Saturday, April 23, 2016

My birthday celebration


For the past 22 days, my blog posts have been all about the art and recycling.  This post is all about fun and how I spent my birthday.

On Thursday

I spent a disappointing hour or so looking for herbs.  Mostly all I saw was a bunch of annuals, flowers that bloom one year and die.  Not for me.

I knew Friday was going to be

a great day when I followed this little robin all over the yard.  You can see what the rain had done to the yard and street.  Lots of clean-up ahead, but not on bEARTHday.

When my friend and neighbor Sally asked what I wanted for my birthday, 

I asked to go to the zoo.

Off we went on a PERFECT day.

I have over 300 photos, but I'll share just a few today and more tomorrow.

The lily pond looks really sad.

I didn't remember this statue from before,

or the flamingos, either.

A closer look

showed how contorted they get when sleeping.

This is probably not one of those photos on most people's cameras!

Sally wanted to ride the tram, so we did.  I had trouble keeping people out of the shots, because there were kids and parents everywhere.



Everyone loves giraffes, but this was as close as I got to them on the tram.

The same was true at the Gorilla Forest.

Lots of photos later, this is where our new elephants are stored.  Their new home is still being built, as can be seen by the new landscaping in progress.

One final photo of Sally at the Zoo and we were off across town.

We drove through downtown

across the river
past sculptures

and historic buildings

until we got here, which was across town.  It was Sally's choice, not mine.

The lunch menu


was awesome in that there were vegetarian and gluten free choices, something I rarely see elsewhere. I got the tri-colored vegetable penne with asiago garlic alfredo and sauteed shrimp.

While we waited for our soup (for me) and salad (for Sally), I opened Sally's card and found a gift card, too.

Thinking I might save this for a T post, I took a photo of our water with lemon, too.

First came soup, which I remembered to take a photo of not long after I received it.

I can't say the same for the shrimp penne, though.

Sally must have been responsible for this, a big surprise.  I laughed at the 21st birthday.  What a fun finale to the meal.  I loved the beautifully decorated plate, too.  Of course, I insisted that Sally share it with me.

Thanks for sharing my Earth Day birthday with me.   More photos at the zoo tomorrow.  For now, this post is long enough.  Thanks also for your lovely visits.  Have a wonderful weekend.

17 thoughtful remarks:

Sami said...

Happy belated birthday Elizabeth, I can see you had a fun day with your friend.

Valerie-Jael said...

You must have been tired after your trip to the zoo and eating all that wonderful food at the restaurant. How kind of Sally to invite you and make sure you had such a lovely birthday plate decoration. 21 is a good age to stay. Take it easy today, hugs, Valerie

froebelsternchen said...

Oh you had a super birthday - at least it looks like it was a fantastic day at the zoo and the meal looks great - what a lovely surprise from Sally!!! Nice !!!

My daughter buys often in a shop called: FOREVER 21

would be a bit boring to get not older I think....
every year makes us more precious .. yes!!!

Happy DAY after b earth day Elizabeth!
oxo Susi

Helen said...

glad you had a great day out, even if you can't get too close on the train to the animals., I love the flamingoes though. The dessert looks gorgeous!!

Krisha said...

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!! Looks like you had a fun day. Love the flamingo photo, they have always fascinated me.
Lunch looks good and the dessert was cute.....21 eh??

Jeanie said...

What a happy birthday day! Looks like more fun than a barrel of monkeys! (Sorry!) Loved the flamingoes especially! And you are not alone with your fish in a pond photos. I have my share of those, too!

My name is Erika. said...

I love the zoo. It looks like perfect day to visit too. What a fantastic way to spend a bearthday! By the way,one f my kids at school had a birthday yesterday and I wished her happy bearthday which she thought was quite clever. I told her it wasn't my idea. Glad it was such a fun day! Hugs-Erika

Divers and Sundry said...

What a fun birthday celebration! I loved your zoo pictures. The elephants are lucky to be getting better quarters. They are so big! and will be happier with more space :)

I actually had some success this year over-wintering a few herbs, but I've seen basic herbs at big box stores here no problem. I'm sorry you're having trouble finding what you want :( The only annuals I grow are zinnias. Butterflies and even hummingbirds love them, and they are so easy to grow from seed.

Cappuccinoandartjournal.blogspot.com said...

happy happy birthday! Looks like you had a great day. (Are you an Aries too?)

Pen Sunshinepen said...

Happy Birthday xxx

Julia said...

Happy Birthday! It looks like you had a wonderful day at the zoo. I love the shots of the flamingos.

Meggymay said...

It looks like you had a brilliant day out with your friend. I imagine you have lots of special memories. Super photos and I think the zoo would be a great place to visit.
Yvonne xx

pearshapedcrafting said...

Oh what a fabulous day out! The weather looked perfect for a zoo visit. I love the make your own pasta idea! How brilliant is Sally for organising the cake too!? Looking forward to more photos! Hugs, Chrisx ps have you checked your e-mail?x

Rita said...

Happy birthday! The zoo looked like it needed a lot of work, but the Olive Garden is always good! :)

Gaby Bee said...

Dear Elizabeth, I know I'm a bit late, but I didn't know you were celebrating a birthday. Happy happy belated Birthday my friend!

It looks like you had a fun day with your friend :)

Gaby <3

AiyanaKalyna said...

Fun bEARTHday! I love it. I miss the Wichita Zoo. I love the flamingoes. I am so happy poor Sally is out of that cast. I bet she is happier. I love your beautiful cake. You had the perfect day. Wichita has grown so much. Don't be too disappointed in plants. I went out shopping for plants this weekend too and I found the same anemic selections. I am going to have to start ordering online. I grow annual flowers from seeds. My birds love them. Thank you so much for sharing your day with us. I get very homesick for Kansas in the Springtime. I can't tell you how much your posts mean to me.

Linda Kunsman said...

sorry I'm a bit late and trying to catch up! Happy , happy belated bEARTHday to you!! Looks like a super fabulous day with good weather and a dear friend to spend the time with. I like Olive Garden and your choice looks and sounds wonderful! And how nice to be treated to that special ending and dessert (as you know I had the same experience recently:) Keep on celebrating and enjoy my friend!