If He Throws It...

This morning we took the daughter unit to the airport so she could go back to Seattle where she lives. Its been great having her home and we were sad to see her go. So, what do we do to disperse the sad? Go to the zoo, of course. The zoo has long been my refuge when sadness hits. In fact, I don't know why I didn't just check in to a cage last August after I was mysteriously fired from my job of twenty years. I went to the beach then instead but I have been known to do both beach and zoo sojourns when I was really sad and my ignominious firing certainly qualified...

Today, though, the hub and I were sad but we also needed to walk 10,000 steps so the zoo was a no-brainer. The funny part was that even though we spotted zebras and giraffes almost immediately upon entry, we really had to dig for the rest of the animals we found. There were a couple of gorillas meditating in their enclosure. The new baby was not one of them but they had a cute picture of him on a post outside the area.

We saw the river otters. Napping. Didn't want to watch the penguins being fed because we've seen it before and its really stinky! So we went to see the big cats. I love them! Once, when the kids were little, we went to see the cats and there's a big, thick window right at the end of the exhibit which runs right up to the main lion family's enclosure. As we walked up we saw a large group of people standing at the windows, laughing.

Upon pushing our way to the window, we saw the big daddy lion on his back with his lion junk smashed right up against the Plexiglas. It became one of those times where you laugh so hard that you lose all the strength in your legs. And it was impressive . His giant daddy lion mane was nearly as grandiose, but I don't think that his hairdo was what attracted his ladies (use Tim Meadows "Ladies Man" voice).

Another time we watched the Albert Einstein of chimpanzees lure a group of visitors closer and closer by tossing chunks of moss at them. After he got them good and relaxed, he reached down and picked up a more traditional chimp missile and chucked it into the crowd. Then he sat back and watched the fun. I liked him on a personal level and I wanted him to be my friend.

Today we heard chimp sounds and went to see what was going on. The geezer chimp (might have been my old friend - he hasn't aged well ) was holding something made of paper in his pitching hand. He looked at the people, did a dance then hauled off and hurled it at us. A trainer retrieved the object. Turns out it was a copy (I'm not making this up) of National Geographic magazine! The chimps have a subscription and they read it every day. Is that the coolest thing ever. I know it charmed my socks off!

We saw kangaroos hopping around and I want to find some kind of pocket-sized apparatus that makes a "boing" sound. Then I want to go to Australia and watch a herd of kangaroos while I activate my boinger at regular intervals. I have simple needs. Right now, I need to get ready for bed. And I need socks - I left mine at the zoo and my feet are cold.

At least now the sadness is dispersed what with the zoo visit and the eleventy million texts we've exchanged since she hot back to Seattle. I love modern technology. And the zoo. I really love the zoo.