Friday, June 24, 2016

A Few Hours on a Friday Afternoon

We decided to spend a few hours today at Phillips Park Zoo in Aurora. The weather was lovely and the price (free) couldn't be beat. Though my students have been telling me I should go for years, this was our first visit.

























Their sunken garden is lovely, and the flowers and birds kept my attention. The boys? Well, they wanted to see the animals and then play in the park. Though this is a very small zoo, the animals overall did not disappoint. Nick got a kick out of this snake.

























Henry said this crowd of turtles was his favorite part of the zoo. They were pretty active and looked happy--as much as a crowd of social turtles can look happy. Turtle party, perhaps?

























This Macaw seemed rather bored by all the kids in the vicinity, though he did open his eyes when Nick was talking to him.

























We checked out the peafowl and this peacock was presenting his lovely feathers for all the ladies to see. My sons thought it was beautiful but wondered why only the male had these beautiful feathers. Guys like to show off, you know, to impress the ladies. Peacocks are no exception to that. Unfortunately for this guy, the peahens (at least today) did not look impressed with him.

























Though some of the animals were hiding or sleeping, we were able to see quite a few. Nick and Henry had a great time, but they were really eager to visit. . .

























. . . the park. Yup, just your garden variety playground, though larger than most and in a picturesque, wooded area. This was the highlight of their day.