Hurrah! Guest Beagle Haiku!

And I mean that literally: beagle haiku, written by a guest, "Hurrah!"

The "Hurrah!" comes because I didn't have to write myself, but instead blatantly cribbed it from my sister Susan's blog account of her family's visit with us last weekend: Did you know Detroit is an excellent place to vacation? You can go there to see all sorts of other cool photos of last weekend's family hi-jinks.

But first, a beagle haiku by Susan Riordan:

Beagle sniffs the air.
Is that a rabbit I smell?
Pesky leash holds me.

Monday's Trip to the Zoo, and More!

Lots and lots of photos from the three-blog Gettysburg Family, Pontoon Pirates, Patio Boat trip to the zoo, so let's get right to it.

First a morning photo to cleanse the palate:


Atlee and Lexi fishing.

And now, off to the zoo!

Look out zoo, here comes Greeley!

Tortoising around.

Monique and Atlee, studying the horned viper.

The very colorful double-striped, big-belly rugger.

Henry taking a few cobra eggs home.

Greeley, Rich, and Atlee at the fountain.

At the zoo we learned that many primitive animals gather around the watering hole to fend off the summertime heat.

Alas for poor, thirsty Monique, she was too polite to shove the little girls out of the way in her quest for water.

And now, some less courteous animals!

The red panda. He was extremely cute.

The Siberian Tiger. After much discussion, we all agreed that if we had to come any closer to a tiger, we would prefer it to be Curtis Granderson or Placido Polanco.

The silverback gorilla came over to show us his silver back.

This was not the technically greatest photo of the day, but Malcolm and Greeley wanted everybody to know how close they got to the ol' silverback.

Sleeping rhinos.

Gullywashing fence sitters.

Atlee was inspired by the example of the hippo in its pond.

The zebras, just before one of them started "hugging" the other from behind. My goodness, but the zoo can be educational!

Susan and Atlee looking at seals from underwater in the "Arctic Ring of Life" exhibit.

Susan and Atlee, looking at seals.

Everybody but Monique and the polar bear. Monique was taking the picture, but what's the polar bear's excuse for not appearing in the underwater photos?

Ohhh, the polar bear was taking a nap.

As we were getting ready to go, the giant anteater came over to say goodbye to me and Malcolm. Here's an action series. Or, at least as close as you can get to an action series with the giant anteater when an anthill isn't involved:

Goodbye, giant anteater! Goodbye, Detroit Zoo! We had lots of fun!

Back home the phlox were peeking around the corner, wondering when we would return.

Shea was emulating the crocodiles that he liked.

Fun in the lake while we got dinner ready.

Aw, shucks.

Shea modeling the latest in color-coordinated life-vest wear. Please notice how our model's attire matches the blue of the carpet and the orange of the boat's sides.

Hey, who let the pirates onboard the pontoon?

... then we cruise, cruise, cruised into the dark.

We all hope you enjoyed the pictures and your tour through the virtual visit!

Zoo Photos Coming Tonight...

... in the meantime, can I interest you in a back-to-work haiku?

A four-day weekend.
Now, the quiet solitude
of the cubicle.

The Sunday Photo Roundup

Welcome, one and all to today's photo roundup, especially photo browsers who came over from Gettysburg Family.

We start today's recap with Henry, Atlee, and Monique on a beagle-walking expedition. Oddly, we don't see Katie the Beagle in any of these photos. So, to keep our Internet-leading Katie the Beagle quotient high, we start with a beagle haiku.

If a full beagle
Was walked, but not photographed
Did she really poop?

Henry and Atlee found a bouncy duck.

Atlee and Monique on the boardwalk.

Henry and Atlee on the boardwalk.

A swan nesting in the wetland.

A heron wading in the weeds.

Atlee finds a flower and treats it properly.

After the walkers returned, Arsen and Brigitte came over to spend the afternoon and evening.

Sunday was no day of rest. After a few rain showers cleared through, we put everybody to work.

Greeley digging a hole for the new canoe stand. Yes, indeed, Rich was at it again making more improvements around our house, this time using child labor.

Henry inspects the situation...

... then steps in to help.

We put Arsen to work, too, weeding the hostas.

And we sent Brigitte to work on the dishes.

Naturally, a well-oiled machine like this needs proper management. Fortunately, I was equal to the task!

Finally, here are Susan and Rich relaxing on our couch after a full day of vacationing.

We ended the day with pizza and a movie, "Flash Gordon" (1980). Tomorrow's plan? We're going to the zoo. Come back to see what ensues: same Patio-Time, same Patio-channel!