Family, Nature

A Day at the Zoo

30 Comments

It was a beautiful day for the zoo. In the morning, as many families were still hunting for eggs and chocolate bunnies, we headed off.  Starting off in the Tropics we discovered that every morning they simulate a little thunder shower near Gibbon Island.  Since Young Adult and I have easily been to the zoo 50 times in her lifetime, it was quite a surprise that we’d never encountered it before.

The moose and bears were in fine form and the Amur leopards were all three putting on a fine show. We happened upon coyote feeding and, of course, sat through the bird show. We packed a partial lunch which was supplemented by waffle fries and then wandered up to The Farm for baby goat, piglet and calf petting.  And then there was the obligatory 20 minutes of watching YA pet sharks in Discovery Bay.

But the most amazing display was YA, who suggested the outing to the zoo in the first place, willingly posed for several photos, engaged in conversation about our straw bale gardening over lunch and even said thank you after I purchased popcorn for her. It was a beautiful day.

What is a favorite haunt of yours?

30 thoughts on “A Day at the Zoo”

  1. Rise and Haunt Baboons!

    I will be thinking of favorite haunts all day. Fun post VS. Thanks. I haunted my garden all day yesterday. It was too beautiful to resist tidying up several flower beds, then reading out on the front patio in the glider. AAAAHHH.

    Podcast Haunts: The Axe Files
    The Serial

    On-line: Trail Baboon
    Real Clear Politics
    Politico

    Restaurants: Blue Adobe in Scottsdale
    French Meadow at the airport on the way out of town
    Original Pancake House
    Punch Pizza
    Rustica
    This list is infinite

    Plants: Pica’s Spring Plant Sale
    MN Landscape Arboretum
    Arizona Arboretum
    Other people’s gardens

    OK. I will stop now. Sorry you asked, right?

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  2. The patio at Day By Day Café.
    Highland library. Or one of several other libraries, but I like the comfy chairs at Highland.
    Lakefront Park in Hudson.
    Café Latté at tea time.
    The ice cream counter at St. Paul Corner Drug.
    Artscraps.

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        1. Something tells me you know where a lot of little out of the way places for ice cream are to be found, Linda.

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  3. Fun post and photos, VS.

    Favorite haunts?The Twin Cities and Minnesota are full of them, and that’s a good thing since I rarely get out of here anymore.

    Here’s a smattering: Como Conservatory, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, a stroll with Bernie on Raspberry or Harriet Island. A glass of wine and good conversation on my friend Helen’s back porch, or morning coffee in the dunes overlooking Lake Superior behind our friend Rachel’s house on Park Point in Duluth. Aaah, doesn’t get much better than that. W.A. Frost’s patio for a leisurely summer lunch or evening beverage, or just down the street, a drink at the refurbished Commodore Hotel.

    The Ordway Theater for some long-haired music performance, or the Minnesota Zoo’s amphitheater for a glorious evening concert of just about any kind of music.

    The St. Paul Farmers’ Market is special, particularly during the summer and fall, and I love to visit my favorite Asian markets all over St. Paul.

    But mostly, I have to admit, my favorite haunts are in my mind. I love to revisit the many places that hold happy memories for me. I’m fortunate to be able to say, there are many of them.

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    1. My older niece and her fiancé work at W.A. Frost now. They may wait on you there. Hope you’re a good tipper! 😉

      Yes to the farmers’ market.

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    2. Thanks for mentioning Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, PJ. It inspired me to make a trip there sandwiched between two errands (one of which took me practically right past there). It was a beautiful, beautiful day. I was enchanted by the sun shining through the new leaves. There is no sight more welcome after winter than the new leaves coming out and brightening the world.

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  5. I like Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, too, and the Quaking Bog. Brownie Lake is also nice – it’s a smaller lake in the “chain” of lakes, and it is more natural and less populated that the other lakes – dirt paths only!

    My sister’s house – or I should say her deck and yard – on the St. Louis River is mighty fine for relaxing. And almost any creek in Duluth is good.

    Jonvick Creek in the Lutsen area and almost any place right by the Lake on the north shore where I can sit and stare.

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  6. I’m not sure what qualifies as a “haunt.” Somehow it seems that for a place to be a haunt there should be a ghost of some sort. If I apply a strict definition, I have known and loved seven haunts. Two went out of business, their physical spaces being absorbed by new businesses. One burned down. One was bulldozed. What remains, then, are three beautiful natural ares: a park and two trout rivers. They survive and continue to charm visitors, although I no longer can experience them (except in memory).

