Celebrating Jon's birthday at Audobon Zoo

On Tuesday, Jon took off from work for his birthday. He started the day by going to the eye doctor and getting his oil changed. Then we headed to the city for a day of fun at the zoo. Both Jon and I thought that this trip was more for Will than any of us, but we both had a great time as you can see by the numerous photos that follow this post (they end with the sign in the Jaguar Jungle). Jon had a great time taking pictures, which is something he would like to do more often. I often had to remind him that Will would like to be able to see the animals too! The zoo was beautiful and very well-kept. I daresay it was cleaner than the French quarter (and smelled better too for that matter). I was completely enthralled (and sometimes scared) of all of the wild animals. I hadn't been to the zoo since I was a teenager, and I don't think I have ever appreciated the animals as much as I did on this trip. Will, of course, had a ball. He was anxious to see the giraffes and kept reminding us that he must see the Alligators ASAP! We stopped for lunch at the Cypress Knee cafe in the middle of the swamp habitat (which, of couse, was extensive and very wild). Will talked the whole time, and he would sometimes give us fun facts about the animals that he learned from his books, watching Diego, or that he just made up. He was quite entertaining. Driving home, I thought about how many different animals we saw and how many different species of each animal there was. I know that God created each animal for scientific reasons and that they are all crucial to maintaining balance and order, but since I'm a right-brainer, I think the animals are our Creator's way of expressing His perfect creativity. Enjoy the picturs that our resident photographer enjoyed taking...and you should know there are many many more, and I chose only a small sampling!