Family Day

Last week was Spring Break, and I'd taken a few days off to do some work, but also so that we could get in a Family Day. And yes, those capitals are there for a reason: It was significant.

I mean, it's not like we never do fun things, or go anywhere as a family. But it's rare that we do something fun, go somewhere as a family...ALL BY OURSELVES. Usually, there are friends along. Usually, in fact, there are three other families's worth of friends along. And that's awesome. But every now and then, you need a Family Day.

Our Family Day was a trip to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, and it was exactly what I wanted it to be. Baroy'd never been there; neither had the kids. The last time I'd been there it was the early 1990s, and I'd recently done an article on their condor recovery program for ABigScienceMagazine. We took a staff trip there, and got special tours and such...but I'd never really seen it on my own time and on my own dime.

And while it ate up a LOT of dimes, we really did have a great time. As I said to Baroy, it's the zoo experience, without most of the zoo guilt. (There are still some animals in small enclosures, but even they're there because they're somehow part of a breeding or conservation program.) And to watch a whole group (or tower, as Google tells me) of giraffes loping off into the sunset across an impressively expansive field...I literally had tears in my eyes. Baroy fell in love with the cheetahs, and Em fell in love with the cheetah baby in the nursery, not to mention the elephant baby who kept rubbing himself against his mommy's legs. And N...well, N loved it all. Especially the gift shop.

I can't wait for the next Family Day.