Well, this past Saturday, Hubby and I thought it would be a good idea to take the girls to the (Tulsa) zoo. Normally this would have been a good idea. Kids like zoos, right? Animals are cute, right? Hell is cool and breezy, right? We were all really excited about this trip (it's a 2.5 hour car ride to Tulsa from where we live, so we made a day trip of it...unfortunately this is the closest zoo to where we live.)
Note to self: When planning our next trip to the zoo, make sure the temperature isn't going to be 101°!!!
Man, was it HOT! Normally the heat doesn't bother me (I grew up in South Florida, so what's a little sunshine?!? No big deal....) but I just couldn't handle the heat at all. The family wasn't faring too well either. As we later found out, the animals aren't too crazy about the heat either. Most of them were in their dens (or lairs or caves, etc.) and weren't even visible to those of us who trekked around in the heat, hoping to catch a glimpse of ferocious carnivores and adorable fluffy things. We saw a few animals: elephants, sea lions, flamingos, just to name a few. After awhile, we knew we weren't going to be able to stay much longer. It was just TOO darned hot. We stopped for lunch, just to take a break and get out of the heat. We shelled out half of what we came with just for lunch. After lunch, we decided to hit the children's petting zoo, then head on out towards home. Annabelle didn't seem to mind the heat too much, but then again she was in an airy stroller with an oversized umbrella providing abundant shade. The rest of us were in the direct line of fire of the sun's rays, so it wasn't quite as comfortable for us as it was for her.
The petting zoo was o.k., but nothing special. The goats were the only animals out, so we missed out on the sheep. The goats were sweet, though. Annabelle was more interested in playing in the dirt than she was in petting any animals. We only stayed for a few minutes before leaving to go home. Before leaving, we stopped for a restroom break so I could change Annabelle's diaper. When I took out everything that I needed, I realized that her diaper ointment was completely melted. It was in her diaper bag, underneath the stroller (which was underneath a large umbrella), yet it was still completely melted. Now THAT'S hot!
Here are a few pictures from our trip. Most of the animals were in hiding, so I didn't get too many good shots.
The flamingos were one of the prettiest exhibits. Plenty of pink birds, all enjoying the sunshine instead of hiding from it:
Gabby tries to copy the movement of the penguin:
Annabelle takes a peek at the meerkat:
Annabelle totally ignores the goat:
My three monkeys:
3 comments:
That's a funny story! I'll keep in mind staying away from the zoo until it is a lot cooler!
It really was a shame, too.....we had to leave so shortly after we got there. We spent 2.5 hours getting there and the heat just never let up. We were constantly hanging out in the gift shops simply because they were air conditioned. We learned our lesson, though, and will never make this same mistake twice! Our next trip to the zoo will be in a much cooler season, that's for sure!
But, you did make a memory out of it, right? Oddly enough, sometimes it seems when things don't go as planned that we'll remember and laugh about them forever! Of course, I'm typically not that optimistic when I am the one in the situation who had planned the "perfect" day. I still haven't learned that "perfect" doesn't exist. Maybe one day! :)
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