Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens

We went to the Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens today in lieu of church.  I really couldn't take staying inside anywhere today (even if it's church), knowing that tomorrow is Monday and I'll be stuck at home again.  The zoo is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Aunt Velma's house; so, with the sun shinning and clear, blue skies, we took Becca & Mary-Gail to the zoo...in early March!  Unheard of in Utah!

Lovey laughed at me as I made the girls change from their skirts into long pants, and bundled us up in our winter coats.  He, on the other hand, was in short pants and short sleeves.  I have to say, that although today was a sunny 59 degrees, it was breezy and I needed a jacket.  Plus, when compared to the locals who were wearing North Face sub-zero coats, scarves, and hats, and I just fine.  Lovey called us all sissies.  I'm trying to acclimate to the weather quickly, because deadly heat with high-humidity is coming and it's going to kill me.

Once we purchased our tickets, Mary-Gail went wild!  She zoomed in, stood in a semi-squat stance, looked left, looked right, screamed, and then tucked her chin down and went running!  Oh how I wish I had that on video.  She ran, no - I mean ran - to each sight, stopping only momentarily to view it, and then on she went.  When Lovey tried to get her to come back and see something, she'd say, "I know that already Dad."  Geesh!  But, that's the thing with Mary-Gail: she has a mind that captures, stores, and remembers.  Incredible.

Guess what Mary-Gail said when I told her the name of the bird in the upper left?  

"I know that already Mom."

Well, I didn't, but I love it's name.  It's called a Fairy Bluebird, and lives in the Tropical forests of

Southeast Asia.  There's also a Purple-headed parrot in the pic too.

Becca, with some random girl who would not get out of my picture!

Lovey & Mary-Gail w/Flamingos

Mary-Gail was aching to get down, review the map of the zoo, and then run to the next sight

Toucan

Kangaroos, the "deer of Australia"

The walking path went right through their area!

Wallabies were on the other side of the walking path;

I had no idea they were so much smaller than Kangaroos

Endangered Matchie's Tree Kangaroo

This marsupial can jump up to 30-feet from tree to tree

Mary-Gail argued with me back-and-forth that it was NOT a kangaroo, but rather a rat

(perhaps because of it's rat-like tail?)

Elephant skull

Did you know that one legend of the "Cyclops" came from an elephant skull?

People saw this large skull with "one eye" and determined it to be a one-eyed giant

Mary-Gail was such a delight @ the zoo!  Running from exhibit to exhibit

The Tortoises weren't out due to the cold weather, but Becca & Mary-Gail sure had fun

climbing on this bronze tortise statue

A Copperhead Snake!

We also saw a Coral Snake among all the other slithery reptiles. I learned the rule of thumb for the Coral Snake's stripes:

"Red meets yellow, Kill a fellow;

Red meets black, Friend of Jack"

Gotta watch out for these two types of snakes in South Carolina

Look and see.  Can you find me?

...a sneaky sand viper snake

A GARGANTUAN Piranha!

I'm not kidding - this thing had nearly a 3 foot diameter!

Crocodiles w/turtles.

I actually saw this turtle use its mouth to pull on the crocodile's eyelid.

That turtle was pestering him!

Mary-Gail & Becca @ the aquarium

w/a sea turtle and shark in the upper right

Ahh, a baby giraffe.  So cute!

Mary-Gail tried her hand at milking a cow...

...She was done after 2 seconds

Becca could definitely work on a farm

Mary-Gail reviewing her zoo map to ensure we saw everything!

The zoo had two giant, silver-back gorillas.  One was sleeping with his lower lip "pouted" out

The view we saw as we exited the Riverbanks Zoo - a zebra behind (not pictured),

a baboon behind (all leathery-red and glowing), and a giraffe behind (looks like a long, saggy "mom" bum)

Lovey got us a family pass for the year!  Can you believe the annual family pass cost only $20 more than it would have cost had we purchased tickets for one day?  It was a no-brainer to get the family pass.

When we got home, the girls and I harnessed up Lilly and ShuShu and headed to the nearby park to play and throw balls.  Lilly just loves playing fetch and is relentless - she'll go into convulsions before she gives up fetching.  Becca and Mary-Gail made a new friend at the park who chased them all around, up and down.  They played hide'n'seek with him and silly Becca kept trying to hide in the same spot each time.  Well, she got found but I think that was her game plan anyhow.  I kept to the sidelines, just watching as Lilly kept fetching, wondering how my babies got so big.  They are beautiful.  Today was a great day. Today was a great day.