A Day at the Zoo

One day about nine years ago right after we moved to South Orange we were driving up South Orange Avenue through the lovely South Mountain reservation when my eyes caught this site:

OK, maybe it wasn't exactly this but close. I looked over at Frank and said, "there's a zoo here" and he replied something to the effect of "yes, I know I came here when I was a kid every year with school blah blah blah blah blah and it's a real nice zoo too" Since then my unrelenting mission has been to visit the zoo, and it has not been an easy task. Every year when spring comes around I start my campaign, like a relentlessly annoying 4 year old, of saying to anyone who will listen: I want to go to the zoo. Needless to say, no one has been listening (it's been nine years!). So when my nephews were born 2 1/2 years ago I immediately jumped on that opportunity! Who in their right mind would deny two adorable young children a visit to the zoo? And after nine years of plotting and planning and nagging and tantrums and crying here it is...without further ado...my VERY long awaited...visit to the zoo!

with my guides and partners in crime: Francisco and Gaspar

We saw...monkeys

a whooping crane...

a cougar...

an emu...

a goat...

bison...

sheep...

which we tried to feed...

llamas..who didn't seem to interest some of us very much

so we decided it was time for a pony ride

for some of us anyway...and then we saw penguins...

who actually said hi!

and then we rode bikes

and saw wild turkeys...

Oh wait that's my backyard, which is where Max prefers to lie around.

...ahhh, finally mission accomplished! Now I need to start plotting how I can qualify for the pony ride.