It was a "Big Day"

Days under 95 degrees in August in Texas are unheard of and are for the record books. With a million and one chores around the house, we decided that staying closed up inside the house was just not an option today. Elliott asked this morning if we could have a "Big Day." Repeated clarification attempts brought tears on his part, puzzled looks shared between Chris and me. . Finally, he explained he wanted to do something 'big' together as a family. So after nap, we headed out to the Fort Worth Zoo--one of the 10 best zoos in the nation. While we were hoping to see Baby Belle, the new baby Asian elephant, we saw enough in our two hours that made up for her absence. I was expected crowds, serious crowds, because any time in the past 10 years that I've been to the FW Zoo it's been crazy-crowded, but somehow fortune smiled upon us with little in the way of crowds and active animals. We followed up with an outing to Central Market for some live music, beer, foodie foods and friendship, as our friends Karen & Nathan & baby Ty-Mo joined us for some patio time.

Squint and you can see the rare white Bengal tiger in the background.  I saw the same tigers 10 years ago when they were cubs, held in the arms of zoo keepers.  The are stunning, but just easy prey in the wild.

Ostrich egg exploration.  The shell had been opened & inside cleaned out.  The thickness of the shell was several mm thick.  Totally fascinating.

Elliott's favorite part of the day was the bird atrium-thingy.  Full of parakeets & cockatiels, I spend the majority of my time waiting to get pooped on.  To each their own.

Brookie and the Sloth Bear.

That kangaroo was sacked. out.  Done.  

Python.  Yeah.  The kids loved the new Museum of Living Art, which replaced the old herpeterium.

Special K, just prior to losing his mind over being in the stroller for 2 hours.  Mainly I felt bad because all other zoo pics were of the big kids.  

Gelato.  

Hatch Chile Fest!

Big Days are good.  Glad that handsome boy convinced us to take the leap.