Big Zoo Fun

At last, Berry's old enough to "get" zoos. I wasted a couple of perfectly good entry fees to Point Defiance Zoo in Washington when she was a bit younger – at the reindeer enclosure she was fascinated by the grass; at the wolf den she tried to make friends with an entire school group; and at the polar bear underwater world she was transfixed... by the bubbles. Wasted, I tell you!


Well, not anymore. On the 4th of July holiday Stu and Rikki took us to the fabulous Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, and it was a hit. At the elephant enclosure, Berry made elephant noises. At the lion enclosure, she did her version of a roar. She loved the monkeys. She peered through the fence at the giraffes. She made quacking-duck sounds at the flamingos. It was all very satisfying.


It had been raining so we almost had the zoo to ourselves, which was an extra treat. (Here's Stu showing Berry some wildlife).

Two new (to me) fascinating zoo facts: a giraffe's tongue is 20 inches long (twenty) – and there are bears in Louisiana! Anyone who knows me is aware that I'm quite concerned about bears and the possibility of ever meeting one in the wild. Four whole years I lived in Louisiana and no one ever mentioned the state had a bear population! I know the chances of bumping into one in the Quarter are zip, but still...




PS: why am I just now posting pictures from 4th of July? I've been sick, I tell you! Woefully sick...