Day Tripping...

Before forcing myself to relive the past 3 hours I do have to ask...Things do get better don't they?

Ok, this a.m., after a surprise business call, I decided that it was too nice of a day to stay inside and hide from the biting flies and mosquitoes that have re-infested our neighborhood.

Speaking of unwanted gifts from Nature, we recently had an infestation of carpenter ants. Here is how it was resolved:

Me: Hey I killed another ant in the bathroom today. That makes about six this week.

Better 1/2: Is that all (she is at work and understandably a little distracted)

Me: (can she be serious? ants are like roaches and mice. If you see one, then they are building subdivisions behind the walls!!) Weeeell, yes. I called my cousin to send someone out. (my cousin works at a pest control company).

Better 1/2: For six ants???? I can't believe you!

me: What? Huh?

better 1/2: So you see 2 or 3 ants and now you are going to nuke them?

me: well, yea (Hell, I'd seriously consider mustard gas if I were guaranteed of keeping nature where it belongs...In somebody else's house!) . I mean if they're carpenter ants...

better 1/2: I don't know. It's only 2 or 3 ants

me: (I don't like the direction this math is taking us) well, they will just be giving us and estimate the first visit. I also have to catch a specimen for them. I guess if they aren't eating our house from the inside out, I'll have to find another way...

As it turned out we had carpenter ants nesting in our roof, one of the trees in our yard and checking out locations in our bathrooms, and every other tree (8) in our yard.

The mushroom clouds erupted over our house and lawn approximately 3 weeks ago.


So back to the day trip...

I decided that we should go to the zoo. After all we have a zoo pass, it is summer. It just seems like something a cool dad would do to score points with the kids.

So, I get a phone call from a landowner I leased last year and during the ensuing conversation, made a wrong turn. But I did stumble through a picturesque community that is having a festival this weekend and guess who is going??

Back at the zoo, we had to eat because we somehow got behind schedule. The animal exhibits would have to wait until the imps were fed. No problem. We took our time, because we had all day and it was not so hot when we arrived. However it was hot by the time the imps expressed their desire to motivate onward.

This meant that g.imp wanted to run ahead and daddy got to carry b.imp on his shoulders along with the backpack full of cold--um, relatively lukewarm-- water.

First stop the Lions. Well, 1 lion hunkered down in the shade. From the distance we did see his head. However by the time dad and b.imp made it to the front of the crowd, g.imp had seen her fill and was moving on-- right to the t.v. positioned in the shelter next to the exhibit so that when one sat to see the t.v., one could not see the animals in the exhibit.

Both imps thought that sitting there all afternoon at the zoo, watching t.v. pictures of lions and other big cats was a terrific idea! Not today kids! Dad stepped in and got the show on the road.

B.imp wanted to walk now. We had shade for about two minutes. Then b.imp had to ride. There was a definite pattern happening here and I knew I was not going to be happy.

On to the Elephants! Who doesn't like the elephants! Everyone was going to the enclosure. Mama and baby elephants were wandering both indoors and out. We went in...and immediately ignored the Giant Glass Windows behind which the elephants were mere feet away. Huge beasts strolling casually back and forth munching hay letting us see them from every conceivable angle.

Yet the imps were staring at the empty pens on the far side of the room. Begging for quarters to squeeze pennies into different souvenir shapes and generally blowing off the entire exhibit. At least we were out of the sun...

Moving on we had the choice of walking several minutes to see the North American animals or walking several minutes to see the sea creatures.

g.imp: I'm ready to go home dad.

(She apparently had been to the zoo with her class just before summer vacation. Too bad dad did not remember signing the permission slip. I think that her even expressing the slightest interest in stopping at any exhibit was a minor miracle.)

Ooooookay...

$4 for water, $16 for lunch 21/2 hours to see 1 Lion, 1 t.v. program about lions, 2 elephants.

How it feels to be the cool dad?

Priceless