Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a novel, and although I don’t usually review books, I so loved this one that I wanted to spread the word.  The story centers on Jacob Janowski, and is told partly in his voice as a 93-year-old and most of the time in his voice as a young man, as it flows from present to past.  As Jacob is about to sit for his veterinary medicine exams at Cornell during the depression, he gets some bad news that completely disrupts his life.  He ends up joining the Benzini Brothers Circus Train and taking on the role of vet to the circus animals.  Gruen creates such a vivid world with characters that are completely alive and a historical setting that made me feel as if I had time traveled back to this particular time and space.  She highlights the contrast of the harshness of circus life in the depression with the incredible caring and loyalty and love that manages to exist within it.   I loved the characters, I loved the story, and I was just sad that it was over when I reached the end.

Safari West

I recently had the pleasure of spending the day at Safari West, a wild animal preserve outside Santa Rosa. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was surprised and delighted with the experience. Safari West is owned by the Langs. It is a beautiful piece of land in the rolling hills of the wine country. There are over 500 animals there, many free to roam. My friend and I went on a jeep tour (12 people, one guide). Our guide, Robert, was knowledgeable and impassioned about his work. We saw many animals close up (giraffes actually come right up to the jeep) and learned much about endangered species and other interesting information about animals (did you know that a group of giraffes is called a journey and a group of zebras is called a dazzle?) Safari West is extremely environmentally friendly. We had a very good barbeque lunch before the tour and all was served on porcelain plates with real silverware. Watching the giraffes afterwards was very beautiful and peaceful. I highly recommend this experience.