The Zoo

As K Rae is here for the summer, S and I decided that with her, we would out number the children and might be able to make a family trip out of the my business trip to Seattle this week.

Without K Rae, the trip would have been insane. Even with her, we still wonder if living in a hotel for a week with Letty and Gracie was too much.

Hoping to validate the sacrifice of our sanity for the cultural development of our children, today I asked Letty what she liked most about the trip. I hoped she would mention the Butterfly house at the Pacific Science Center or sitting in an airplane cockpit at Boeing's “Future of Flight” Museum- activities that we could not do in Spokane. To my dismay and without hesitation she declared that the carousel at Woodland Park Zoo was her favorite. Now, I’m not bad-mouthing the carousel, but Spokane does have a carousel less than a mile from where I work, one that doesn't require a four hour car trip to see. So, having set that dismal impression of our trip, let me mention some highlights:

• Gracie screaming as we look for places to eat – more than I can count

• Letty staying up until 10:00 PM. I usually fell asleep before she did.

Well that’s about it. Okay, okay, so yes, there were some pleasant memories as well. Truth be told we had a great time and won't soon forget the trip. Some true high points include:

• Seeing the 3D Imax adventure at Pacific Science Center

• Numerous animal adventures at the zoo- watching the Brown bear impressively posing on a rock outcropping

• Conversing with a Siemong (monkey) starring back at us from just behind the glass. We were close enough to see the cataract in his right eye (poor guy)

• Seeing an actual live armadillo at the Night exhibit (As opposed to the dozens I saw dead in the road while on my mission in Texas).

• Having butterflies land on us at the Pacific Science Center

• Listening to a Bagpipe and drum band while eating tasty gyrros at the Seattle Center.

• Swimming with Letty in the hotel pool

• Dodging low flying crows and scarring a squirrel digging in the trash.

• Watching an elephant get his nails trimmed (or more descriptively; carved)

• Observing how a 787 Rolls Royce jet engine works and getting sneak peeks into the 787’s interior..

Letty acting like the crab she is eating, yummy!