Pictorial Zoology

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Caelyn had her first zoo adventure this weekend at the Dallas Zoo. Yes, I know the Fort Worth Zoo is supposedly better, and I’ve got no problem believing it is. (Actually, the Abilene Zoo might be the perfect little kid zoo. They’ve got the basic animals, it’s well kept, the animals seem happy, you can feed the giraffes and even let them lick your hands if you want, and it’s big enough to be exciting, but small enough for little legs not to get worn out. Plus, it’s cheap!) But the Dallas one is closer, and since we hadn’t been to either, and Caelyn’s not old enough to say, “Hey! This zoo doesn’t have any bears! Not a single one!” we went to the Dallas Zoo.

And we had a pretty good time.

She feel asleep on the way there, so we drove for a while before actually going to the zoo. She woke up in DeSoto, where we stopped at Taco Bueno for lunch.

Now that was a zoo!

First, the order girl charged Chris for FIVE number 5s, plus another combo and a kid’s meal. And she didn’t even notice. How do you charge two and half average-sized people 40 bucks at Bueno and not notice? Then she didn’t know how to fix it. Neither did two other employees. Finally, the manager came to the rescue.

Then there was the matter of the dirty, buckle-less highchair. I don’t really want Caelyn to hurt herself, but c’mon! Public highchairs and changing tables with missing/broken buckles are law suits/fortunes waiting to happen.

Speaking of changing tables, DeSoto Bueno doesn’t have one. Not only that, but their bathroom is disgusting. The stall doors were rusty and smeared with drip residue, the floor covered with toilet paper and filth. The porcelain toilet’s tank lid was missing and had been replaced with a plastic one that hung a good six inches off either side. It boasted a big, brown stain too. And there was only one light — a small one over the sink. The only thing worse than being in a dirty public restroom stall is being in a DARK dirty public restroom stall.

So I changed Caelyn on my lap in the front seat.

But once we made it to the zoo, things got better.

Yes, I did notice the lack of bears. And I felt AWFUL for the lion in his tiny cage. (He’s a freakin’ lion! He’s the king of the jungle! Get the man a decent “habitat”!) But it was a gorgeous day and Caelyn still really enjoyed the animals and the exploration of the whole ordeal, so it was worth it.

Here are a few pics, mainly of Caelyn, because I figure this is a grandparents’ sort of post, not an animal-lover post. But both types of readers are fine by me:

Caelyn got to see this cage-free guy about a foot from her face. She loves birds.

The “Children’s Zoo” is really more of a “farm” with a bonus fish tank. But that suited Caelyn just fine.

Her fascination with the fish dissipated, though, when a cluster of kids ran up, exclaiming, “¡Los pescados!” How could the fish compete with los niños?

Also, I think these sweats might be getting a little too small.

Caelyn loves to find your eye. And then poke it.

I don’t know what’s happening here, but I think that face is funny.

Gettin’ some tail. (Yeah, that’s right. I just made an inappropriate, Jr. High Boy joke in regard to my sweet, innocent child.)

What? You want a time-out for some animal pics? Okay:

Would a gator do the trick?

Maybe a rhino?

Or maybe this guy? I swear he smiled for the camera.

Just try to tell me an ostrich isn’t always thinking about how to kill you. Just try.

The monkeys were a big hit with Caelyn, and usually, I love monkeys too. But this time I felt sad for them. There was this one making this loud, slow screech over and over that sounded heart-breaking to me, like maybe he’d had to leave his girlfriend behind in the jungle or something.

Los niños joined us at this exhibit too. The eldest girl said, “¡Mama! ¡Mira! ¡Mira las monkeys!” It stuck out to me for two reasons: 1) This girl had been speaking text-book Spanish behind me all day. And there’s a big difference between text-book Spanish and “cultural” Spanish. 2) I didn’t realize “monkeys” translated “monkeys.” I always thought it was “los monos” or something. I don’t remember learning “monkey,” but “mono araña,” which I think is “spider monkey,” seems familiar to me, and I’m certain I would’ve looked up “spider monkey” at least once.

That’s me with monkeys in Mexico.

That’s Chris and me also in Mexico, with less flash, so you know that my skin isn’t actually so white that it’s virtually invisible.

But back to Caelyn and the zoo:

Caelyn didn’t want to touch the bunnies or Kiwi the Guinea Pig. And she definitely didn’t want to ride the real pony. The fake one wasn’t such a hit either. Maybe she was just sad about his missing ear.

But the donkey was a (smelly) smash!

At the end of the day, I was pretty worn out. Even though Chris is presumably stronger than I am, he carried the picture-taking responsibility, so I carried Caelyn whenever need be. My arms are still hurting. But I’m not mad about it or anything.

And that’s it for today. It’s almost dinner time!

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