Vanessa's Spring Break: Day 1 Oregon Zoo

Vanessa's spring break runs the entire week. Since Jack and Vanessa go to different schools, their spring breaks run consecutively instead of concurrently. It really bites, especially if we want to travel because that means that one of them, for sure, will miss school. We're a bit anal about them missing school, so for the first time in several years, we are spending spring break at home. The past years, as you may remember from previous posts, we usually go to visit my parents in Stevensville, Montana. So that trip will have to wait until late summer.

Sooooo, I've got my girls at home this week and I thought we'd do some bonding while Jack is at school in the morning. First up, taking on the Oregon Zoo. We woke up with clear and sunny skies, so off we went as soon as we got Jack on the bus. It was a great day for the zoo because not only was the weather nice, all the animals were out and social! I don't normally torture you all with animal pictures, but they were so good that I needed to share. Should I submit them to National Geographic or does being in captivity automatically exclude my rather nice shots of "wild animals"? (Not Vanessa, Josie or Colette of course.)

Mr. Polar bear was rather playful right in front of the observation glass.

We discovered that Vanessa is about the size of a Sun Bear.

Vanessa searching for the Sun Bears. (They never come out.)

Josie enjoying those odd looking, very sore looking red-bottomed primates.

Vanessa getting cheek to cheek with an Orangatan

(well & several inches thick glass)

Ms. Socialite Orangatan

Josie & the Elephants

Vanessa & Josie with the elephants

Vanessa & the hippos

(note the very large butt next to her face).

A nice little lizard. (I didn't catch his name.)

Vanessa and some very big, flat fish

Josie & the big, flat fish

Look at these next 2 shots of Mr. Allegator. It puts the late Steve Irwin to shame (well if he took pictures anyway). It's like you are right there. Except for the slight glass reflection, you could totally reach out and touch them. (Why you would want to is another matter, but you totally could.)

Mr. Chimpanzee inspecting his (or her) fingernails.

It's like you could take a seat right next to him/her and join in the fun.

Python anyone? I couldn't fit the entire snake in the picture.

Look out, San Diego, here comes Marty the Zebra!

(Matagascar reference.)

Josie observing Mr. Giraffe eating. (Well, actually she's looking at me for just a second, but she really is observing Mr. Girffe.)

Mr. Giraffe up close. Can you feel the African Safari heat on your back?

Vanessa and Josie taking "drive" in the African safari jeep.

A rare sighting of Mr. Tiger--normally the anti-social resident tiger is sleeping a corner and hiding from the prying eyes of the public.

Check out the jaguars!

Don't go calling social services, the girls are on the other side of the glass from this sleeping kitty of a jaguar, but doesn't it look like they are right next to it? Can you hear the bongos in the backgrond?

So close! And yet so far...Thank goodness for bullet-proof glass.

Did I mention that Colette was with us? She was a trooper and slept the entire trip.

Teaching the girls the fine art of the self portrait. Josie needs to work on her form.