Washington D.C.---- August 18, 2008 (Day 3)

On Monday morning we were all exhausted so we got a later start than expected. We met at my brother's place and went with my sister-in-law to the Smithsonian National Zoo. I will freely admit that I was a tad grouchy when I realized how much walking we were going to have to do in order to see the "cool" animals. It was a VERY hot day and my legs felt like they were going to explode. I'm going to reveal something now so that you don't all think I'm a big wimp (I am one, but not as big as it sounds). I have varicose veins in both of my legs right in the area behind the knees. It makes walking for long distances very painful. At this point my veins were bulging (yes, it is possible for them to bulge even more than they do on a normal day). I'm not going for sympathy here; I just want you to understand why I'm such a pansy about walking long distances. Now you know; I won the genetic lottery and got "grandma legs" before I hit puberty.

I'm not much of an animal person but Doug and my children love them. I felt bad being a party-pooper, but just couldn't make it too the elephants, pandas, and other more exciting animals. We did see the Kid's Farm (cows, donkeys, and goats), the Great Cats (a lion and tiger), the Reptile Discovery Center (snakes, turtles, alligators, etc.), and the Orangutan Crossing (ropes draped above the walk-way where two orangutans could cross to get from their play yard to their home).

Reptile Discovery Center

Orangutan Crossing

Cooling Off In the Mist

Miriam really wanted to see the pandas, but they were clear on the other side of the zoo. Someday I'd like to take her back and see the elephants, pandas, gorillas, and other fascinating animals we didn't have time or the energy to see. If anyone is considering the National Zoo as something they want to see, I recommend planning on being there the majority of the day. We only had about two hours there and it just wasn't enough to see everything.

Since we were on vacation I bought each of the girls a stuffed animal. Miriam chose a panda and I picked out an orangutan for Shaylynn. She loved it when they were crossing their ropes, and tried to speak orangutan to them. Even now she likes to walk around with her stuffed orangutan and say, "ooo, ooo, eee, eee".

Our last stop was the Pizza Playground. The kids had a blast jumping on the big rubbery pizza toppings. Shaylynn was exhausted at this point and broke down in sobs when a large mushroom fell on her. Miriam, being the good sister she is, pulled it off her. Doug and I, being the bad parents we are, sat and laughed while taking pictures. Don't worry, eventually we went over and picked her up.

Pizza Playground

After the Zoo we went back to the apartment to pick up our car. We loaded up a sleeping Shaylynn and a tired Miriam. After a debate of whether we should stop and eat or just get on the road, we left for home. It was a very long three hour drive home, but we arrived without too much wear and tear around 5 p.m.

It was a great trip, but it was depressing to load my empty laundry baskets with our dirty clothes. Oh well, it was well worth it. Thanks to the Andersons for showing us such a good time! We miss you and wish we could see you more often. Hugs and Kisses!