a day out with just the guys

Me and my son spent most of the day together. I say most, because it ended about 1 or so, but began last night as well. He stayed the night, and it was a good old time. Have I mentioned this kid is hilarious? If not, he is hilarious. Two things he said prove this.

Last night in bed he tells me “I’m sorry daddy, I’m going to pass gas.” with such a straight face it got me laughing for a good five minutes and set back bedtime by at least ten.

Today at the zoo watching the tiger clean itself, surrounded by a bunch of people, he says “He’s licking his penis, daddy.” Various giggles around us erupted, and a few more after my response of “Yes he is. And thank you for pointing it out.”

He is a child, and doesn’tknow he shouldn’t point out the cat is licking his penis. We all know the cat is doing that, but we don’t want to admit to ourselves we’re watching a giant cat fellate itself and that we all paid for the honor of doing so. The pass gas thing is funny because he said pass gas and not fart. Go figure.

The zoo was very nice, though we didn’t get to see his favorite animals, the elephants. Apparently the zoo has a new baby elephant, and the parents are caring for it currently. They will not be on display for a while. The orangutan freaked him out a little bit. I guess it’s because the thing is an exhibitionist that revels in the attention it gets, unlike most animals. Thing just hangs out right in front of glass, all arms and hair, watching the people watching it. I wonder what it thinks.

The Louisville Zoo is a pretty good zoo. They have a rare white alligator, a new baby elephant, and an awe inspiring gorilla exhibit. They are currently expanding, though I have no idea what the new construction is for. I remember going to zoo when I was younger and thinking “The Cincinatti Zoo is better.” While I would say it likely say it still is, the Louisville Zoo is making steps to be more of an adventure than a showcase of caged animals. For instance, there’s the Wallaroo Walkabout. A small exhibit of wallabe’s, emus, and lorakeets. It used to be like every other exhibit. Walk around in a caged off walkway, look at the animals, “Oooh aaahh”, snap a picture, and walk away (why people take pictures at the zoo I have no idea. I did for my son’s first visit, but haven’t since). Now they have a Lorakeet cage that you walk into. You interact with the birds, which are quite playful. The Walkabout portion is an open area, with a dirt path, where the animals walk around about their day and you walk right through it. Most were sleeping today, but it was nice to be closer and more personal.

If I wasn’t so exhausted today I would have stayed longer. They are turning the zoo into a place to spend the day. don’t just walk through and leave! Stay a while. Eat in the cafe and take a load off while the kids play on the playground we’ve added! I think there was a new direction decided for the zoo, a more updated and interactive direction. If so, they are on the right track. As an adult I don’t enjoy fireworks as much anymore, but I can truly say I still enjoy the zoo thanks to the changes they’re actively making. If you’re int he area and haven’t gone recently, drop by sometime.

http://www.louisvillezoo.org/

PS My son thinks we should name the baby elephant Bob. Bob is a good name.