Sunday, September 29, 2013

The Zoo

Ah, September. You're almost gone. So many things I've been wanting to document lately & I've been slack. Hard to find Balance, as usual.

Lets talk about The Zoo....oh how I love the zoo. This is how it all went down. Meet Josh.


 Meet Josh's new car (its looks a bit mini-van-esque in this picture, but its actually a sporty little Volkswagen GTI)


Josh wants to take spontaneous road trip in new car, Caroline jumps on opportunity to visit the Jacksonville Zoo.

I could spend hours at the zoo and it would never get old. There were mainly families and kids there, but I was happy to be there without screaming children in tow. Josh and I thoroughly visited every section (minus the stingrays and butterfly garden because it was an extra $15. Who cares about those anyway- I'm here to feed a giraffe.)

First stop: Birds. With the exception of cats, birds are my second favorite animal as far as pets go. They have so much personality! I will own another bird before its all over. One that talks is next on my list. This picture is probably my favorite one from the whole trip. Look at those lil bird legs.


When we approached these creatures, I heard the guy behind me say: "Look at those Rhinos!" Come on, man. Haven't you seen The Lion King? ....Pumba? Its a Warthog.



We went into the reptile section not long after because it had air conditioning. Also because I have a love for creatures with scales and slimy skin. There were vipers and bullfrogs and chameleons. If I had better pictures of the lions, cheetahs, alligators, and bears, I would post them, but the photos do them no justice. The weather was perfect so all the animals were out. We couldn't have picked a better day to go.

The elephants were being fed bales of hay when we walked up. The keeper explained about which ones were dominant and how she had to feed them separately. They're loud and huge and I wouldn't want the job of feeding them. As scary as they can be, they are also very elegant and I have so much respect for them.


Then there are the lions and cheetahs. So graceful! Watching their shoulder blades glide back and forth as they walked was my favorite part. When they played, it reminded me so much of my Whelan, just on a much larger scale. Surprisingly, we spent a good chunk of time watching the alligators. You would think that being from Savannah we see them all the time and who cares, but, these were enormous and the exhibit allowed you to get very, very close. So close that I could see their eyes blinking. I was almost in a trance watching them. Then with the bear, we walked up right about the time that he was being fed. Apparently bears at the zoo eat kibbles n' bits and fruit.

Then the giraffes. Look at this knobby kneed little guy. I also love their velvety horns.





The gorillas, oh man. They were cool to watch but they STUNK. Like nothing I've ever smelled before. Almost eye watering. Their rubbery looking noses are adorable though.



My absolute favorites were the monkeys. I cannot get over how much they look and act like people. This old lady monkey came up and welcomed us. I believe the zoo keeper said she was 42 years old. She kept extending her hand, palm up, in a gesture of welcome. Or maybe she wanted food. Either way, it was very entertaining. I felt like I could've had a conversation with her. Then you hear them all start screeching and you remember that they are in fact animals. Probably the loudest animals in the entire zoo.


At the beginning of the day, I mistakenly called the ostrich a flamingo. I will never live that down.



Like I said, pictures just can't capture all the wonder of the Zoo. It makes me want to quit my job and go work at the Zoo. Maybe one day!