crossing off the summer list (and some zoo photos)

These zoo photos were meant for Friday but I fell behind. Truthfully, I don’t remember what we did on Friday but I bet it was fun, and hot, and exhausting. Like all the other days of this week. This summer has been so much about flooring the livingroom and babysitting the chickens and sweeping sawdust off the garage floor and a host of other things related to house projects. It was time to shelve the remainder and focus on flinging ourselves full speed into whatever adventures we could find.

I turned over a leaf and sat down with the boys to make a list of things to accomplish over the next few weeks of summer. This is significant because I am not a list person. I’m the one who forgets the toilet paper at the grocery store three trips in a row, rather than remember to write it down. Forget planning summer activities. I’m an in the moment, what-do-I-feel-like-doing-today soul.

So the list. We wrote it. And now I’m living it. Like, we crossed off about five things last week and you’d think I’d run a marathon. Or baked a perfect crème brulee. Or mowed the yard for the last time this summer. Yep, crossing things off that list has become a bit of an addiction. I love it.

And in case you hadn’t guessed by now, visiting the zoo was on the list. check.

I don’t know what was going on in this picture but just so you know it’s fairly typical.

This was the only animal photo I took. It sort of perfectly embodies my feelings toward the zoo. I like the smiles it puts to the boys’ faces, I don’t like all the pitiful looks I get from the faces behind bars.

Jackson begged to ride the skylift and I gave in. Carpe diem and all that. It was quite terrifying. I don’t know when I developed a slight fear of heights, but apparently along the way I have. Add to it that we were serenely drifting over a bunch of wild animals and yeah. I took a billion pictures of the sky, the trees, and my feet. Because anything was better than looking down and melting into a puddle of terror.

I have mixed feelings about the zoo map. Jackson could not be persuaded to put it down and consequently he missed the tiger trying to rip a fence post out of the ground. Also, when we got into the car at the end of the day it was discovered that we completely missed the alligator enclosure and there followed much drama and “can we come back tomorrow”.

Back on solid ground, finally.

We all agreed the parakeet enclosure was the best part of the day.