Memorial Day 2004 in San Diego

Over the long Memorial Day weekend Sarah and I took the kids to the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Of course, Jack couldn't have cared less as long as he was near Sarah but Sydney had a really great time. Of course, we actually got an even more excited response from her when we told her we were staying at a hotel and that there was a pool.

Sydney had the chance to pet a three-foot alligator, which was being held by a zookeeper. We stood in line and waited a few minutes but when the time came she was too afraid. As soon as we walked away she began to cry because she really did want to touch it. The crying quickly turned into a complete meltdown. Something like this happened one other time several months ago at the Long Beach Aquarium in their shark pool. I think these kinds of experiences have given me a small glimpse of some of the feelings I'll have later in life. I have high hopes that our children will embrace all of blessings that life has to offer, but in the end, all I can do is encourage them and pray because only they can make these decisions.

Sydney also had a funny reaction in the herpetarium where they keep the reptiles. The herpetarium building is about 100 feet by 75 feet and the entire perimeter of the building is lined with terrariums containing mostly snakes and lizards. At EVERY exhibit she would ask the question, "It's berry nice?" It unnerved her when I started to point out the "mean" snakes so I found myself telling her that they were all nice. So as we came to the Taipan, which is arguably the world's most venomous snake, I found myself telling her, "yes, it's berry nice."

In my dream house there is a large room that is basically a greenhouse with a large hidden work area, back stage if you will, also a nice lounging area and a waterfall. After this weekend I'd love to have some really colorful birds too. Typically greenhouses seem to be separate buildings with their own temperature/humidity control systems. I want one that feels like an integrated part of the house. As we walked through several of the aviaries and other parts of the zoo I had lots of ideas about how to do this. Someday, maybe.