Bye-Bye Zoo

For months, Mary's been reminding (very similar to nagging) me to go to the zoo with Daddy.  Of course, I love the quiet, unhurried, uncrowded weekdays right when it opens.  Unfortunately, Doug is either at work or on another trip during those times and busy weekends are our only option.   Today, we lucked out.  A gorgeous Monday and Doug had the day off, so we quickly gathered snacks, pb&j's, and bottles of H2O and rushed out for an adventure.  It's starting to get hot, so I told Mary this is our last time.  The animals (and Mommy) really don't like the heat.  I'm glad we went, because we saw lots of neat animals!

There was the rather large Kangaroo that came up to say, "Hi!"

The baby Giraffe keeping cool in his house.

The Elephant eating on some sticks.  See?  It's not just Adam!

Lots and lots of Turtles!

The stinky Hippopotamuses and their terrible table manners (we got to watch them eat).

And the easily frightened, Rabbits!  {Shhhhh}

After a refreshing break of some shade, some lunch and some shave ice (snow cones).  We were ready to tackle our next zoological excitement...The Petting Zoo!

Mary walked away from this experience talking about how much she wants a baby chick for her birthday.  Doug said sure, he'd be more than happy to get her a bucket of fried chicken.  Is that wrong?

Of course, you can't have your last trip to the zoo without stopping for some rides.  It was actually kind of bittersweet when Mary said she wanted to ride the Merry-Go-Round.  I remember when she used to called it the Mary-Going-Round.  Ahh, she's growing up to quickly.

And the $1 car rides are always a hit.  This time, Mary got to ride all by herself like a big girl.  She had a blast.

What a great day and a fantastic way to say "Good-bye" to the Okinawa Zoo.  We have so many good memories from here.