1st Zoo visit of '09

All in all, it was a good day. I think it was the first blue sky in months and before we left, Topaz raided her piggy bank so she could have her very own spending money to buy a crappy safari toy that broke on the way home. We also saw some monkeys playing pretty actively. It was hilarious and we watched them for several minutes. However, when asked what her favorite part was, Topaz said, of course: THE TIGER

This picture of Topaz turned out pretty cool. She was peeking into the Prairie Dog hole because she didn't want to leave. She loved running around in the semi-dark; I loved the bats.

I don't think it's surprising for many that I'll make a fool out of myself for Topie. Getting OUT of that egg was the hard part.

Later I discovered that I have a teenage-mutant-ninja-turtle for a daughter. It's amazing how Utah's Hogle brings out the inner reptile in everyone.

Of course the zoo is the appropriate place for Topaz to flaunt that she's a carnivore!

Trying to catch the little Tope-ster off-guard, I poked the camera over the edge of her stroller and this is what I found---a smiling little cheeseburger stuffing her face with cheetos!

To celebrate the new year and our new life in SLC, Topaz and I bought our first zoo membership. Of course no visit would be complete without the much-anticipated visit to the Asian Highlands where we spend long contemplative moments watching the tiger sleep. In fact, upon arrival, we bee-line it up the steep hill to the tiger enclosure and later meander aimlessly past the other exhibits, not caring whether we've seen everything there is to see---it's all about the tiger!