lions and apes and pandas, oh my!

I'm so lucky, I've gotten to go on every field trip my boys have ever gone on.   Its so much fun to see your child with their school friends, joking and laughing and having a fun experience together outside of school. 

I love that I got to go to the National Zoo today and spend time with just Dylan and his friends.  You always get to know some of the other parents, too.   I even got to ride the bus and well, that's always an adventure too.  

Living in the DC area, I sometimes forget how fortunate we are that so many attractions are free admission.   In fact, I don't think there is another zoo in the country that doesn't charge an entrance fee.   There have been many times I've left the National Zoo feeling disappointed that many of the animals were hidden or not easy to spot.   Or that many of the exhibits were under construction.  Today, however, was a nice surprise.  It was a chilly day, and there were no crowds at all.  We got up close views of the Giant Pandas, Tigers, Lions, Apes and the Orangutans.  We saw giant tortoise, walked thru a rainforest bird habitat, saw Elephants, Snakes, Alligators and Iguanas.  We didn't get to see every exhibit before it was time to meet the bus, but the animals we did see were awesome!

Look at that sky. The oragnutans were putting on a show, and one of them had dreads!

check out the roaring!  I've never seen a lion make such a fuss!