A couple of weeks ago, we all took a day off (meaning Tom got off work; none of the rest of us had anything else scheduled that day) and went on an excursion to... the Santa Barbara Zoo!!! It was a WONDERFUL day. I LOVE going otherwise busy places during the week. We had this place to ourselves--well, and the animals were there, too.
Doesn't Tom look cute with his no-glasses look? And Gideon is really thinking about those flamingos. Look at the beautiful setting of this zoo--so lush and green. I loved all of the trees. It just felt like a great place for the animals.
There's a really cool play area there, something I've never seen before. There was this hill covered in a sort of astro turf. I thought it was pretty weird, until a kid came and showed us its potential. You can slide down it! Jacob was going down face first, upside down, rolling, etc. Someone had some cardboard like a sled to get some speed. Gideon had a great time climbing a little and then sliding down. Very cool.
I love that Gideon was actually looking at some of the exhibits. It was fun to see him react a little to the animals. And I loved watching this alligator not move. They really just don't move, no matter how much you expect them to.
We headed to this new section called "Condor Country," only to find out it had opened up THE DAY BEFORE! It was gorgeous!! You can look at these majestic birds and see the breathtaking views of Santa Barbara at the same time. Just look at that and then imagine it in person.
I was so happy to see the lions awake and get a close up on them. The male was grooming the female--it was a touching little scene.
Two thumbs up for the Santa Barbara Zoo! It was just the right size--very do-able for a family with small kids. And several thumbs up for a day off with Tom!
