Yes, I have more hummingbird photos...

I'm sorry, I'm completely addicted to taking hummingbird photos.

They'll be gone soon and I will miss them so much.

Even though they fight each other.

Even though they fight the other birds!

Even though they have been terrorizing the butterflies.

I love my little hummies.

Seems like I mostly have young males here now.

They have dark spots under their neck that will turn ruby red.

This little guy was preening himself after the hurricane passed.

Doesn't he look funny all puffed out?

And my little Zoe had her first day of kindergarten today.

Soon everyone will be growing up and leaving the nest.

Irene

Well, we survived the hurricane, yippee! There was minimal damage in our yard but our neighbor's mature pine came down taking out the crabapple behind it. I'm pretty sure both of those trees are his. So glad we had our leaning pine removed earlier this year. I really couldn't take another $1000 tree bill.

Poor gnome has fallen and he can't get up!

Hurricanes sure are nature's tree trimming service.

 I have never seen so many small branches and leaves in our yard.

Wishing that all my blog friends on the East Coast have safely weathered the storm and that your family and critters are happy and healthy!

Fair!

We went to the Elizabethtown Fair last night to have a little weekend fun before Irene washes it all away. 

Don't you just love this sheep's face? 

Why cows don't need tissues...

There is a lot of animal interaction at this fair making it our favorite by far.

Petting zoo with calves, alpacas, goats and sheep and a table full of young bunnies to hold.

Cows have the best eyes.

Jeff and Kendra, lol.

I could take this sweet girl home with me.

The speckled one is a lineback. I love their coloration.

Believe it or not, the calves really seem to enjoy the interaction and will follow you around.

Children make you want to start life over. ~Muhammad Ali

My Mother's Sunflowers

Visiting my Mom yesterday, I found myself lost in the rows of sunny, yellow, sunflowers.

The sound of 50+ chirping goldfinches was hypnotizing.

I find the pattern in the sunflower above mesmerizing!

My eyes feel goofy if I look at it intensely for a few seconds. Like one of those Magic Eye books, it seems like I should see an image pop out.

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It's what sunflowers do."

~Helen Keller

Look who came out to greet me!

Tall Horses

I love giraffes! They are my third favorite animals after horses and cats and that's why my giraffe photos from the Philadelphia Zoo are getting a post all to their own. They are such unusual creatures, beautiful, elegant necks. I love the shape of their heads, their chestnut spots, their furry horns, long, dark tongues and large eyes. I could watch them all day.

On a separate note, I have been having trouble commenting on some blogs that ask me to 'comment as' and then have a pull down menu to 'select profile'. When I click on 'Google Account' it keeps asking me for my user name and pass word and it doesn't recognize me. Some blogs I can choose to type in my URL and name and that seems to work but not all have this option. So I am sorry if I am not able to comment back on you blog, some weird glitch. Also, some comments I receive to moderate come to my email and some I have to approve from the blogger dashboard. Makes it hard to email commentors back if they have a question. Weird glitches 8/

Philly Zoo

We celebrated my husband's last day of summer by going to the Philadelphia Zoo yesterday. You couldn't ask for a better day, mid 70's, no humidity. 

The coati below woke up from his nap for a second. 

This pied tamarin looks a little devilish to me...

Cute, fluffy titi monkey from Bolivia.

Female western lowland gorilla wakes up from a nap.

Pygmy marmoset gets a makeover.

A lady ostrich struts by.

Giant river otter snacks on a fish.

Little burrowing owl used to teach children.

I could watch the prairie dogs all day long.

One of my favorites for their sweet faces, the douc langur.

This yawning Aldabra tortoise can live well over 100 years!

Metallic starling sitting pretty.

A Northern diamondback terrapin gazing into the water.

Amur tiger...

African wild dog...