Tuesday, August 18, 2009

A trip to the zoo!


My parents came to visit over the weekend, and along with David, we went to the Philadelphia Zoo! It was a beautiful (but incredibly hot) day to see animals...and more importantly, ride the ZOOBALLOON! I am completely obsessed with riding the Channel 6 Zooballoon, mostly because it is so fun, but also because it is incredibly elusive! I try and and try to ride it, but Saturday was only my second ride. Every single time I go to the Philadelphia Zoo, it is always closed for repairs, or too windy for takeoff, or something LAME. I am so glad I got to take my dad up in the sky for a view of the city on this trip. (I will not be showing you those views though, because David had the camera and left to go buy a hot dog while we were riding it.) Here is a view of the balloon, in all its majestic glory:


One of the coolest parts of our zoo visit was a new attraction called the Lorakeet Experience. In an enclosed area, we got to hold little cups of nectar and interact directly with the birds. It was a little intense, especially for David - one bird was definitely a big fan of him, and would not stop pestering him.



Here is the bird attacking the camera when David tried to get a close-up:

Riding the carousel can be dangerous (or at least from this angle, taken by clever David)!

My mom also really wanted to ride the camel at the zoo. Not wanting her to have to be alone among the sea of children at the ride, I volunteered to ride with her. Except I didn't. She got paired with a cute little kid and looked completely normal riding (like she was just riding it as his chaperone)...while I rode the camel all alone. The path seemed to take FOREVER...I felt like I was riding the damn thing in slow motion. I tried to ride it proud, but it was pretty embarrassing because it seemed like everyone (zoo employees, parents, and children alike) was giving me strange "WTF??" looks. (Except for David, who was just laughing at me.) Two little girls behind me in line said something in Spanish that I roughly translated as, "Why is that big girl riding the camel?" Oh well. At least it makes for a good story, and I am very glad my mom had such a good time, since she was the one that was excited about it in the first place.



The fun will continue this week as birthday celebrations begin! I turn 26 tomorrow - yay! Though 26 is not such a big milestone, I am lucky enough to celebrate my birthday twice - once this weekend with David in Ithaca eating yummy coq a vin and watching movies (probably Julie and Julia and Inglorious Basterds), and once with my family back in Butler at the end of August.

Stay cool kids - it is really toasty (and humid) outside.