Have you ever been to the zoo with a three year old? If you haven't, I am here to tell you that it is FUN! Everything is filled with razzle dazzle when you're three. Passing a yellow truck on the freeway? Exciting! Paper elephant ears? Exciting! Actual elephants? Super exciting (especially to 3-years olds vying for the position of High Priest of the Church of Babar)! Seeing an actual elephant on its birthday? More exciting than finding a perfectly burned image of the Virgin Mary on your bread when it pops out of the toaster. Some of that excitement is bound to rub off - even on those of us who are ten times that age. (If I haven't mentioned it, I've started counting backwards. Backwards counting + my gross lack of understanding of new math puts me at about 30.)
And it was a lovely, summery weekend here in Portland to be 30 again. I can't wait until the end of the summer when I will finally be back to a perennial 29. The weather yesterday couldn't have been better for a stroll around the zoo. Warm and sunny, but still cool enough for a pleasant walk. It is again overcast but those two days of eating dinner on the back deck and having zoo picnics were still enough to boost the spirit. What is not as spirit boosting are men from the land of the giants who insist on crowding their way to the front to take pictures when there are hoards of short children around who are very excited about seeing an elephant eat birthday cake, children who become very disappointed when all they can see is the back of a giant asshat's fat head.
Luckily, three year olds are really easily distracted. Elephant Ears (the pastry) coupled with the opportunity to get sprayed by the "geyser" at Stellar Cove are apparently a panacea for all. If only we could allow life to be so simple as adults!
4 comments:
The girls and I TRIED to go to the zoo on Saturday. We didn't know it was the elephant birthday party. We just thought it sounded like a good idea at the last minute until we got stuck in the land of the lost parking.
We ended up going to the Japanese Gardens instead (I posted a pretty picture in my journal).
Well, I'm glad you made it to the zoo! The only animal we saw was an angry red-headed CPA who began squaking when people parked in her lot!
~Sonya (I'm not Anonymous!)
We went on Sunday. I have the feeling Saturday was more crowded. We got there relatively early, which probably helped.
I love the Japanese Gardens! I've been meaning to go up there while all the springy things are blooming. A couple years ago, I went up on New Year's Day and thought that might become a tradition. It was kinda nice to go somewhere really peaceful and sit and meditate on things a bit, but somehow I never ended up going back.
P.s. You are too fab to be anonymous Sonya!
Actually you really are 30, in base 13. Tom Lehrer, the greatest living American, was singing about this kind of "new math" before you were born.
Chris:
Clearly, I have an intuitive sense for this stuff. Just between you and me, I think I might be a genius. Hee!
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