
The lantern festival at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, MI was the main reason we came to this side of the state last weekend. If I am being honest, @mrsbozz had been bugging me for quite some time about wanting to see the lantern festival. I kept saying the obligatory "okay honey", but never really did anything about it. Mostly because our Springs are usually pretty full in the first place, but for some reason this year I decided to actually do something about it.
In addition to that, I figured I would kill two birds with one stone and make a whole weekend of it. I figured we could go to the zoo lights/lantern festival one day and then make the short drive over to Holland, MI for the tulip festival on a different day (more on that in another post!).

The John Ball Zoological Garden sits on the west side of Grand Rapids in a rather hilly neighborhood. As we pulled into the parking lot I noticed that our car hit the 60,000 mile mark on the odometer, so I knew I had to take a photo of it. Plus we were listening to a pretty amazing song at the time, so there is that too.
Anyway, the zoo houses more than 2000 animals with over 200 different species. Given the fact that we visited the zoo at 9:30 at night, most of the animals were asleep, but I was surprised by a couple of owls who were quite interested in all the commotion at the zoo.

We took so many photos that I am likely going to have to split this up into two posts. I haven't quite decided yet. If anything, you might get lucky if this turns out to be a post that is light on text and heavy on photos! Having never been to the festival before, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. We have some friends who have been, but I don't think a verbal description really gives you an idea of how amazing it is.



While there was definitely an Asian theme to the whole lantern festival, there was also a lot of other whimsical stuff happening. The festival takes you through a mile long path that winds up and down the bluffs and ravines of the zoo. They have a couple of raised walkways that change the elevation quite a bit more than I thought it would. It actually made it kind of cool because at certain points you were almost walking through tunnels of lights.
Although they had the path clearly marked, there is so much going on that it's kind of easy to lose your way at times. We basically just followed the crowd.





Speaking of the crowd, it was pretty packed when we showed up at 9:30 at night. They have different time slots that you can buy your tickets and arrive in, but they didn't really seem to be keeping too close track of it. Plus, you can take your time walking through, so if you wanted to stay in there for six hours they probably wouldn't be tracking you down and kicking you out.
I've touched on the fact that many people lack situational awareness these days, so that along with people focusing on taking photos of pretty much everything lead to a bit of a chaotic event. If you don't like crowds, this likely isn't an event for you.






It was a chilly evening as we strolled through the zoo. We had been talking to the lady behind the desk at the hotel before we left for the lantern festival and she said that they add new things every year, so it is always a bit different show each time you visit. Despite the chill, it was actually a really great evening. We were walking enough that we didn't really have time to be cold. In fact, by the time we got back to the car I was actually sweating a bit.





The ground level part of the zoo walk seemed to be a bit of a random assortment of animals and things like that. As you progressed along the path, things became a bit more separated into different themes. I'll get to that in a different post though... Be sure to check it out either tomorrow or next week!

