We celebrated Easter a little differently this year. Our kids had already enjoyed an Easter egg hunt at daycare, so we decided to enjoy the weekend doing something else: we went to the zoo. A brief glimpse of sunlight tricked us into thinking we’d escape the rainshowers predicted in the weather forecast.
It might surprise you to find out that one of the most entertaining parts of our expedition was the bus ride. The kids were very excited to hang out at the bus stop and watch the comings and goings of the big and noisy vehicles. They were even more excited to ride the bus to the park. Besides being fun, the bus ride was also the driest portion of our trip, hence there are more photos of this than anything else we did that day 
When we arrived at the zoo, it started sprinkling. Did this deter us? No. We shrugged our shoulders, thinking we could take cover in one of the many shelters around the park if it started to rain harder.
We visited many of the exhibits and skirted around the crazy egg hunt that was taking place in the central part of the park. There were too many people milling around that area for our taste (it was a zoo…). Many of the animals were hunkered down in sheltered spots of their enclosures, so they didn’t put on much of a show for the kids. I couldn’t blame them. The only fellows who seemed to appreciate the inclement weather were these guys:
Sam and Claire were fascinated by the gorillas, lions and giraffes. Sam especially liked the nocturnal exhibit, where huge vampire bats hung from dessicated tree limbs and fluttered their leathery wings. Later on, when he described the outing to his grandma over the phone, he told her that he would take her to see the bats…and they would flap their wings and break the glass and come to get us! I don’t think Grandma believed that would be a lot of fun. (Sam has a funny imagination…)
After wandering around for awhile, our stomachs started rumbling, so we headed for the food pavilion. It was packed. The minute we spotted an empty table, several other table-less families were already circling around it like vultures, waiting to claim the prize. Realizing the futility of finding a comfortable spot there to enjoy lunch, we headed back outside, determined to take in a few more sights and then to head home for lunch.
The minute we stepped outside, the rain came down in torrents. Robert and I looked at one another, each grabbed a kid and we headed toward the exit. Just as we passed through the gate, our bus drove by. It took us a little while to overcome our sense of defeat. We had a clear choice in front of us: either we wait outside in the rain for another 30 minutes for the next bus, or we head down the street to find a place offering a hearty meal and shelter from the elements. When it came down to it, it wasn’t much of a decision at all.
We girded our loins (so to speak) and headed down the road. Eventually, we came across a restaurant specializing in cuisine of the American Southwest. Having lived in Santa Fe, I was eager for a taste of my past. It turned out to be a perfect way to end our expedition. We enjoyed chatting with one another and had fun coloring the southwest-themed placemats with our kids. The food wasn’t bad either!
Share on Facebook
Maybe next time!