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  7. Every fall in October for many years, we took the kids to Deer Lake Orchard outside Buffalo, MN. A beautiful spot with a hay ride through the forest, picking out pumpkins, usually free music on weekends, a few farm animals and a few kiddie attractions. We always bought some of the apples from their orchard, treats and a souvenir or two while the kids played around. I still like going there on occasion if any of the grown kids feel like going.

    Otherwise, my favorite haunts are Goodwill stores or Netflix.

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    1. I just went to Goodwill–needed a cookie jar meant to deceive. I use it to store compostable scraps on my counter. Broke the old one last year.

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  8. Daughter and 2 kids were at the zoo Friday. Saw a Canada goose defending her eggs from a snake. Grand daughter filmed it. Not, of course, an actual exhibit.

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  9. Haunt to me means a place where you go frequently and feel secure, at home, one with the surroundings. My apartment is about it. Seldom go out. Wish it could be the library but it is not that sort of building. Have looked for a coffee place like that, but have given up any hope. On the North Shore it was the North Shore: Gooseberry, a private cove to which we had access, Superior Hiking Trail, Two Harbors Breakwater. Rustic Inn Cafe, church I served, our backyard firepit,

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  10. Hi–

    Does sitting on our deck count? Using one of tims ’10 perfect days’ we look forward to having the opportunity to sit out there.
    Yesterday I graded the road. When I finished and parked the tractor and was walking to the house, the smell of dirt was strong in the air and it resonates so deeply with me; I was trying to decide what it means to me. It’s sort of a calm feeling. A connection to the land and a feeling of well-being and knowing I’m where I should be. Something like that.

    We had a good trip on Saturday delivering straw and chicken poo.
    it was fun to meet Caroline and John. Edith, I hope everyone in your house is feeling better. And we found Sherrilee’s house on the first try and didn’t have to drive around the block 4 times. Lou (Jacque) was there to pick up their poo as well.
    A quick lunch with our son and DIL and back to Rochester. Hope it all works out for everyone. Happy Growing!

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    1. I too have an elemental response to the smell of new plowed earth in the spring.
      “Watch the field behind the plow turn to straight dark rows.”

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    2. Oh, shoot, if you were at Caroline’s house, you were just a hop, skip, and a jump from my house (and Linda’s). Even if I had no business to conduct, I would have stopped by just to say hello. Next time, OK? Seems like we should have met each other by now.

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    3. Thanks, Ben, for delivering the goods even though I was indisposed. As usual, I was the last to get it; I puked right (probably TMI, sorry) before you got here and after that the worst was over, but I definitely wasn’t up to collect manure. I laid low all day yesterday, too and today I feel pretty darn good!

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  11. Going To The Zoo

    Words and Music by Tom Paxton

    Daddy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow,
    Zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow;
    Daddy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow,
    We can stay all day.

    [Cho:]
    We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo;
    How about you, you, you?
    You can come too, too, too.
    We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo.

    See the elephant with the long trunk swingin’,
    Great big ears and long trunk swingin’,
    Snuffin’ up peanuts with the long trunk swingin’;
    We can stay all day.

    [Cho:]

    See all the monkeys scritch scritch scratchin’,
    Jumpin’ all around and scritch scritch scratchin’,
    Hangin’ by their long tails scritch scritch scratchin’;
    We can stay all day.

    [Cho:]

    Big black bear, all a huff huff a-puffin’;
    Coat’s too heavy, he’s huff huff a-puffin’,
    Don’t get too near the huff huff a-puffin’,
    Or you won’t stay all day.

    [Cho:]

    Seals in the pool all honk honk honkin’,
    Catchin’ fish and honk honk honkin’,
    Little seals honk honk honkin’; (high pitched voice)
    We can stay all day.

    [Cho:]

    (Slower tempo)
    We stayed all day and we’re gettin’ sleepy,
    Sittin’ in the car gettin’ sleep sleep sleepy,
    Home already and we’re sleep sleep sleepy,
    We have stayed all day.

    [Cho: (alternate)]
    We’ve been to the zoo, zoo, zoo;
    So have you, you, you.
    You came too, too, too,
    We’re been to the zoo, zoo, zoo.

    Momma’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow,
    Zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow;
    Momma’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow,
    We can stay all day.

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