Elephant Encounter

Posted on by Ian C.

Today we headed 1-1/2 hours north to Two Tails Ranch to experience their “Extreme Encounter” which includes some “one on one” time with an Elephant! The tour began with a talk about Elephants in general and those at the ranch – it was a bit heavy with politics but we did learn some facts (for example African and Asian Elephants have different numbers of toes); we toured the rest of ranch (Tortoises, a Zebra, a Camel, and a family of Ring Tailed Lemurs) … then on to more Elephant-y experiences where we fed an Elephant, took photos with an Elephant, helped wash an Elephant and even had a ride on one! Overall the $200/person cost seemed well justified with the enjoyment we had here!

Some photos from the presentation (there are three female Elephants at the ranch):

Photos of not-Elephants:

Photos from the “extreme” encounter: feeding, riding, washing and close-up photos:

Central Florida Community Arts: Once Upon A Dream

Posted on by Ian C.

Last night we attended a fabulous musical choral + orchestral performance of Disney music, much of it in entertaining medleys and most of it recognizable. The performance was at Northland Church which is an amazing venue (and didn’t push religion too heavily!) … it’s introduced us to CFCArt and I think we will try to catch more of their work in the future …

I’ve included the playlist and some photos of the event (photos and even video allowed, so long as no flash/lights); the background is an animated projection showing images relevant to the performance (the rose for example is during Beauty and the Beast):

Here’s a little video to show just how good the performers were:

Spring Affaire 2023

Posted on by Ian C.

We have often visited the nearby Avian Reconditioning Center for their Fall Owl Fest but this is our first time for the Spring Affaire (which is another chance to see the owls, hawks, eagles and other cared-for birds, with added costumes!)

Of course I took many photos of all the birds (though sadly “Gordon” is no longer alive) …

There was also a “release” where a bird that had been cared for was released back to the wild …