Spent a couple Saturdays this summer at the zoo. Very nice new elephant area and naked mole rat wall. Naked mole rats live socially like bees. They have workers and a queen and live… like bees. Did anyone else know that? I didn’t before this summer. Of course I pay for it, but I appreciate the vast number of outdoor lunch tables and how clean the place is overall. We always take our own lunch and let the kids play at the “bear den playground” for a while to shake off the long drive.

The crowded “backyard” kids education building. I’ve avoided it in the past because often my point in going to the zoo is to spend time outside. Good idea for winter. It was our last trip before our pass expired so I didn’t fight going in or rush to get out and looking back the kids had a blast in there and I have some photos I like. Oliver loved the video room where he made up some pretty amazing dance moves with animal puppets on his head. He figured out where the camera was and watched himself on the screen for 20 mins or more.

Kabillions of animals. Lots anyway. Rhinos, penguins, cheetahs, polar bears, seals, giraffes, zebras, jellyfish, giant crabs, giant roaches (yes… live roaches..bah), gorillas, monkeys, poison tree frogs, birds, fish a plenty, and more. And buzzards (on the wall by the giraffes).