I can hear everyone saying it now...'What do lions and tigers have to do with the Upper Peninsula?' I would have thought the same thing, until I stumbled upon these shots in Donn de Yampert's Gallery. Now we all know there are bears here in the Keweenaw and across the U.P., but I have to admit, the lions and tigers had me wide eyed and stumped. That is, until I read a few of Donn's captions, to discover that the town of Wallace, MI, is home to the DeYoung Family Zoo. Even after living here my entire life, it never ceases to amaze me, the things there are to see and do. The one thing puzzling me about the Zoo though, is what do they do with the animals in the winter months? As I think those creatures are accustomed to warmer temps than even the southern U.P. has to offer that time of year!

Good morning!

Good Morning from Saginaw!!! A good yawn to start your day. Have a good day.

Lions and tigers and bears.....oh my. Lions and tigers and bears.....oh my. We're off to see the wizard....the wonderful wizard of oz.

(too much coffee this morning!)

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

Anita from the U.P. --

There's no such thing as "too much coffee". But then I'm half Finn. I guess you could say it's in my blood.

Theres no place like home.

Anita ~

Do you have a toto dog named Daisy?

Mornin', I was here before the picture change.

Yep...I did a doubletake. That tiger picture is phenomonal!

Lions and tigers and bears, Oh my!
Looks like Oz in here!

Oz? That perhaps like not Kansas (anymore?)?
Anyway, what's with that Oz-thing?
Could somebody please explain for a not-too-literate european?

This can't be Kansas!

Good morning from Mishawaka, IN. Another summer like day expected here.

Hey Danbury..it's a Wizard of Oz quote..."Lions and Tigers and Bears...oh my!"

FANTASTIC photos! The Tiger is now my screen saver. Good morning all! Have a blessed day...share some love and light!

LIONS ON THE TOP.... IF THIS IS TO MAKE THE DETROIT LIONS SHINE THIS WEEK--SO BE IT... FROM A TRUE PACKER FAN ENJOY IT NOW AS THE LIONS WILL NEED THESE ANIMALS AND MORE TO KEEP THEM ON TOP..PICTURES ARE GREAT BUT THE LIONS ARE NOT....

GO EAGLES..... A BEGINNING OF MANY MORE LOSSES BEFORE THE YEARS END...

morning from l.p. right now the Lions are on top. go lions.

We have been coming to the UP for 20 years and we was excited by seeing just bear.

Good Morning from Ann Arbor

Yupper we see a sign advertising the zoo on the way to the keweenaw on US 41 . i do a double take everytime i see it . haven't stopped to see it too excited to get to copper harbor , for me as my girl friend says im on a mission !!!

No supper till we get to da upper !!!

joe

Nice pics Donn! The lion reminded me of the lion in the movie "Secondhand Lions". If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Lived in the UP all my life, and never been to the DeYoung zoo. Definitely going to add visiting the zoo to my gotta do list!

LOL! Did you hear about the new competitive "sport" in Finland? It was on the morning news! Who can stay in the sauna longest?? I'm surprised that it took this long to make it an 'official contest'! LOL

Many thanks to everyone who offered suggestions as to what to send to my Godson in Iraq... may they ALL stay safe and for goodness sake's "keep their helmets on"! I'm on my way to the post office this morning!

Other people have said it but I have to say it again: You never know what you'll find on this page each morning!
At first I didn't think the bear was in the zoo with the rest but after a closer look I found the fence in the background. I thought Donn might have had an exciting camping trip.

Lions on top...

I hear lucifer just put in a local snow scoop order lol

Morning everyone.

As stated above...

There's no place like home........

Especially if it's the Keweenaw.

