Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

elephants

Is It Time For A Swim?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

It’s been wet and windy here in Oregon and the last thing I’ve thought about is taking a dive in the pool. But the folks at the Oregon Zoo thought yesterday was the perfect time to open the new elephant pool!

And guess who is acting like a little submarine? Baby Lily! With the rest of us human creatures running around getting ready for the holidays and trying to finish our to do lists, Lily shows us what is really important; play time!

The Oregon Zoo’s new pachyderm pool is 12 feet deep and 80 feet wide and the water level can be adjusted to be deep enough for big boy Packy or make it shallow for baby Lily. Amazing stuff.

So while we humans are thinking about gray days and rain, the Portland pachyderms are having a blast on the beach at their new swimming hole. Maybe that’s a good lesson for all of us these days. Take time out to play in the puddles.

Know a good place to swim in December?

Need Help Smashing Pumpkins For Pie?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

If you’ve got some leftover giant pumpkins from Halloween you might want to use for pies, I don’t recommend letting Lily and her pachyderm pals help in the kitchen. See what they did to two giant gourds for the annual squishing of the squash.

I particularly like the way Lily straddles her food. A girl after my own heart! Our butts kind of look the same too.

Have a great weekend everybody and Happy Quirky Friday!

HGTV For Elephants?

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by Kimberly A. Cook          (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

Very big redecorating going on at the Oregon Zoo for years and this past week was move in time! I don’t know if the “Property Brothers” could have even handled these picky clients, but the folks who designed the new elephant habitat gave them all the latest home amenities for our popular pachyderms.

Just in time for a sizzling hot weekend here in Oregon, the elephants get to roam in their new home, complete with large windows, then outside play area, elephant proof gazebo and auto feeders and misters! Nothing but the best for our lovable giants. Check out the action. I couldn’t resist all three videos.

Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday! (P.S. Lilly is still SO CUTE!)

 

 

 

 

Pachyderms, Pumpkins and Holiday Movies?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                            (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Today is a very special Quirky Friday Halloween holiday two-fer. First up is Oregon Zoo pachyderms pulverizing pumpkins in the annual “Squishing the Squash” event. We’ve got elephants versus 1,200 pounds of giant pumpkins. Guess who wins? Miss Lily is even practicing for soccer or football using the pumpkins and plastic grey cans. She’s a little several hundred pounds cutie!

Next up is the Hallmark’s Channel launch of their Countdown to Christmas movie series on the link below. On Halloween. Yeah, I don’t get the timing either, except maybe they had too many new movies and not enough weekends? Also, know there are many other holidays out there to celebrate besides Christmas, so everyone can start their countdown for the holiday of their choice. Because the holiday decorations have been right next to the Halloween candy for several weeks now.

Have a great weekend and a Happy Halloween Quirky Friday! Don’t eat too much candy….

http://bcove.me/wjibmr9v

 

Time To Play In The Mud!

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by Kimberly A. Cook                    (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

They may say these final hot August summer days belong to the dogs, but I think elephants know how to party too! At the Oregon Zoo baby Lily and her brother Sam are having a great time playing in the mud. What better way to cool off then making really big mud pie splashes!

Some of my favorite memories are playing with Match Box cars in the neighbor’s backyard, creating an entire road system for my yellow convertible and travel trailer to use. Dirt and a little mud and I was in hog heaven. Actually, those play days helped me get through the mud of Army basic training.

What is your favorite mud memory? Happy Quirky Friday!

Oregon Zoo Elephants Romp In Their New Digs

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Back to the Zoo! Recently the ladies of the Oregon Zoo elephant herd, with the lovely Miss Lily, got to check out part of their expanding space. This elephant size remodel is being done in stages and with help from the pachyderms.

Seems sample lots of sand were brought in and tested by the elephants to find their perfect brand. Turns out our Portland pachyderms prefer that fabulous sand used on golf courses on their tootsies and it drains the rain really well.

So far the girls and babies have checked the place over, but the real test will come next with Tusko and Packy, the big boys. Since the trainers say Tusko “breaks everything,” can’t wait to see if we’ve built it “Tusko Strong” or not.

Check out what the ladies did in their new digs and how they inspected their new play toys. Happy Quirky Friday!