Travels with Jeanne and Serge: Cheesecake and Bears

The following day was a shopping day for Serge and Jeanne; they wanted to bring Ohio souvenirs to many friends and relatives in France. While I mowed the lawn and did other chores, they and Joan spent time in Easton.

The Buckeye Corner was a treasure cave full of Ohio stuff. After the shopping intensive, lunch was taken at the Cheesecake Factory. The opportunities for Serge and Jeanne to have American cheesecake were growing fewer.

They did not overlook this chance.

That evening we attended a preview, before the official opening, of the new Polar Frontier exhibit in the North American section of the Columbus Zoo. This area has polar bears, brown (grizzly) bears, and arctic foxes. First, we passed through polar bear jaws.

The Polar Frontier area has a mining-camp aesthetic.

The two polar bears, girls named Aurora and Anana, inhabit an area with grass and rocks, and they also have a large pool.

The two-footed creatures have upper and lower viewing areas of the bears' pool.

The real jaw-dropper is the lower, underwater room.

Sometimes the polar bear looks back.

The arctic foxes were shy, but Jeanne was able to capture a good photo.

The two brown bears, Brutus and Buckeye, were exploring their new habitat. During the first part of our visit they were enjoying the grassy parts.

I can't tell you if this is Brutus or Buckeye. He's quite large.

These brothers are young, strong, and inquisitive. There had been a bar that held down the drain fitting in their pool, but it wasn't sturdy enough to stand up to their curiosity. The zoo was forced to locate a much thicker item. Later in our visit, the brown bears entered the water.

One fellow struggled to grasp a single yogurt-covered raisin from the pool; sometimes massive claws are a disadvantage.

As the sun grew lower Jeanne bade farewell to one of her polar friends. It was time to prepare for tomorrow and another overnight outing.