make a good getaway for us. 

I did my research and found things for us to do. I purchased for two things for us to do. I made reservations for a third that cost nothing but you needed to secure your spot. I found four restaurants for four evening meals at non-chain restaurants. I made the reservations at the hotel and asked for a room facing the river. We were ready to start another adventure.

I also want to preface this by saying that Zanesville is named after Zane Grey, an author that was one of my father's two favorite fiction writers from his childhood. I remember distinctly when a child, my mother taking us to a local branch of the public library in the summer to get books to read. Each time we went, I found the section with Zane Grey in it and picked a book out for Papa. 

It really didn't matter which one it was. He loved them all. I decided I should get a Zane Grey book to ready on our trip. I downloaded a set of several Zane Grey books to my Kindle. I picked the book Betty Zane. It is inspired by the life and adventures of his own great-great grandmother, Betty Zane and was Zane Grey's first novel and launched his career as a master writer of rousing frontier and Western adventures. It is taken from her diaries. That seemed like a great place to start. I have read several chapters but have not finished it yet. It is an engaging book. 

The preface to the book helped me understand how Ebenezer Zane fit into the story. He was an American pioneer, soldier, politician, road builder and land speculator. Born in the Colony of Virginia (possibly near what became Moorefield, West Virginia), Zane established a settlement near Fort Henry which became Wheeling (also in present-day West Virginia), on the Ohio River. He also blazed an early road through the Ohio Country to Limestone (now Maysville, Kentucky) known as Zane's Trace. A relative, Issac Zane, was captured and lived with the Wyandot for more than a decade. He married a native American girl. Zanesville is named after him. So much history!!

Sunday, July 27th, we left early enough to give us drive time and to spare to be in Zanesville at 12:30pm for our ride on the Lorena Sternwheeler. This was an hour long ridge on the Muskingum River. An Ohio DNR agent would talk to us the entire cruise explaining all about catfish. That's right, catfish. I grew up in Louisiana and was very familiar with catfish. I thought there was only the one kind. WRONG! There are lots and lots of kinds of catfish ranging in size small enough for a pan fry and large enough to swallow a man. Yike!! It was very interesting. Lots of pictures passed around to help us see the different types. The Muskingum River is an excellent fishing place for catfish. They love the darker water. Did you know some catfish have 'indeterminate growth'. This means they never stop growing!! This was a delightful ride. Lasted about a hour. We marveled at the size of the steering wheel on the Lorena. 

Check-in time at the hotel wasn't until 3pm and we had a bit of time to use. I had several miscellaneous sites to see and we decided to check those off our list of possibilities.

First, we tried to find Vasehenge. Alas, it is no more. The vases went into disrepair and the area where they were to be was cleared out. We have enjoyed many of the 'henge-like' experiences and would have really enjoyed one made of vases. However, in my research, I did get a list of all the 'henges' in the United States!! More of our bucket list!

Second, we found a beautiful spot on the opposite side of the Muskingum River. It appeared to be a dam.

Third, we visited Lock & Dam #10 Canal Park on the Muskingum River. It is one of the last period-correct hand-operated canal locks in the country. It was built 170 years ago. 

Finally, we checked out the Y Bridge. This is a very unique feature in Zanesville. It carries the traffic on U.S. Route 40 known as the National Road as well as Linden Avenue. It was built in 1814. It literally goes halfway across the merging of the Licking River and the Muskingum River. There is a stop light there and the bridge splits so that you go left or right. Our understanding it that Emelia Earhart loved this bridge because it was a great way for her to locate from the air where she was when flying. Ripley's Believe It or Not states it is the only bridge where you can cross and remain on the same side of the river! Claude drove us over to get the sign at the intersection in the middle of the bridge. Then we drove up to Putnam Park where you get a great view of the Y Bridge from above. The sign describing the history of the bridge is quite worn, but I took pictures to have the information. It was once even a covered bridge. 

I was able to get a picture of Zanesville from Putnam Hill Park.

We then found our hotel and got our room on the 3rd floor. Remember, I wanted a room facing the river. We had a lovely window but it was covered in steam the entire visit until the morning we left. This is the view the morning we left.

