Memorial Day: Part 2

We woke up early Sunday morning...but not really by choice. Sometimes, the little fella's internal clock says, "Lights are on outside...there's playing to be done!" So at 0604 in the a.m., we heard Bode, babbling away in his crib, his music playing, and the occasional Whump! Whump!, which is Bode (not so) gently hitting his crib, telling us that it's time to get up. But being up early has its advantages, as we were able to be on the road by 0745 for the 80 mile trip to the Columbus Zoo, home of Jack Hannah, from Late Night with David Letterman fame oh so many years ago.

The zoo was great--as I said before, "Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my (but not exactly in that order)." The Columbus Zoo actually lets you pet its tigers despite what happened to Sigfried (or was it Roy?). Here's Bode and Ashley riding the ferocious (albeit somewhat stationary) Bengal tiger.There were actual tigers at the zoo, but the pictures I took were rather basic, and you could probably get better images on the Google. We did get to take a picture of Bode with a real life male lion, but with plenty of steel cage between them. Here's the shot--can you see the lion there just above Bode's head? It was no more than ten feet away, just sitting there. Had I wanted to, I could have snuck down by the lion and given him a quick pet...but then I realized there was no need for me to make the newscasts that day...Here's another shot of the lion, as we must have disturbed him and he got up and walked around. Evidently they don't neuter the male lions...
Next, we saw some bears. And I'm not talking about the local black bears, I'm talking about the big Grizzlies, mind you (I'm sure you realized these little phrases are similar to the words Han Solo used when talking with Obi Wan Kenobi for the first time in Star Wars). Good heavens Grizzlies have big claws--I've seen them on Discovery Channel, but you really don't get a sense of scale until you see them in person (much like the Death Star...ok, enough SW references).They had a little area where kids could pet some animals. Bode loved it. Of course, every animal he petted (and saw for that matter) was "Aubun." He thinks every other dog in the neighbor as well as pictures of dogs are Aubun. Sort of cute.The zoo had a pretty good ape exhibit. It's amazing how their mannerisms resemble those of people (sorry to all you Creationists out there). Here's Bode in front of a Mama ape with her little boy. It kind of looks like the baby is checking Bode out.At this point, Bode got fed up. He says, "Look, you put me in this shirt with horizontal stripes, and you know how tubby I look. Is there any way we can get a shot where I look thin?" "Of course," I told him. "It's all about scale." So here's a shot of our little pachyderm with some other weight-challenged beings.
We spent about four hours at the zoo. Bode started to get a little cranky/sleepy, so we headed home and cooked some sausages on the grill. Afterwards, Bode again insisted we go out for ice cream (well, maybe I wanted some too), and then we stopped by and visited some friends (Clay, Sue, and Calli, and their six month old dog, Bailey).

Monday morning, we went to the mall. Macy's opened at nine, and we were one of the only ones in the store. We found some great deals on the "must-go" rack, and got Bode six shirts, three pair of shorts, and three sets of socks for $75. After we did some shopping, we went to the mall play area. And here is where we learned a lesson about spotting Bode. There was this slide structure--stairs on one side with an enclosed walkway to the the slide on the other. It's only about three feet off the ground (but when you're two feet tall, that's high). We watched Bode go through the circuit about five times, laughing the whole time. We got a little complacent because the next thing we know, Bode is going head first, tumbling down the slide and onto the floor. Yes, we must have looked like the worst parents. He screamed and cried...for 30 seconds, and then it was back to the slide. Could have been worse...good thing kids come with a warranty :-)

Today, it was back to work. Weather was beautiful--starting to get a bit hot for my lunch-time runs, but I guess I'll just have to take the advice I've given to many and "toughen up." Pleasant week to all.