First Trip to the Zoo

On a recent Sunday morning when we were still living in Minneapolis, we seized the opportunity of a beautiful morning and took Ella on her first trip to the zoo. There was no questioning which zoo we would visit since I have millions of memories from Como Zoo. My family used to visit Como during the summer and have picnics in the grass right outside the gates. I remember watching Sparky the Seal shows, showing little Jakey (who is now 23) his favorite - penguins, laughing at the polar bear swim around and around in his far-too-small pool (which they have finally renovated), and watching the majestic lions as they slept in the shade. Taking Ella to Como Zoo was like stepping back in time for me.

So, off we went to catch the zoo shuttle on a Sunday morning. (We decided it would be okay to worship that morning by thanking God for all his incredible animals. And they are pretty cool!) Here is a picture of our shuttle ride to the zoo gate. The outside was painted like a zebra.




It was pretty adorable to see Ella in a seat belt. Not her usual style.


The seals! I think here she was actually looking at the animals, but for the most part she was much more amused by all the kids that were there. She's a people person!


Sparky! I remember watching Sparky shows with my sister, Becky, when we were little. And eating bomb pops, those fun red, white & blue popsicles. Oh, good memories.


These were fun exhibits since Ella was able to get a little closer to the animals. Her first glimpse of a zebra.


It was a perfect day to visit the zoo. We ended up being really glad that we went right away in the morning because by the time we left at 1pm, the zoo was completely packed. Instead of fighting crowds, we all went home and took lovely naps. Ahhh.

Today we're heading to Central Minnesota to celebrate the holiday with my mom's family. Pete will be working all weekend, including having his first on-call shift as a resident.

Happy 4th of July!