Ron and Peggy Roloff

Uncle Andy with daughter and nieces

We ended our wonderful stay in San Diego with my cousin Cathy, Pat and Uncle Andy with a day at the Zoo.
Sunday was our Hamilton reunion with cousins from our grandmother’s side of the family. How fun is that! Lots of chatter getting to know one another and listening to old stories by our 96 yr. old Uncle Andy. I have recorded him to put up on Youtube, his secrets for a long and healthy life. He is still going strong. with a great mind and sense of humor.
Today we went with Cathy and Pat to SD Zoo which is one of the highest rated in the world. Absolutely beautiful with animals so well cared for in most natural settings. Loved the 45 year old Silverback Gorilla and family. Such personalities. Pandas were beautiful. So much better condition and cared for than the ones I saw in Washington DC about 25 years ago. These were clean and happy. We were there for feeding time when they sat back munching on fresh bamboo leaves and the inside of thick stalks.

Don't mess with me...

Ron says getting so close to the hippos and gorillas with triple thick glass made it a surreal experience. Looking eye to eye with these wonderous creatures does quicken your heart with appreciation for God’s handiwork. They are amazing and we are thankful for those who have worked so hard to rescue and maintain the zoo.

As we drive along the Mexican border we are saddened to see so many check points and trucks with open containers in back to scoop up the people coming across from Mexico illegally. The forces have been increased is appears. Night is falling as we travel along I 8 so border guards are on patrol. For awhile there was a little building and a white pickup with box trailer nearly every 100 ft. or so. Tall double flood light stands are set to pick up any movement in the narrow area from the highway to a ‘line’ we can’t see.

As much as we are glad there is more patrol it is sad to see ‘cages’ for people who will be caught tonight.

We have just made it into Yuma Arizona as I write this. Lots of lights and neon signs of civilization.. the Golden Arches loom above it all.  We’ll stop tonight further down the road and drive on to Tucson tomorrow morning.

Filed under: Uncategorized on June 15th, 2009