Google Maps showed me the hotel by the river. I was just sure the back of the hotel overlooked the river. Well, it does. But there is a row of trees and vegetation, then a railroad track, then another row of trees and vegetation, then...at last...the Muskingum River! There are two little places one can see the river. But it was not the view I had in mind. It was still pleasant to be on the top floor and able to leave the blinds open and let natural like flood the room. 

This is where the additional quest would begin. Our room, 307, had a lock that was persnickety. We were given a key and went up to the 3rd floor and found our room right across from the elevator. We had one plastic card key and we each tried and tried to get it to work, it did not. I took it back downstairs and got two more keys. I went back up the elevator and tried the first key. It did not work. We tried the second key several times and finally the little green light came on and we rushed to push the handle to open the door. Yeah!!

We picked Adornetto Pizza for our dinner. This is a family owned restaurant that makes all their pizza dough and pasta by hand each day. This sounded good to us. This family also has two other restaurants and we would eat at one of them another day. We started our meal with bruschetta to share. Oh my, a big cereal bowl full of fresh tomatoes diced and covered with spices and oil surrounded by wedges of what I am sure is their pizza dough. It was sooooo good. We each ordered a small salad. These came literally covered in shredded cheese. Our server specifically told us that some visitors complain about too much cheese. We said to serve it as they usually prepare it. Well, it was a LOT of cheese and was delicious. I ordered manicotti and Claude had spaghetti and meat balls. We literally rolled out of the restaurant. They also served delicious homemade Italian bread, two loaves sliced. We would get a to go box and a bowl container to go for the left over bruschetta and breads. Claude would enjoy some great sopping for the next couple of night in our hotel room!

We called our first day a real win!!

Monday, July 28th, was supposed to be a rainy day. I had a few things as possibilities. But we had agreed to have some down time. I had a crochet project to finish, books to read, etc. We were prepared to stay in all day. We slept in. When we woke up, Claude said he was wondering about driving to Wheeling, WV. This really appealed to me. Ebenezer Zane started their families adventures in this area from Wheeling, WV. We have been watching Northern Exposure re-runs and Northern Disclosure podcasts. Chris in the Morning, played by John Corbett, was born in Wheeling, WV and they had his character be from there on Northern Exposure. It felt right to look into a day trip to Wheeling. I checked and there was no rain forecast for Wheeling. 

I set to work looking for what to do in Wheeling. I found Oglebay Institute Glass Museum. I read a bit to Claude. We both felt good about that as a destination. And...we were off for the hour drive to Wheeling.

A little more history here: The National Road (Highway 40 today) was conceived to Baltimore's seaport to the ten western frontier. Wheeling was to be the official terminus. The National Road was completed through Wheeling in 1818 making it a major transportation hub. Industry grew in many areas. Glass was one of those areas. European immigrants with glass-making skills came to America and headed to Wheeling to work. By 1900, 50% of the pressed glass tableware used in the United States was made in Wheeling and Pittsburgh. At one point, there were at least 6 major glass factories in Wheeling. It's location is ideal for glass making with natural resources in abundance. Today, there are no glass factories in Wheeling. There is one Glass Mould factory on Wheeling's Island. The Oglebay Institute of Glass has a great collection of the different types of glass made over the years. They tell a bit of the history as well as the people who worked in the factories.

We paid for our visit and I talked to the nice lady. I mentioned we were looking for Uncle Roy Bower. I had to explain he was an unseen character on a television show called Northern Exposure. I asked if she had ever seen this show. Her eyes lit up and she said she had. I explain Uncle Roy Bower was a relative is Chris Stevens who was the DJ or the radio station in Cicely, Alaska. I told her the character Chris Stevens was played by John Corbett who was really from Wheeling, WV so they had his character, Chris Stevens, also be from Wheeling, WV. Then the light bulb went on for this lady. It seems she went to school with John Corbett. She was sitting on her grandmother's front porch when a long black stretch limo came down their street. This was not a normal thing. Out of the limo got John Corbett and his wife, Bo Derek. How fun is that? It was a fun connection as we have been watching reruns of Northern Exposure and I have watched the podcast done by Rob Morrow and Janine Turner who were the stars of Northern Exposure and played Joel Fleischman and Maggie O'Connell on the show. Cool!

When you enter the museum, the first object you see is The Sweeney Punch Bowl. This punch bowl stands 5 feet tall, hold 16 gallons of liquid and is weighs 225 pounds. Claude is 6 feet tall to kind of give perspective. The punch bowl will NOT fit in your dishwasher!

