To be quite honest, I was a bit disappointed with the zoo. I think the last time I went was back in high school on a field trip with the Foreign Language club (yes, I was a huge nerd, but come on, you knew this), and I was more interested in mooning over the Brazilian boy (shout out to Davi if you're reading this! (Y'all, he's not reading this, lol!)), I was clinging to the whole time than seeing any of the animals. This time, unfortunately, there were not a whole lot of animals to be seen. And those that were out and about could not easily be seen by a 33-inch tall toddler from his stroller seat because of the fences and distances and trajectories and all other sorts of algebraic, mathematic stuff that deals with heights and distances (math was not the kind of nerd I was, to clarify for anyone now scratching their head). You'd think anyone could see a huge thousand-pound elephant, from pretty much anywhere. But not if a wooden fence is straight in your face. I've talked way too much about the fences.
That poor hippo. How could you NOT cry if this was your reality? I mean, seriously.
Posing with Bonnie the baby elephant...
The elephants, chillin'
Anyway, there was a lot of getting the boy in and out of his stroller, which for anyone who has toddlers, might know is not always an easy issue to navigate. And when I get my kid out in order to carry him to see the majestic animals of the "Australian Outback" and the "Great Barrier Reef", I'm gonna need more than ten sleeping kangaroos and two salt-water fishtanks with Dory and Nemo swimming around to make it worth our while. Come on!
I gotta be honest, these were the fish he was most interested in. We gave him some to snack on right when we first got there, and he kept going "Pish, pish, pish" over and over after he'd finish them, even when I would be holding him to show him the giraffes or the rhinos or other animals. He actually wanted back in the stroller to eat more "pish", and didn't really care about the giraffes. Sheesh!
Still, he did light up at quite a few animals (he was stared down by a silverback behind the glass; very intense, and had a tiger pace back and forth right in front of him, too), and it was just as enjoyable to be out and about as a family on the beautiful day, so I do not take that for granted in the slightest. Oh, one more thing I do not take for granted, though I would probably rather have gone without seeing it, happened in the raptor area. We were walking underneath the nets in that area, when looking up, we saw a humongous condor/vulture/bird of prey of some kind thing perched above our heads. Upon closer examination, for he was very intently preying upon something, I realized I was staring at the defunct claw of an eviscerated possum dangling down from the net. Dude was totally chowing down on possum RIGHT above us, entrails and all. Entrails y'all. Entrails. What if he was a messy eater and some food came out of his mouth? That. was just. not. right. Needless to say, the word pictures I've painted are the only ones captured of this experience. You're welcome! :-D
And now, for the weather report! Freezing temperatures and snow flurries, with a chance of tantrums and ocular precipitation. Snow days aren't as much fun when you are dealing with a tempestuous, stir-crazy toddler. Still, we managed to stifle the flailing and back-arching and limp-going long enough with a big ol' snow suit, and head outside for about five minutes of
Okay, pick me up and take me in now. Right now.
It's so weird to think that Dresden has been out in much colder, snowier conditions than this, but six months in Texas, and even I can barely remember what that was like! Looks like we have another
Take care and stay warm!
Love,
Cassie, Alex and Dresden
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