A day at the zoo

The day before my trip to CA, the kids and I went to the zoo with S, A, and L. It was threatening to rain and a chilly day, but we went for it and had a blast. Personally, I thought it was a nice collection of animals. Wolves, bears, otters, sloths, and barn owls are all animals I particularly love. (And I loved seeing a dray horse for the first time.) These wolves were pretty interested in the kids for awhile, following them around and coming up close. But, soon after, the alpha of the group decided that they were behaving utterly too domesticated and drew them all back.

The squirrel monkeys and two toed sloth lived together. When we came upon them, the sloth was being fed. The monkeys were especially enchanting for the kids and we stayed to watch them as their home was cleaned and the monkeys jumped about. I enjoyed the up close view of the sloth. The video of this encounter reflects the liveliness of the moment much better....

The reptile house is always fun. I remember it was always a cool oasis at the zoo in Sac and on this day it was a warm respite for us after hours spent in the cold damp outdoors (and our private train ride in the woods and along the reservoir :-). I found out later that First was afraid of the large pteradactyl up in the rafters. The tortoises were much more active than the ones that live at the Sac Zoo. Actually, most of the animals we saw that day were very active. This tends to be true on days that are cool and wet.

It looks as though we cornered this peacock, but it was actually hanging out by the buiding, looking into the windows. Spring was in the air as the males were strutting their stuff. It certainly made an impression on the kids that the peacocks were roaming about "free". Though not as big as an impression as...

this fountain. This fountain was the first thing that caught the kids' attention as we entered the zoo. They came back to it as we were walking towards the playground. I don't know if it's just the kids we know and love, or if it has something to do with homeschooling, but they wanted to get into the fountain and explore the water. We talked about the water and the copper flowers and the copper coins...

Kinder commented when he saw the pics, where are the pictures of the playground? Definitely a highlight that is remembered in their hearts and minds...the playground at the zoo.