There was a video of the history of glass in Wheeling which we watched first. Then we browsed the exhibits. 

The first glass produced was whisky flasks. These usually had an eagle or George Washington on them. They were made by blowing glass into wooden molds. In 1791, a tax was passed on whiskey. western Pennsylvania refused to pay this tax. In 1794, Pres. George Washington put down a violent protest led by farmers and distillers in Washington, Pennsylvania. This is known as the Whiskey Rebellion. 

What we know as lead crystal today, was originally flint glass. Lead is what was used in Wheeling. The  glass was softer making it easier to cut using decorating wheels in the glass after it cooled. 

This style is Rubena Verde because its color goes from ruby to greenish yellow. 

In 1886 a Chinese porcelain vase was sold at auction for $18,000. The color was known as Peachblow. Hobbs, Brockunier made a replica of this style and called it Peachblow. Most pieces have a white lining. 

This is pressed glass but it rivals cut glass. The pattern was originally called Hob Diamond & Star. Today, collectors call it Daisy & Button. 

Harry Norwood came from a distinguished line of in England. He immigrated to the United States when 21 years old. He worked for Hobbs, Brockunier first as a designer. Between 1901-1925 he had his own company, H. Norwood Company. His was the only Wheeling firm to mark their glass. His company produced colorful pressed glass that appealed to the middle-class family.

Carnival Glass was originally called Iridescent Glass. It was made by spraying newly pressed hot glass with a solution of metallic salts that produced the iridescent look in many colors and styles. It was over produced and was given away at fairs and carnivals. Hence, the name becoming Carnival Glass. The orange color is called Golden Iris.

This Cameo Broach was made by Harry Norwood at age 22 for his wife. It is made by cutting out layers of colored glass. The figure is William Shakespeare. It took him six weeks to make.  

One reason this museum piqued our curiosity was the Uranium Glass!! Yes, Uranium. 

Uranium was added to the recipe to produce a yellow color glass. Not to worry about radiation. If you lived in a tractor trailer filled with Uranium Glass for 40 years, you would not be exposed to any more radiation that you would in getting one X-ray today. There is one room with a black light on the Uranium glass. It makes it appear a bright green. The little green chicken reminded us of Gramma Chris, Claude's paternal grandmother. She had a little chicken that sat on her dining room table and always had lemon drops in it. The little green slipper was a match holder. The square object to the left of it is called a spooner. These were containers for spoon if they had no lid. If they had a lid, they were to put jams and things in. There is another display outside this room with Uranium glass that does not have a black light on it. It is the last picture in this group. 

There were posters to tell of the people who worked in these factories. Their wages and hours seem appalling to us today but they were very generous for their day and time.

And, they had a labor union. This also seemed to play well in the community and with the workers and employers. They had badges that were two sided. The brightly colored side was usually worn. The opposite side was black and to be worn if you went to another workers funeral.

Most of this glass was 'pressed glass' meaning it was blown into moulds (British spelling). All the glass factories are gone from Wheeling but there is one last mould making company, Island Mould and Machine Company. The Ohio River is the boundary between Ohio and West Virginia. Wheeling sits right on that boundary. In the Ohio River is a large island named Wheeling Island. Island Mould is located on this island. This is currently the only commercial mould shop specializing in moulds for the hand-painted glass industry in America.

This is a display of 'Whimsey'. At the end of the work day, any left over glass was formed into fanciful objects by the glassworkers. There are no two alike. Can you imagine using a glass cane?

Joseph O. Balda worked by Central Glass Company who made this most popular pattern of etched glass.

The Silver Age Pattern, was made for the 100th anniversary of America. It has exact renditions of silver dollars and other coinage. The U.S. Government had them cease making this stating it was counterfeiting. This of course made the pattern a good collectors item!

Opalescent Glass was made with a heat sensitive formula that would strike white when heated in the glory hole (a small furnace). 

Hobb's also made glass for the Centennial of American. It was originally called the Viking Pattern and latter called Centennial Pattern. Note the decoration is a Viking head not George Washington.