I've been to the DeYoung Zoo and it's amazing. The animals do stay outside in winter as far as I know. Mr. DeYoung has a permit to pick up road-kill to feed his menagerie. When I was there, he had a large fenced-off area with around 6 tigers in it; he needed to clean up after their meal so he brought out his wheelbarrow, opened the gate and walked right in with the animals. One big male wasn't done with his hindquarter yet but DeYoung wanted him to move, so the man grabbed the hoof end of the leg, pulled it away from the tiger who was still nibbling, and flung it so the tiger would move. The tiger merely looked at him, then got up and went to where his meal now lay.

Mike
hope your feeling better also matt . you dont want to spread your germs around especially to old george., and Matt you want to keep your taste buds sharp for the volworth.

You will not find another open air zoo of this caliber unless you are on a game preserve in Africa. You will not have the opportunity to take photographs like this any closer to home (and at lesser expense). I recommend all to visit this local zoo.
Regards,
Donn

What beautiful photos! They all look so nice and healthy. You can tell they are getting good care.

Only at Pasty Central, would a photo of a lion and a tiger produce so much humor!

I liked, "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain", though I might have said, "behind that camera". ;)

Excellent photo selections today. All of Donns photos here and in his gallery are top notch.

What - no flying monkeys? For the readers out there, try "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" - the book is great and the basis for the newest broadway hit "Wicked". It gives you a totally different perspective on growing up Ozian and "what" made Glinda into a Good Witch and Elphaba into the "wicked" Witch of the West. Now that's a horse of a different color!

Yikes! I never knew about this zoo, either! But, I'm so happy to hear that these animals are being treated well and are so healthy.

Well, I hafta add this to the list of places to go next trip to the Yoop.
Thanks for some fabulous pictures!

Good morning, will be up in two weeks. Calumet, my home in days of the past, always looks and feel's good. I know of the pizza and pasty places from past posts, but how about "crusty bread"? Since Thurners (spelling) is not there, does any other bakery offer it?? Appreciate your help. Thank you.....

Tony's in Laurium...

I'm a good witch!

Question. I need to know where the nearest Circuit City is to the Keewenaw. I know there's one in Traverse City and Green Bay but I thought there was a third one. Is Green Bay the closest?

I'm melting........awwwwwwww

Ok, that has to me my favorite line in the whole movie...aside from the Lollipop Guild song...

Anyway- Great pictures and great comments. Speaking of the Wizard of OZ, I saw a movie years ago starring John Ritter called Dreamer of Oz, a very good story about how the book was written.

Happy day everyone. If only I could click my heels together 3 times and be Home... (Michigan)

Where is Wallace, MI?

North of Menominee...about 20 miles maybe

Hey, Grizzly, Green Bay is the closest. There's one in Appleton and one in Milwaukee, too.

All Together now, Everybody Sing!

If I were King of the Forest, Not queen, not duke, not prince.
My regal robes of the forest, would be satin, not cotton, not chintz.
I'd command each thing, be it fish or fowl.
With a woof and a woof and a royal growl - woof.
As I'd click my heel, all the trees would kneel.
And the mountains bow and the bulls kowtow.
And the sparrow would take wing - If I - If I - were King!
Each rabbit would show respect to me.
The chipmunks genuflect to me.
Though my tail would lash, I would show compash
For every underling!
If I - If I - were King!
Just King!

Egads... I hope it's not Kansas! Otherwise, that means I woke up in the wrong place this morning. 'Cause if the UP is Kansas... where's Kansas? (If I've woken up in the UP this morning, please don't pinch me... I'd like to stay!)

There's plenty of zoos down here, but that one sounds phenomenal. Until I get back UP dere though, I will have to satisfy my curiosity at the Oz Museum (a short 8 miles from home, in the town of Wamego).

Mary/ Lake Linden

Thanks!! me too !!

Hope all is well with you !

Auntie Em, Auntie Em, where are you? Toto and I want to go home the the U.P.!

Follow the yellow brick road.

