August 8, 2015 Zoo Atlanta Trip!
The day was really pretty when we got there. There was a slight breeze and it was under ninety degrees with clear skies. It warmed up a little more during the day, but we really couldn’t complain. Jen and Adam had given us free tickets into the park so that made getting in nice and easy. It was so nice of them to do that for Brielle. They’re the best! Right off the bat we started with the flamingos, or flingos as Aunt Tessa calls them. We wound our way through the park. David and I told Brielle all about the animals, some of them even looked and acted like her big sissies, so I made sure to tell her about that as well.
We made it to the Panda exhibit and then decided to take a break and get something to eat. Brielle was very hungry and was letting me hear about it. I mention a lot about what and where we eat because Brielle almost always likes or dislikes something and let’s me know about it. I found us a table inside, sat down,and she immediately started kicking me. Apparently she was only comfy if I was in a reclining position. David came back with food, pizza and Mac & cheese. There weren’t a lot of options. Brielle doesn’t even like pizza and was going crazy for this pizza. I think she was too hungry to care. And if I’d slow down, she once again, would start kicking me hard,”Hurry up Mommy, I’m starving!”
We rushed to the elephant encounter and got there just in time. We learned a bit about elephants, the herd, and Tara and Kelly, the two elephants at the zoo. We got to meet Tara. Tara was 9,000 pounds. She was very pretty, smart, and lazy. We learned a bit about Tara and she showed us some tricks and then we got to pet her. Elephants do not feel like I’d expected. I talked to Brielle while I loved on Tara. I wanted to include Brielle as much as possible. Then we got to feed Tara! We were given three pieces of lettuce and handed them to Tara one at a time. Tara is very food oriented so she was very appreciative.
Tara showed us some more tricks and then we took pictures with her. After that the encounter was over. David asked some questions about Asian elephants and African elephants, if they get colds (I think he was envisioning them sneezing), and if the elephants retire. To which the keeper said,”Tara has unofficially retired herself.” But that the zoo does not retire elephants like the circus does. Tara was reluctant to do things that required extra physical effort, unless there was food.
We finished up the zoo with the kangaroos and the petting zoo and then went home. I think Brielle had a lot of fun! Although we were both pretty worn out by the time we got to the car. Once we cooled down, Brielle started dancing. I think she was happy to be out of the heat, like father like daughter.
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