In the 19th Century, glass was found on every dining table in America. By the 1920's, America was more interested in casual dining, practical objects and sleek Art Deco designs. Demand for glass fell as less expensive, more modern options became available. After the 1929 Stock Market crash, families cash strapped and formal dining ware was not an option. Plasticware became stylish. Then Fiesta tableware was very popular and still is. The only surviving glass factory in Wheeling, Central, was known for it's Depression Glass. This is one of my personal favorites. During the last days of the Depression in 1939, this company went bankrupt, ending over 100 years of glass production in Wheeling. 

We opted to head back to Zanesville for our evening meal. We would eat at Muddy Misers. It is located on the Muskingum River. The names comes from a fishing mentor of Zane Grey. The poor restaurant was closed on Sunday. During that time their cooler went out. They lost all their shrimp and crab. We sat at a table by the window as it was VERY hot outside. We had a lovely meal with great service. The room we dined in is a little museum to Zane Grey. 

As we drove back to our hotel, we passed the Cottrill Sculpture Studio and Museum. We did not go inside. What caught our attention, was a line of sculpture down the block from the door to the museum. Claude and I debated on the second picture. I thought it was Abraham Lincoln. Claude was sure it was Gandalf. In the third picture, note the sculpture on the corner of the roof of the building. The fourth picture I could see placed in a tree. This is because, when my father was a young boy, he loved to read. He would take his book or scriptures up in a tree and sit and read for hours. The next to last picture is simply fun. We have visited many sites with animals in the wild or in enclosures over the years. Many times, there is an animal riding on another animals back. However, I can honestly say I have never seen a penguin on a lambs back before!

Our second day was a great success.

Our key quest continued upon returning to the hotel. Again, the first key that Claude was carrying would not work at all. Finally, the key I was carrying, after many, many tries, gave us one green light and we both jumped to put the handle down on the door!

Tuesday, July 29th, we had a scheduled prepaid tour this day. We would drive to The Wilds. Okay, I thought for a bit we were going to miss our arrival and that would make us miss our tour. We awoke by 6:30am to be ready and on the road with extra time to spare. Our tour was to begin at 9am. We had to be there 30 minutes early. It was only 30 minutes from our hotel. But it was in the wilderness. I had Google Maps ready to get us there. We arrived at a junction in the road for Hwy 284 and Hwy 146. Google Maps said to turn right onto Hwy 284. There was a sign for the Wilds that said for us to stay on Hwy 146. Claude followed the sign for The Wilds on the road and continued on Hwy 146. The further away we got the worse I felt about the direction we were heading. I was trying to get more information on The Wilds website but there was NO Wi-Fi. Finally I managed to get Claude to turn around and go back to the intersection and turn onto Hwy 284. As we went up Hwy 284 a bit, I had a spot of Wi-Fi and was able to get on The Wilds website and found printed instructions. They appeared to have us go Hwy 146. I found a gravel road across country that could take us back to Hwy 146. Claude took that and came upon highway repair. They finally made a way for us to get past. We got back to Hwy 146 and drove to Zion Ridge Road. Guess what. It took us back across country to Hwy 284!! Ugh. We turned left on Hwy 284 and headed to International Road where we would turn left again into the Wilds entrance and parking. Did I fail to mention that we had a very heavy fog this morning for all of that driving. We showed our proof of purchase of tickets and parking at the kiosk and we let into the parking lot. The shuttle bus from the parking lot to the main building left the parking lot as we got out of our car!! Oh My!! We found a bench with the sign for shuttle stop above it and waited. Eventually the shuttle bus returned and dropped us off at registration. They quickly looked at our documents and then pointed us to the place to line up to board the bus for the tour. We were just on time!! Whew!!

It is a safari-like experience. We have been to Kruger National Park in South Africa on a four-day safari. We loved it. This would be a very modified version of that. We were on their Open-Air Tour in a modified old school bus. 

Our guide and driver was Bryce. He is a college student majoring in something to do with animals. He works summers at The Wilds and winters at the Columbus Zoo. That should somehow translate into a career for him. He has worked at the Wilds for three years and could tell lots of stories about the animals and people that work there. The tour would last a little over two hours.