That 60k milestone and vinyl track at once.
OMG! These are so beautiful. I can only imagine what it was like IRL. Thanks for sharing this.
It was my pleasure! They were quite amazing!
This is such an AWE-some documentation of your experience at the festival! I'm particularly intrigued by the mention of 200 different species. The photos are excellent, and I love how they make us feel as though we're in the moment. You look as good and happy as your wife. Thank you for taking us through this journey. Reblogged!🤗
It was my pleasure!
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Your wife looks happy, great job! The Lantern event looks beautiful.
Thank you! We had a really good time!
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Wow that us awesome
More photos getting posted today from our trip!
Cool I will check them out
I saw John Ball Zoo and was like no way, whaaaat, lol. I grew up in Grand Rapids and lived there the 1st 34 years of my life. I haven't been back there for 16 years, so this made me homesick a little. Thank for sharing
Oh no way, I love Grand Rapids. It's got such a cool vibe to it. It's like big city, but not as crazy as Detroit or some of the other ones. We spent the whole weekend there and we are going back in another week or so to see a concert at the new amphitheater they just built. We live on the other side of the state, so it's about a two hour drive for us to get there.
I love those mushrooms! That is pretty cool, we have one here in the Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh that I keep saying we will goto!
Perhaps next year. Looks great fun and you got some exercise too!
It's definitely worth it to say you went at least once. I did this one more for my wife, but I am glad I finally caved and bought the tickets. It was a cool experience.
Hehe well doing things for her keeps a good relationship alive, and it is surprising how much we actually enjoy things that we poopooed originally!
Wow! That is fantastic! I wish we had something like that here!
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The Great Illusion: How @guiltyparties Built an Empire on Empty Promises
Prologue: The Mask of Benevolence
There is a particular kind of tragedy in watching a wolf dress itself in shepherd's clothing, not to protect the flock, but to shear it bare while convincing the sheep they are being cared for.
Today, we pull back the curtain on @guiltyparties.
To the casual observer, this account appears to be a hub of charity, a distributor of aid, a beacon of hope in the Hive ecosystem. The transaction history is a cascade of outgoing transfers: thousands of HIVE and HBD flowing to
gpwalletaccounts, to individuals in need, to "medical emergencies," to "food funds," to "rent." The memos speak of compassion: "dog's vet," "towards surgery cost," "Christmas event and gifts for the children."But look closer. Follow the money. And you will find not a charity, but a centralized banking cartel disguised as a community fund. You will find a system where power is concentrated, transparency is an illusion, and the "help" provided is merely the interest paid on a loan of trust that can never be repaid.
We expose the truth: @guiltyparties runs a massive farm, a shadow bank, and a political machine, all while pretending to be a simple benefactor.
I. The Architecture of the Shadow Bank
Figure 1: The Wallet Network (The Shell Game)
The Implication:
Why does a charity need 30+ numbered wallets? Why does it need to route funds through
@bdhivesteemto convert currency before distribution? The answer is control. By fragmenting the treasury, @guiltyparties creates a labyrinth that protects the central hoard from scrutiny while maintaining absolute authority over who eats and who starves.II. The Mechanical Symphony of Control
Based on on-chain transaction logs
While the public sees "gifts," the blockchain records transactions. And the patterns reveal a cold, calculated machine.
Figure 2: The Stipend System (@logic)
Figure 3: The Currency Mill (@bdhivesteem)
III. The Narrative vs. The Ledger
The most dangerous lie is the one wrapped in truth. Yes, @guiltyparties does send money to people in need. The transactions are real. The memos are heart-wrenching. "Medical," "Food," "Surgery."
But consider the source.
When a warlord builds a school in the village he occupies, is he a philanthropist? Or is he buying silence?
The ledger shows that for every dollar given to the poor, ten dollars are moved between shell companies (
gpwallets). For every memo about "feeding children," there is a silent transfer of thousands of HIVE to@logicto fund the bots that downvote dissenters.The Truth:
The "charity" is the marketing budget. It is the cost of doing business for a cartel that seeks to dominate Hive's governance and culture. They give you crumbs to keep you from noticing they are eating the whole loaf.
IV. The Connection to the Downvote Machine
We cannot talk about @guiltyparties without talking about @spaminator and @hivewatchers.
The cycle is complete:
This is not community building. This is protection racketeering on the blockchain.
V. The Verdict: A Scam of Proportions
To call this a "scam" in the traditional sense might be too simple. It is more insidious. It is a governance scam.
The use of dozens of
gpwalletaccounts serves no purpose other than obfuscation. A true charity publishes its ledgers. It does not hide behindgpwallet24andgpwallet25. It does not route funds through internal swaps to avoid detection.@guiltyparties has built a shadow state within Hive. They hold the purse strings, they hold the voting power (via delegates), and they hold the whip (via downvote bots). And they expect us to thank them for the privilege of being ruled.
Epilogue: The Reckoning
There is a particular courage in speaking truth to power, especially when that power holds the keys to your survival.
But the blockchain does not care about fear. It only records truth.
And the truth is this: You cannot build a free community on a foundation of centralized control. You cannot claim to be a benefactor while funding the silencing of your critics. You cannot pretend to be a saint when your ledger reads like a mob boss's ledger.
To the users of Hive: Do not be fooled by the breadcrumbs. Look at the bakery. See who owns the oven. See who controls the flour. And ask yourself: If I speak out against the baker, will I still be fed tomorrow?
The time for gratitude is over. The time for scrutiny is now.
Expose the farm.
Demand transparency.
Break the cartel.
— #Bilpcoin: We expose the truth, so you can confront it.
#HiveBlockchain #CryptoForensics #GuiltyParties #ShadowBank #DownvoteCartel #Transparency #BilpcoinTruth #StopTheAbuse
$PIZZA slices delivered:
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