Zoo day!

Today was the most relaxed day I've had in a while. Since it was forecast to be warm and sunny, I told Drew that I'd spend the whole day with him and Rachel (as opposed to tomorrow, when we'll be hosting a friend for dinner and I'll be meeting another friend for lunch). Drew made pancakes and bacon and we decided to take MAX to the zoo (after concluding that because the trains were running off-schedule and we had difficulty finding a parking space at the station, one of my pet peeves about this city that loves public transportation but makes it incredibly hard to use it). "Can I see the giraffes first?" Rachel said, and as soon as we got to the zoo that's where we went.

We saw a lion, some hippos, orangutans, insects....ate lunch at the grass lawn in front of the amphitheater where they hold concerts in the summer, and then took the zoo train, a delightful 40-minute ride through Forest Park, to Washington Park and back to the zoo. You feel as if you're riding atop the trees, which, in a sense, you are, and although Drew grumbled about my insistence on going, he was glad we did. For all of you who plan to visit during Rachel's birthday...we'll take you too! It's worth it.

Since Rachel skipped her nap, she ended up napping on Drew's lap on the MAX home. Then we decided to eat dinner at the Belmont Food Carts, and she was barely into her pizza before the skies opened up and it rained. And RAINED!!! The ground quickly flooded under the tent where we were sitting, and poor Rachel was terrified; she started sobbing and saying, "I want to head HOME!" I gave her my green fleece and she huddled under Drew's jacket, whimpering and complaining. I couldn't really blame her; I wish we'd been inside and warm and dry, but Drew brought up a good point -- we had talked about grilling steaks tonight, and that would have been impossible in the rain. To say nothing of being caught at the zoo, where there's no shelter.

So all in all, it was a fine day. Drew is putting Rachel to bed and I am preparing to bake the final loaf of quick bread for the woman who bid on my breads at the synagogue dinner and auction last year. I'm baking strawberry bread and throwing in an extra loaf to show my appreciation. Hopefully she'll actually call me up in case she has any catering needs.