Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium - Litchfield Park, AZ

Dear Diary,
While in Arizona, we explored a zoo that recently made national headlines.

Somehow, someway - a woman managed to get too close to the jaguar here, and she was obviously attacked.

As we viewed the enclosure, we wondered ... HOW IN THE HELL?

The zoo reassured the public that nothing would happen to the jaguar. Barriers such as these are in place for visitors' safety, and it is not a wild animal's fault when those barriers are crossed.

The woman has since apologized.

No selfie is worth it.

(The kids said this one reminded them of our black cat, Savvy.)

We enjoyed the rest of our visit.

Ever see a duck taking a bath?

What about an albino peacock?

Or an adorable baby duck ...

It was thrilling to see a white Bengal Tiger.

The New Guinea Singing Dogs lived up to their name and sang as their keeper delivered their meals.

Interesting to see how a giraffe eats though ...

We saw huge ostrich eggs!

And the ostrich fight a chain link fence (as one does) ...

The Giant Tortoises were funny to watch.

And I can't say I've ever seen a swan eat.

The Lion's name is Solomon.

I expected Bobcats to be bigger.

We got so close to the giraffes! It was an exciting sight.

We must have come at just the right time (feeding) as the animals were quite active.

Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium
16501 W. Northern Ave., Litchfield
Website

Scenic Arizona

Dear Diary,

They say, in Arizona - you'll never see the same sunset twice.

I have proof.

I'd say there's something to that statement.

We were also intrigued by the cacti - something we don't see everyday.

But palm trees still hold a special place in my heart.

Surprisingly, rising from the desert sands, we saw a snow-covered mountain - Humphreys Peak.

It's located in Flagstaff, which we passed by en route to the Grand Canyon.

Humphreys was a far cry from the peaks closer to Phoenix.

There were plenty of citrus trees in Phoenix as well. 

This was not my first time to AZ - technically, I set foot in this desert state when I walked across the Hoover Dam a few years ago. Thankfully, this time around, I stayed a while.