Or, somewhere over the rainbow--where the U.P. is.

lions on top of the division, tigers in the middle of the pack and da bears are on bottom just like the PACKERS!!!!!!!!!! hahahahaha good placement of pictures

Tigers can adopt to colder climates very well.Thet are native to Siberia and China and many other asian countries and can survive under cold and snowy conditions. The Lions like the heat of Africa.

No more calls for ruby slipper repairs.
the warranties are long expired!!

Lions, Tigers, Bears, Vikings, Packers & Cheeseheads, in that order.

Well now I know where to see lions and tigers and bears, but does anyone know where in da yoop a guy might have a good chance of spotting a moose in da wild?? I have seen quite a few over the years, but my wife has never seen one and it sure would make her happy to finally get to see a moose...

Dave

Isle Royale

"just say ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

Scooter's mad because the Bears beat his Packers and the Lions beat the Bears. The Lions are undefeated after two games for the first time since I believe 2000 thanks to that cutey pie from the UP, Steve Mariucci. Gotta Love Him!!!

Steve Mariucci is a hottie...and how about that Eddie Drummond, eh?

And Toto, too.

poika Henry, Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'm feeling a little better, Matt has been giving the Sauna a good workout all week because he's so weak(minded). Old George is a tough old bird, no colds for him for over 29 years now.

Take care

Dear Hunter,

The tiger may be adaptable to cold climes,and feared by many, but the pernicious gerbil should not be underestimated. Although shy, they are fierce survivors and are known to be attracted to cameras and photographers.

The UP is home to several packs of these noble creatures who are often misunderstood and therefore reviled. I hope against hope that we may, someday, have just one clear photo of an alpha-male for everyone's wallpaper collection.

I have to giggle over this gerbil thing. Instead of the Where's Waldo theme, we can look for the hidden gerbils in all the pictures of the day. Look really close, and you will see the gerbil in todays shots.

getting back to friday, who is Williams Boyga?

What a silly, fun day here on the pasty chat!!

I wanna go home, I wanna go home, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.................

DANG! I'm still here in the south!


It was worth trying since it worked for Dorothy!

i told you the warranties have expired on the ruby slippers.
Geesh

By FRNash/PHX, AZ on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 03:04 pm:

H. Donn de Yampert, PT, DPT.:
" Tony's in Laurium..."
Just a minor correction, to avoid any possible confusion:
That's "Toni's in Laurium..." (right next to the Post Office).
A picture is worth a thousand words .
Here's a view to the east from Toni's parking lot:

Hey- Maybe some flying monkeys will swing by and take us home????

COMING HOME THURSDAY TO GODS COUNTRY IN HANCOCK.

Moose in Da UP.

2 years ago a young moose was showing off between
Hubbell and Lake linden in the fenced in area.

Made for quite a traffic jam. ;-)

Last october, camping at King lake between
us141 cutoff and three lakes, we saw moose
tracks on the railroad grade.

Next day I drove 1/2 mile out of campground
up on the hill to get cell reception, and when
I did I backed truck into bush to turn around
after call and there staring back at me was the
Moose. ;-)

Also in August this year, same area, I was telling
my dad about the moose we saw while driving to MQT
when right on que, a moose rambled across US41
near hickey creek.

We have twice this summer taken the Peshekee grade
and the old huron bay railroad grade across the
Hurons looking for moose, only to find some signs,
but no moose.

Hope this helps, waiting for the leaves to fall
next month may help also.

Ah. Thanks, Donna.
??????????????????
Guess I have to go to the US again one day and do some more research - none of my friends here was able to tell me what exactly the Wizard of Oz is about, although the line about Kansas was recognized - without knowing it's relevance - funny ...