The Wilds is the largest wildlife conservation center in the United States. It covers over 10,000 acres in southeast Ohio. It was built on reclaimed surface coal mining land that was donated. It opened to the public in 1994. To date they have several types of tours, there are yurts for overnight stays, there are ziplines over lakes in which animals play, there is a camp ground and the list goes on. They are continuing to build and expand. They were building a water feature for the African Painted Dogs. They are approved by the American Humane Society. Bryce listed an entire string of babies born this year with more coming before the end of the year. It is like our African safari in that the animals roam free. It is different in that there are enormous enclosures for different types of animals. In Africa, the animals kill and eat each other. Not so in The Wilds. They are all about increasing the herds to possible return to their home country and saving endangered species. 

The first animals we saw after driving through two gates (there are two gates between each enclosure), were Pere's David Deer. The herd in The Wilds is the largest breeding herd in any zoo in North America. These deer are considered extinct in the wild. They have a webbed foot so they can swim in the lakes. If you look at the fifth picture, above the bus rearview mirror and above the green dot, you will see a Pere's David Deer's antlers as it swims in the lake.

We saw Persian Ornager. The wild horse is considered endangered in the wild. About half of the Persian Ornagers in the United States are at The Wilds.

We were show a pile of dung. I, of course, stood and took this picture. Bryce explained this was rhino poop. They come to the same place each morning and make their deposit. Other rhino come, smell it, eat it, and can tell if there is a female ready to mate, if everyone is healthy or not, etc. Basically, Bryce says it is their Facebook. We would see several more of these piles as we drove through the park.

In another huge enclosure were the Sichuan Takin. These are from China. They are considered vulnerable from a conservation standpoint. The Wilds has actually gone to China to help place satellite-tracking collars on the Sichuan Takin to better understand their movement and how they use their habitat. 

We spotted an eagles nest. There are several bald eagles the reside in The Wilds. They also have babies that have not grown enough so that their head feathers turn white. This eagles nest was in the Sichuan Takin enclosure and is above the blue dot on the picture.

When we looked at the lake on the other side of the road, there were two Pere's David Deer in the water. To the left of them was a crocodile.

The landscape in the Wilds was amazing. I tried to get a few pictures of the lay of the land. This is one of the landscape pictures.

At about the mid-point of our tour, we went to the Mid-size Carnivore area. These enclosures we smaller but still great for the animals in them. The first enclosure was the African Painted Dog enclosure. These dogs catch their prey 80-90% of the time. If you watch animal shows, you know this is an extremely high percentage. They can run for three miles at 37mph. The pack takes turns running in relays to catch their prey.

The Dohle exhibit was next. They are also known as the Asiatic wild dog and the red dog. They are on the endangered list.

I was privileged to see a very rare species. His ancestry hails from Denmark. Very, Very Rare!

The cheetahs were our next animal to view. Cheetahs are the fastest land animal. They can run 70 mph but only for a few hundred yards. Their conservation status is vulnerable. We learned they are considered a smaller cat as opposed to lions which are larger cats. This is because lions roar and cheetah purr and make smaller noise. Their jaw strength is also much less. 

Back on the tour bus for the last half of our tour. The first animal we saw for a white-tailed deer and her baby. Not so rare and very local. 

Two more landscape pictures. 

Trumpeter Swans are also on property. I remember being surprised by their presence in South Africa. They share the lake with Sichuan Takins. 

This lake also had two Pere's David Deer swimming in the water. They are above the orange dot.

The Wilds has three ostrich. Their sole purpose is to be in the enclosure with the zebras to keep them calm. This is how it would be if they were in the wild. 

On the way to see the zebra, we encountered two Bactrian Camels. This species is critically endangered. The camel named Lolly quite enjoyed the bus. She first scratched herself on the rearview mirror, then her backside on the front of the bus, then she made her way around the bus to check out the passengers, finally she stopped and stuck her head in by Bryce to scratch her neck inside the bus. Bryce never moved. He simply waited for her to do all of this. Evidently, she does this all the time! Lolly was about 5 years old. The other camel was about 10 years old. Their humps are full of fat. You can tell the difference between the two camels as Lolly's humps are nice and tall while the other camels are flopping over. 

There is a herd of Grevy Zebra. They have brown stripes instead of black. They are also on the endangered list. This mother has a 16 day old baby. There is another baby due to be born within the next week. 

Next came the giraffes. The Wilds has two sub-species of giraffe: Reticulated and Masai. Reticulated have polygonal shaped spots on a white background and the Masai have dark leaf-like spots on a yellowish background. 

