Memorial Encounters

For our Memorial Day, we decided to totally overdo it. It was really a fun day. We started out with a "first-thing" trip to the zoo, followed by grocery shopping, several hours at the park and then landing, exhausted, at a BBQ. We were wiped out.

I'm so glad we made it to the zoo. "First thing" is the only way to go - be there five minutes before it opens. We really wanted a glimpse of the visiting "ghost of the Bayou" - a pure white, though not albino, alligator. I had a hard time getting a good picture of it, but it really was a sight to see. If you get a chance, I recommend a visit. After the alligator, we high-tailed it to the farthest corner of the zoo: the big cats exhibit. Because we were early enough we were the only people there, and we were rewarded for our efforts. The cats are quite active in the mornings and we had an uncontested up-close view of them. The Amur leopard was especially intriguing, and the new tiger, who was pacing all over the place, is always a favorite.



Then we strolled over to the giraffes - again, we had an almost-alone chance to watch one animal playing and eating with his ball-on-a-stick. This is not a great shot of the giraffe itself, but you can see where he was:


Once we started back towards the entrance we hit the wall of people who all wanted to go to the zoo at the same time. That was our cue to leave - 90 minutes at the zoo is just perfect. For the rest of the day, Troy spent time with his Dad so the kids and I hit a couple grocery stores and spent a gorgeous few hours at Laird Park. Laird Park will always be a favorite for us - although my parents no longer live in that neighborhood. We call it "Oma's Old Park." The weather couldn't have been any better - Warm, cloudy, slight breeze. The kids were so happy that we stayed for more than two hours, which left us just enough time to rush home, throw together some food, and head over to Zach and Charisse's for a backyard BBQ. Then we all came home and crashed.