Danbury, the Wizard of Oz is a classic movie starring Judy Garland, as Dorothy. It's about Dorothy and her dog Toto and they live in Kansas. Kind of one of those movies where everything looks better somewhere else and then you realize "there's no place like home" in the end. The movie has a tornado in which Dorothy is injured and you, the viewer, are swept into her "dream", which takes her to the Land of Oz, where she meets the Cowardly Lion, The Tin Man and The Scarecrow, all; who like Dorothy, are looking for "something better".Dorothy wants to go home, the lion wants courage, the tin man wants a heart and the scarecrow wants a brain. They are directed to go and see the Wizard in the Emerald City who grants wishes. And so the story goes...
Adventure, drama, joy, etc. In the end Dorothy realizes she has had the power all the time to go home by clicking her "ruby slippers" together three times and saying, "there's no place like home". They each realize they already have the power within themselves to make their dreams come true. There you have it!!Wizard of Oz 101

Danbury: You'd have to see the movie, a classic staring Judy Garland. I believe Diana Ross and Michael Jackson did an updated version called "The Wiz." Or get the book from the library--classic children's literature. Almost all American's had it read to them as children. It's fanciful and magical like Alice in Wonderland.

Ya think Charlie and Mary are the Wizards of Awes? Or the photog's or maybe the UP. Take a pick.

Todays subjects: The Wizards of paws

What do you mean "dream"????

Oz isn't a real place? :(

By the way Roudy, you are gonna get me in trouble here at work, I laughed out loud...dead give away that I'm not "working"....

Roudy: Wizards of Awes--great one!

Shellys boss: The wizard of pause. Get to work!

I'll get you my pretty......and your little dog too!!!

Roudy, another theme, and much more dramatic to go with todays pictures:

The wizards of CLAWS!! and JAWS!!!

Ouch!

They keep trying to tell me that Kansas is the land of 'Ahs'. I'm not convinced. No cool, clear running streams with smooth rock bottoms to dip my feet in, no big Lake to sit back and watch the sun rise/set along... huh. No ahs here.

lions and tigers and bears oh my! lions and tigers and bears oh my! lions and tigers and bears oh my! lions and tigers and bears oh my! lions and tigers and bears oh my! hehe...i'm a little hyper wanting REALLY REALLY bad to come to da yoop! loving the pictures LONGING for the U.P.!!!!!!

Joanne White Lk, perhaps you're referring to Williams boy (Finnish "poika")

Mary, you should brought the kids out in everybody with today's pictures!!

Finn-

Easy on the caffiene tomorrow, ok?

Hello from Mishawaka IN. Oh my gosh. I about fell off my chair reading some of todays posts. I love this site. It was not a good day until I got home and signed on to Pasty Central. Thank you everyone, you made my day a whole lot better!

" There's no place like home, there's no place like home..."

Still clickin, it didn't work for me either! Maybe it would have worked better if I could have jumped high enough for my heals to click better!! LOL

Love this site & it's great to see so many get really looney sometimes - today was a great day reading and laughing at so many of the comments. "We're off to FIND the wizard who can get us to the GREAT UP for at least a couple days....."

P.S. It's hard to post first - many times I've waited for the pic. to change so to try to be first - it's tricky!

Thanks for another great read today everyone!

Son of a Yooper in Germany

I am also half Finn and I agree....there is no such thing as too much coffee. How could I have typed that!! I have a brother who lives in Germany who is also the son of a Yooper. What part of Germany are in you in? My brother lives in Walzbachtal and is a UPS Driver in Karlsruhe.

You guys all are a hoot! It was worth waiting til after dinner to log in/on? Had a busy day with a bunch of jr. high kids , more than a retired old gal can handle sometime! :) Sweet dreams everyone, aren't we all dreamin' about the U.P.? P.S. did you see the nice memoriam in Lake Superior Magazine about Dan Urbanski

Great pictures Donn! Great comments everyone.

Good night Mrs. Kalabash, wherever you are!

Good night ,John Boy. Some days I miss "The
Waltons". This site reminds me of it some
days--good times, good memories,caring
people. Good night all.

Say Goodnight, Gracie.

An Oz Trivia Question for all you Wizard Lovers out there:
What were the actual lyrics to the song the soldiers were chanting at the castle of the wicked witch? Hint: It sounded something like, "O-EE-O O-O-O. However, the song did have actual words. I'll answer the question later.

