Winter Saturday at the Zoo.

Yes, at the zoo! The kids and I spent the morning getting our housework done and then were trying to figure out something fun and active to do for the rest of the day. The sun was shining, though it was cold, and it just popped into my mind......let's go walk around the zoo! I jumped on line and learned that the zoo was, in fact, open, and--even better--that they don't charge admission during December, January and February. So, we bundled up, packed a backpack with the camera and some snacks, and headed off to the zoo. It was such a fun day. There were only a handful of other people there--maybe 10 other families--and many of the animals that are typically very inactive in the hot times of the summer, were active and engaging. We saw some great activity by the bears, mountain goats, snow leopards, and tiger.....we even got to see a rattle snake yawn with its mouth fully open---which happened when my son was a nose-length away from the snake. Although there was the glass separating him from the snake, it still made my heart jump as it looked as if it was striking. Yikes. The kids loved being able to roam and see the animals without the usual crowds. The chimps--typically our favorite display--seemed to be in the middle of a nap, so that was disappointing, but we'll catch them again in the spring. I did see this cool sign about chimps' play behaviors that rang true--Play is NOT JUST childhood recreation. Hmmmm....so true of humans, too. We highly recommend a winter trip to the zoo--I had never been to the zoo in the winter time before, but we will surely do this again (assuming the weather cooperates!).