Monday, April 9, 2012

Animal Kingdom

Curtis has an immense love for animals so for his birthday we went to Animal Kingdom.


As we were waiting outside the park to get tickets I spotted this man checking his phone. I loved that the leaves of the palms resembled falling rain. 


A sleepy little Spoonbill.


This was the arena on which the staff held a bird show. I loved the architecture and the giant quilted canopy. 


I decided to take a picture of this large Tambaqui (a.k.a - Pacu) as it swam past me. I didn't realize until later that I had caught my own reflection within the silhouette of the fish. 


I love the way the colorful fish playfully arch over the water fountains. In a strange way it almost reminded me of the stylized paintings on cave walls. Ancient and without words the message is still clear - "This way to water". 


I affectionately refer to this particular Painted Stork as "The Old Soul". Curtis and I were bouncing from one enclosure to the next when this unlikely creature caught my eye. He was only about two feet tall with a fence between us that was just a little taller than he was. I practically could have reached out and touched him. He would have been easy to overlook, and many people continued to walk by without even slowing down. But their was something so commanding about this little bird's presence. All the other Painted Storks were further back in the enclosure but he was right next to the fence looking out as if he was standing guard. Even as I approach he did not move away. He only tilted his head so he could get a better look at me. I sat down in front of him so that we could get a better look at each other. His face was rich with texture and intensity. We sat still and examined each other for a long time. I saw many animals that day but "Old Soul" still stands out. 


One of the  monkey's climbing to his look out tower. 


A soft pink Hibiscus set against the ruffled leaf of a large palm. 


I took this photo of Curtis as we were riding around the park. I love this photo because I was able to capture the moment of anticipation right before he saw one of his favorite animals. 


A little gem of a Kingfisher perched during the sudden downpour. 


Curtis at the Hippo tank admiring some passing ducks who seemed at home in all rain. 

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