Vacation Week
by Steve West on August 12, 2008
We took the girls to the National Zoo in Washington D.C., a part of the Smithsonian network of attractions. Home of the famous pandas, the National Zoo is incredibly diverse and seemingly comprehensive. It is free to the public because it's funded by your tax dollars and I've grown spoiled by that. So much so that I was actually a little put off by having to pay for parking for the first time ever. $15 bucks. Yeesh.
Saw some fabulous animals, of course, (kinda unavoidable) and a few species I had never seen before. The Amazon and Asia Trail exhibits are very well done. And the pandas are adorable.
They have that rope contraption criss-crossing the outdoor paths that allows the orangutans to dangle overhead as they cross from one pen to the other about 20 feet over your head. That looks cool, sure, but it makes me paranoid about what may come from up there, if you know what I'm saying. I actually saw an ape urinate on patrons a few years ago. Didn't get a picture though, dammit. Saw a few baby marmosets about 5 inches long - adorable. And the dramatic prarie dog is alive and well at the DC zoo. Girls had a great time and Dad survived the ordeal of walking the whole zoo carrying one or the other on his shoulders. Just trying to create memories for them but I think my exhaustion will be the memory that lingers longest for me.
Five Replies to Vacation Week
Tony Peters | August 13, 2008
It's neary 30 years since I've been to the National Zoo, I really should go next time I'm in DC. Glad to hear you had a good time
Steve West | August 13, 2008
Thanks, and I haven't lost sight of that.
Jackie Mason | August 17, 2008
[hidden by author request]
Steve West | August 17, 2008
At least his look-alike cousin does. And those guys are camera hogs.
Web Junkie
Steve West scours the Web searching for interest or absurdity and then shakes his head ruefully when he finds it. Read more »
David Blaine, Time Traveling Demon
Hilarious parody of David Blaine and his magic victims. Part I & Part II. Go »Isn't That The Red Skull In That Weird Pantsuit?
My internet idol, Uncle Scoopy, refers to Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham as Skeletor Spice for her resemblance to that cartoon character. Interestingly, she resembles other cartoon characters often, depending on how she dresses. She has got to make Blackwell's "Worst Dressed" this year. Go »I Died a Spy
Recent conversation with Brenda: Me: When I die, I want people to believe I led a double life. Brenda: How and more importantly, why? Me: Try to respect my dying wish. Go »Let Loose The Pigeons!
I got a phone call today from my Service Coordinator of Prince George's County officially welcoming me and my daughter, Olivia, into the Autism Waiver program - a state funded program intended for families with an autistic child offering funds for state approved services such as Aqua therapy, Occupational community trips, Speech therapy and even respite for Brenda and I. This has been a nine year wait since getting a diagnosis for Olivia at age 2. The waiting list is horrific. Go »She Obviously Wants To Outsource
Recent conversation with Brenda: Brenda: After getting a new toilet, I'm seriously in the mood for a new bathroom. me: Oh, really. Brenda: Yes, really. Go »
Amy Austin | August 13, 2008
Well, color *me* jealous, anyway...
I am sure that they will one day years from now appreciate your memory-making efforts, and you may one day years from now find yourself listening to one or both of them regaling the family/ies with stories of these memories from their own perspectives, thus perhaps replacing the lingering memory of exhaustion with one of pleasurable nostalgia and patrimonial satisfaction.