The Rest of the Story

 

Friday, August 1, 2025

Well, as we reported in the last blog post, the Mount Nebo fire is still going as of this morning. We spotted responders at the fire on Thursday afternoon. The fire blazed all night long, giving fire crews a lot of work through the night and well into the next day. About noon on Friday, I walked outside to our patio and saw this. 

Smoke is still rising from the grounds of the hill. Apparently, 50 acres were burned. No injuries were reported, and nothing in the way of structural damage. Two satellite dishes and a building sit on top of the hill, along with an American flag and a tower, all of which were not harmed. 

As plumes of smoke rise above the area, there is nothing left on the hill except charred grounds with a few scattered shrubs and trees. We were thankful that no homes or businesses were damaged due to the proximity of the hillside. 

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Later in the day, Terry made the decision to take us to eat some East Indian food. Good stuff! One of our favorite places that hosts a daily buffet was serving up some delicious dishes, so off we went. 

The dish I love the most is the chicken paneer. Wow, it's good. Its brownish, chunky appearance may not look appetising, but oh, my. I do love the paneer sauce that covers the chicken. 

After eating a great-tasting dinner, I put some paneer dessert on my plate. I had never tried it before. It's the white coconut sauce you see on the plate. Not overly sweet by any means, but so good. The orange dish on the right side of the coconut dessert is a carrot pudding. I've never had it before, either, but I do know I will return for that. It tasted almost like a sweet potato. Great stuff!

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Our lunch/dinner was complete. With overly full bellies, we decided to complete some errands we needed to run. Costco and other stores were visited, and items were purchased. We returned home and relaxed for the evening. 

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Saturday, July 2, 2025

Wildlife Safari had gained some painted dogs. Terry and I wanted to get acquainted with the new pups. We drove to Wildlife Safari and began our journey for the day. 

With the temperature at 88 degrees, I was surprised we saw as many animals as we did. We start off with the camels. At least this time, the camel looks aware and awake. The last time we came, it looked as though he or she had a rough night and had no coffee yet that morning. 

As we drove forward a few feet, I looked to the right of us and saw a huge ostrich. This was the largest ostrich I had ever seen. It is moulting time for the birds, so they look scraggly at the moment. 

This baby was eating and not paying attention to us, but I had to stare at it for a few moments. A giant ostrich!

I know I have never seen this particular bird at the park either. I would have recognized it by how large it is. It made me wonder if it came from the Bandon park that was shut down after a horrible story of starving animals and letting their health go downhill. Either that or this bird may have been acquired from another park. 

After a few more minutes, I was finally able to close my mouth after the shock of such a large bird, and move forward a bit along the four-mile path. A herd of common eland stood in the grassland, munching on the greener, moist grass in the shade. 

Some were just relaxing in the shade to keep cool. 

Next up were the lions and lionesses. One large lion was relaxing in the grass. No pictures came of it due to him being so relaxed; he was almost melting into the ground. Between his position and the fence, any chance of a photo was gone. 

The lioness we spotted was lying on a wooden platform, catching the shade of an upper platform. She, too, was so comfortable and definitely behind a fence, making it difficult to find a good shot. But hey, we've all seen lions before, right?

Now came the new addition to Wildlife Safari's abundance of creatures, the painted dogs. Terry and I held up other traffic behind us for about 10 minutes, making an attempt to actually see the new babies. I couldn't tell where one of them began and the other ended. This was all we could get. If you can make them out, kudos! We will definitely have to come on a cooler day to see if we can actually determine what they look like. 

Disappointed, we moved on. My spirits were uplifted a bit when I saw how big this guy was getting! The last photos we took of him were when he came up to his mother's knees. Oh, our baby is growing up!

Once again, the lazy rhinos were snoozing under the shade trees across the pasture. I think someone needs to check to see if they're breathing. Each time we come, they are in this spot. 

He is out cold. I wonder if rhinos snore? That would shake the hill!

Herds of bison tend to roam around the entire park. We spot them here, then there, then under the trees. They do love to roam! While I took this photo, I realized that I caught something else in the photo, too. Can you spot it? 

Yes, that's one of my favorite animals here, the guanaco. There were two of them lazing in the grass, watching the bison tromp past them. Love me some guanaco!

As I was ready to take a photo of the guanaco in a close-up shot, this big guy blocked my view. Figures. 

I pulled the car forward a bit and was able to get this photo of the guanaco. Excuse the bison butt. 

Giving up on the guanaco pictures, we moved on to see what else was happening in the park today. We took a turn into the bear run. Seems like the bears were up and socializing today!

A large brown bear was wrestling with the smaller bear. To see if he could get the brown bear away from him, the smaller bear jumped into the water. This did not end the wrestling match here, though. Big boy jumped right in after him and kept things going. 

Bears are always fun to watch when they're wrestling and playing, and having some fun. 

A large herd of American elk was lying in the sun today, too. Can't say as I blame them. 

Of course, the giraffes were in good spirits and were roaming as far as they could. 

A little guy was trying to lick the fence. Not sure what they do that for, but we've seen many of them give it a shot. 

Just before the giraffe area was another rhino. This rhino was standing up and could be seen well. Unfortunately, the park was very busy, with many cars parked right in front of the run, making it impossible to get close enough to get a picture without a car right in front of the rhino. 

We crossed into the feeding section of the park, where people purchase food to feed the animals along the way. Fallow deer, geese, rheas, emus, and other animals walk right up to your car window and ask for food. Out of the chaos, I noticed another of my buddies, the Tibetan yak. 

Fallow deer are small enough, but the babies are exceptionally tiny. 

This one was following behind mom to give you a better glimpse into how small they are. The baby shown here is probably a couple of months old. 

A family of elands took a chance to relax for the afternoon. 

Elands are beautiful, in my opinion. 

A gorgeous boy was also taking advantage of the sunshine today. This nilgai is the largest antelope in Asia and the only member of the genus Boselaphus. The animal is also known as a blue bull or Indian nilgai. 

 

Next were the cheetahs. These cats are so astoundingly gorgeous to me. Tigers were across from the cheetahs, but no such luck getting photos through the double-lane line of traffic. 

Finished with our tour through the park, we began the short trek home. But first, we stopped in at our favorite Arby's to get something to eat. 

At least no other women were sitting alone for Terry to serve my dinner to. He's just that kind of guy. (For details, see We Have the Meats). We ate and headed home to spend a nice evening together with our fur babies, while watching our show. It had been a great day, filled with laughs and love, just the way we like it. 

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Sunday, August 3, 2025

Mount Nebo after the fire. Quite a bit of the trees and shrubs were saved. I found these photos online. 

It's not looking too bad, but it still leaves a sad feeling each time I see it. I think of all the wildlife, mainly, since all the homes and businesses were okay. 

A lot of good people fought hard to keep this blaze under control. We are grateful to all who jumped in to care for this situation. Thank you!

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Until our next blog post, hug those close to you. Stay safe. Lots of love, light, and hugs sent your way. Have an awesome week!

Terry & Vicki Macrae

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