The rhinoceros had lots of Pere's David Deer in their enclosure. Kind of reminded me of the impala all over the place in Kruger National Park. These are Greater One-Horned Asian Rhino. The herd at The Wilds is an active breeding herd. This will help their vulnerable conservation status.

We saw and Eland among the Pere's David Deer. The Eland is the largest antelope species in the world. They can jump clearing 5 feet.

And we saw a Fringed-Ear Oryx. They can go days or weeks without water. When the heat is extreme, they raise their body temperature to 116 degrees causing heat to leave their bodies for cooler air outside. 

I mentioned earlier there were yurts for guest to stay overnight in. I truly wish I had know this earlier and we would have had a night in a yurt. They fascinate Claude and me. When Claude went to Kyrgyzstan, he brought me home a Christmas ornament that was a yurt. You must be 21 years of age or older to stay in these yurts.

And, if you stay in a yurt, this is your landscape view from your front window!!

We got back to the hotel and both laid down for a nap. Hallelujah! We enjoyed our very full morning. 

For dinner, we went to Grillin' Dave. It was a very old building that was made as a drive-thru. There were a few tables on the inside. We opted to go in and enjoyed a wonderful meal. This place provided Claude with his favorite meal of the trip. It was a container full of mashed potatoes. They were topped with brisket and that was topped with gravy. My hubby is a meat and potatoes guy and he was in heaven!! I had an over-the-top version of a Frito supper with brisket for the meat. Yum!!

We felt like our third day was another great on for the books!

Wednesday, July 30th, was my 75th birthday. Our adventure this day would start at 10am. It was a tour of the Conn's Potato Chip Factory. This is a small company serving mostly eastern Ohio. They do ship all over though. This would be our first ever potato factory tour. We were paired with a senior group which worked well for us. 

You must wear a hair net. I knew this and expected it for Claude and me. However, I forgot Claude has a beard and a mustache. He had to wear an extra hair net over his beard and mustache. He also wore his baseball cap inside. He made quite a fashion statement with his hairnets and baseball cap!!

The tour lasted about 30 minutes. The highlight for both of us was eating hot potato chips right off the conveyor belt. After they were fried and salted, they fell down on a conveyor belt were people picked out the ones that didn't meet Conn's standards. Our guide when to the conveyor belt after that and filled two bags with very fresh, warm chips. These were shared among our group. Oh My Heavens were they delicious. We highly recommend a potato factory tour to take chips this way. 

After the tour, we were each given a small bag of chips. They we could shop for more chips in the store. I found these cute things for Joel. He is our 'Potato'. I think he will love this. 

We decided to have lunch out instead of the big dinner since we were finished with all the potato chip factory by 11:30. We drove to Giacomo's and had deli sandwiches. Giacomo's is also owned by Adornetto Pizza and actually is right next door. Delicious sandwiches. 

Back to the hotel for Claude's nap. I gathered my things and went to the lobby to sit on a nice sofa and crochet and read my book. 

In the evening, we drove to Tom's Ice Cream Bowl for dessert. I thought this was just an ice cream place. It was more like an old-fashioned cafe. The was ample seating inside. We got a menu and learned they had burgers and things. Claude ordered a burger. He loved it. Then we each ordered ice cream. I ordered peach, two scoops in a bowl. Claude ordered a sundae that was like a Dairy Queen Peanut Buster Parfait. If I had known before I ordered, I would have order one scoop. Two scoops of ice cream fill a cereal bowl and are piled way high. I didn't see their scooper but it must be very big. This place also had a counter with homemade chocolates and roasted peanuts, almonds and cashews. What a great find!

In the evening, Hayden called to wish me a Happy Birthday. 

It was a very nice birthday. And another great day in our trip.

Thursday, July 31st, we would drive home. We slept in a bit and then hit the road. Other than a few rain showers, the trip was uneventful. Once home, I did the laundry. Bailey called and we talked for a long time. Then Betty Dixon called to check on us. The evening was spend back in our recliners. They felt very good!!

I highly recommend this type of travel. Pick a city, any city, research what there is to do in the city or the area around it. Then take a few days, 3-4 is usually good, and go learn about that part of the country. America is a great place to travel.