One More Visit to the Zoo Before Italy

     By now you all are aware of my obsession with our wonderful zoo and the animals that make their home on the side of the mountain.  I had to get one last visit in before we leave on Thursday for Italy.  So I will share some more zoo photos and some more Italy photos and then there will be no more blog posts until after October 3rd when we return. 
     We received some heartbreaking news from the zoo this past week.  Our magnificent male silver back lowland gorilla died unexpectedly last Thursday.  When I was there last Monday I did not see him in the area with the rest of the troop and I asked one of the keepers about him.  She said that he seemed to have a viral infection and they had quarantined him from the others in case it was contagious.  Then Thursday afternoon I got an email from the zoo saying that he had passed away.  They are conducting a necropsy on him to determine the actual cause of death.  Everyone is devastated.  Cindy and I visited the zoo this morning and it was so obvious that the entire gorilla troop is in mourning.  None of them were their usual selves.  Dembe, the three year old son of Rafiki, stayed very close to his mother which he has not done  for many months.  The eight year old daughter, Tumani, was off by herself with her arms crossed and was not her usual playful self.  I stood there and cried.  I'm crying now just thinking about how hard this must be for them to understand why Rafiki is no longer there.
     We had to end our visit on a happy note and so headed to the lion cubs one more time.  Oh my goodness, they are still the cutest things I've ever seen!!  I can't believe it will be over three weeks before I get to see them again!  They are 2 1/2 months old and have started eating solid food (raw meat) and are growing fast.  Cindy and I will definitely visit them when we get back from Italy.  Something tells me that I probably will have lots to occupy my time and energy and thoughts while I'm gone :-)
   So I leave you now with photos from today's zoo visit, a previous photo of Rafiki with Dembe and more photos of sights we will see in Italy.  As always, I thank you for reading my blog and joining me on this journey as I, eventually, will be making my way to a new home in France.  Merci!

Aslan is not too sure about his new play thing

They're getting so big!

Mother, Lomela, is majestic

He's checking us out while mom tries to figure out what that thing is

Lazy mountain lion - look at the size of that paw!

Here Kitty Kitty

Daddy Rafiki doing his "Thinker" pose for Dembe

Pienza

Pisa

Rome

Siena

Preparation . . . And Baby Lion Update!

     We leave next Thursday for Italy!  It's crazy how it's finally here when I've been planning this trip for almost two years.  I have been rereading my emails that I started sending out last year since I printed them all off and have them in a folder.  Some emails are about the towns we will be visiting (walking to) and some are about each day on the trip and what to expect.  I also sent out emails about Italian history and foods and culture so I practically have a book now! ha! 
     A few months ago I started making lists - the ones I'm famous for.  Lists for clothes, lists for my carry-on, lists for my purse, lists for my housekeeper, Jamie, lists of things to do before I leave like stopping my mail and the paper, making copies of my passport and travel info.  Lists for the drug store, lists for the sporting goods store, lists for the dollar store, lists for the clothing stores.  And as we've gotten closer to departure, those lists are becoming shorter.  But I still have some things to do.
     Cindy is coming in two days and we will compare lists!  We can do some of our last-minute shopping together which will be fun.  Cindy, Andy and I will leave the house next Thursday around 7am to drive to our wonderful little airport here in the Springs.  There will be 8 other people from the Springs who will meet us at the airport and we will all fly together from here to Chicago and then to Zurich and then to Florence.
     We will land in Italy on my birthday and I'm really hoping that I can enjoy that day despite jetlag!  So, wish me luck!  What a grand way to celebrate turning 39 - again :-)
     Here are some more photos I found online of some of the towns we will be visiting:

Montalcino

Monte Amiata

Montecatini

Monteriggioni

       Now, about those adorable lion cubs!  I can't stay away!  I have been twice a week to see them since they were born as they are about the cutest things I have ever seen.  I can tell them apart now and it's fun to see their personalities showing themselves.  The lightest colored male (who is easy to find as he has a funny shaped ear) is named Aslan.  He is the strong silent type.  He is content to explore on his own and find a quiet spot where he can watch all of us.  The darkest of the cubs is the other male named Boma.  He has more black markings where the female, Elsa (named for her grandpa, Ellson), who is also darker than Aslan, has more rust colored markings.  She is fiesty and brave and loves to eat.  Boma seems to be the most playful and enjoys mom's tail!  So here are some updated photos of the cubs.  They are about 10 weeks old.  No captions needed.  Just enjoy the little ones and momma :-)

L - R: Aslan, Elsa, and Boma