Oh good I'll be humming that all night. trying to think of the words.

Whose the good witch???!!!****?//!!#

The good witch came from the East!! As is in the UP, if you travel from the east, it only gets better! sait!! was her name Glinda???

I always new you where the Wizard Donn. The man behind the curtain(camera) is Donn de Yampert!! The Z-Man only needs a heart. Great captures my brother.

I agree w/ the earlier poster... "Wicked" is a very good book! I loved it. Now, when I see the Wizard of Oz, I look at it totally differently!

This is kind of an off-beat question. But, if anyone knows the answer, it'll be someone on the Pastycam. Does anyone know of a videographer in the Houghton/Calumet/Copper Harbor area? I'm getting married in Eagle Harbor and my reception is in Copper Harbor and I'd really like a videographer to come. Any ideas?

I kid you not! The International Wizard of Oz club was headquartered in Escanaba..in the 70's!

It's me, it's me, it's me the good witch from the west! Glinda was from the north.

Here's the answer to my trivia question.
The soldiers were chanting:
"O we loathe the old one."
"O we loathe the old one."

check for keweenaw video on the pasty.com home page!!!! near top right side!!!

My Google search yielded that the screenplay says "O-Ee-Yah! Eoh-ah". Otherwise, there is total disagreement on the internet over the "words" chanted by the Winkie Guards. There were no lyrics ever listed with the score. Keep arguing.

I looked on Keweenaw Video's website and it doesn't say anything about doing wedding videos...??

My Zoogle search found the soldiers chanting
"O de Yampert! O de Yampert!"

Leslie @NLL... I hear from a friend about another popular sport in ol' Suomi: Wife carrying. The man who wins earns his wife's weight in beer!

Anita from the UP --

Sorry this is so late, but you understand the time difference since your brother lives here. I just got in to work and am reading through the posts from yesterday.

We live near Stuttgart. We've been here almost 22 years. I grew up near Cleveland, OH; Dad moved here from the UP to get a job and never moved back. An all to familiar story for ex-Yoopers. Growing up, the annual summer vacation was spent in my Dad's hometown -- Wakefield. Many good memorys of swimming in Sunday Lake from the beach at Eddy (sp?) Park and exploring the area in and around Brotherton Location with my brother.

Some day we'll move back to the States and my dream is to move to where my area code and God's are the same. The reality is that we'll move to where the next job is and since the UP is a tough nut to crack when it comes to steady employment I'm afraid it will remain a dream.

Anybody know of an opening in the distant future for a network engineer/architect in the UP? 8^)

Son of a Yooper,
Yes I do understand the time difference, 6 hours ahead of us!!

I loved your comment on your dream, "move to where my area code and God's are the same". I'll have to tell my brother that one because he feels the same way sometimes. He met his wife when he was stationed over there while in the Army, back in the early 80's and he has been there ever since. Sometimes it really gets to him that he has been gone for so long and when he comes to visit you can tell he doesn't want to leave. He often visits this site to get his "Yooper fix".

Yes the UP is a tough nut to crack when it comes to employment......I know that first hand but somehow have managed to stay here all my life. I love Lake Superior and can't imagine life without it. Next time I go there I'll wade into it for you.

Good luck to you and cherish your Yooper ties.....they are a gift from God. God Bless!

Ya, there are a lot of those jobs up here.
HMMMMMM

Hey Son of a Yooper in Germany, check out the Michigan Tech alumni website (http://www.mtu.edu/alumni/) for jobs, and look at the hospital websites, too -- IT guys are needed everywhere. Marquette General Hospital might be your best bet healthcare wise, but Iron Mountain is also a possibility. Northern Michigan University (http://www.nmu.edu/) might also help. Don't forget monster.com, and check out dice.com for other tech jobs.

ANITA
More Stroh's and Pasties for us ..tough luck Ferd!