Memorializing the Fallen and the Fighting Bears

 

Today is the day to show respect to our fallen heroes. Memorial Day is often confused with Veteran's Day, but there is a difference. Memorial Day is for remembering those who have passed as they served their country in the US Military. Veteran's Day is to honor those who served in a branch of the US Military. 

Terry is a veteran of the US Navy, so we thought we would run through the Roseburg VA Cemetery to pay our respects and see how beautiful the grounds are today. Like always, it didn't disappoint. The grounds are well kept and today respect was shown to those who passed by placing a flag in front of each headstone in the cemetery. Many family members also showed up, placing flowers by their deceased loved ones' graves. 

While it is sad to see all of the burial markers on so many graves, we also need to remember this is a VA cemetery, meaning some of these heroic men and women lived a full life but are buried in this cemetery, marking their service. Not everyone here passed while serving their country. 

Thank you to all service men and -women who not only gave their lives defending their country, but to those who did make it home. This bittersweet trip through these grounds is worth the time, as honoring those who served and those who died during service is never unworthy of that time. 

After we stopped in to pay respects, we took a much needed drive through our favorite place to be; the always adventuresome Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon. Only seven miles outside of Roseburg, the trip is short and the love of animals is calling us. It's time once again to visit the furry critters walking across the hillside of the park. We actually picked a great day to go too!

Of course, as usual, we ran into the elands. The elands have their own little community and spend their time grazing through the pastures. Elands are worth the view, as they are muscular with smooth brown coats. Several babies have been spotted during the past couple of visits this year!

This little herd of elands were roaming about, grazing, and enjoying the sunshine!

We saw plenty of zebras along the way, although they were far off, most of them on the tip top of a hill. Too far away for the most part to get a good photo. 

More elands were about, but we have so many photos of them that we felt we didn't really need too many more. The two at the top of the page were plenty for us. Mr. Swanky Pants or otherwise known as the lions, were out of our sight today. Two lioness ladies were hanging out in the shade, but once again, the fence makes it difficult to snap a good shot of them. But next up ... those gorgeous bears!

When we arrived in the bear area of the park, there was one brown and one black bear both taking naps underneath the hammock. The shade made it impossible to determine where the bear's head and where its butt was to get a decent shot. We just saw a furry blob of brown and one of black. We drove on up the road where a couple of cars were parked. We knew there was some bear action going on there ...

In the pond were two brown bear cubs, playing and wrestling in the muddy water. They were having a blast!

 (Photo captured from the YouTube video Terry filmed)

Terry was able to get a couple of videos of the two wrestling in the water. They were absolutely adorable!

After watching them for a while, we moved onward into bison territory. I love bison. They are often confused as buffalo, but they are two different types of animal. 

No, they weren't doing much, but I asked Terry to get a video of them this time. I have plenty of photos, but videos and the movement of animals captured in videos are nice to have. 

Around the corner sat our buddy, Raza. He is the giraffe Terry grew attached to during our giraffe adventure. Since then, we look for him each time we visit. 

In the blog post, The Giraffe Whisperer, Terry befriended little Raza. The connection is real. 

Yes. They were sharing a bit of tongue action in this one. I figured they might need a moment. 

Deep into the interest we go ... Terry donning his new giraffe hoodie. I loved it actually. I thought the color and the giraffe on the front were pretty cool looking. The interest has been piqued and the purchases in this new interest are coming in. He also purchased a 3D giraffe head coming out of a frame and we are hanging that above our set of giraffes that Mallory got us for Christmas. 

Our gorgeous Raza was hanging out with the eland and other pals, enjoying the sunshine on his skin. He was laying down when we arrived, but soon struggled to get those long, spindly legs up under him to stand. We missed that photo and were kicking ourselves, for sure. 

We watched out of curiosity as he rocked the upper half of his body back and forth in powerful, lengthy strides. I thought something was wrong with him, but soon he gathered his long legs up underneath his body and stood in one graceful movement. Absolutely fascinating animals. 

This is a video showing a giraffe standing. This is not Raza. 

Completing the drive through, we stopped in at the Winston Arby's to grab something to eat. For those who read A Psychic and a Poet Walk Into a Bar ...., we like Arby's because of the memory it holds. In our blog post, We Have the Meats, Terry tries serving my lunch to an unknown woman in the eatery as he accidentally sits at the wrong table. I still laugh until I cry when I picture his face in my mind. Ah, he is my people. 

We hope you had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend, filled with love and fun. Until our next blog posts, take care.