Trip to the Zoo!

Fridays are usually pretty quiet, and a great chance to get out and do something fun. Desperately seeking to do something different, Mike and I decided to go to the zoo. The Franklin Park Zoo is just outside of Boston, and very easy to get to (we just discovered this on Thursday). So Friday morning we met in South Station, took the subway and bus to the Zoo! :)

Traveler and I sitting outside the Zoo gates.

When we got there, there was quite a line. A zoo worker approached us, and she was very friendly. She brought us right to the front of the line, and let us know that they'd radio security throughout the park, to let them know that a dog was coming in. That way, if they animals got upset, they would know why and help out if needed.

Now here I must add that this is my very first time taking a dog to a zoo. It made for a VERY interesting trip, that's for sure! :) And some gooooood pictures!

We strolled in and followed a crowd, past what seemed to be a petting zoo of sorts on the left, and ostriches on the right. I was VERY excited about the tigers ( I love togers) so we headed that way.

There wasn't much going on at the tiger's den at first, one was laying far back in the grass, but that was it. It didn't stay that way for long...once the tiger spotted Traveler.

The cat in question, a female bengal tiger named Anala (according to the sign someone was reading aloud).

The tiger came right up to the fence in front of us, and paced back and forth, eyeing Traveler. I kept an eye on him, and he was just standing there wagging his tail.

The tiger. looking right at us!

At some point, the tiger and pup started making eye contact, though I couldn't tell. The tiger kept pacing in front of us, but both stayed quiet.

Then.....another tiger, a male white tiger, came up and noticed Traveler. He wasn't so happy about the guest, and started to get irritated. He barked (yes, barked. believe me it was odd) and the two tigers almost got in a scrap. The white male came up, and growled at Traveler. Traveler responded with a bark, and put his paw on me. The tiger lunged at the fence, and we made our way out of there quickly. The whole situation was quite to the amusement of others. Traveler seemed fine, so we kept walking.

Happy kitties before it all went down.

The next enclosure was the Lion, and he was very close as well, though much calmer, and rolling around in the grass.

The big male lion, rolling around before a nap.

We strolled through the zoo, encountering giraffes, monkeys, snakes, and several other critters. The baboons got upset, and so did Traveler, so we didn't stay there long.

Traveler was excellent the whole day, navigated with calm confidence the whole way.

The Australia exhibit was interesting, and the Emus followed us!

This guy was a riot. He stretched his neck out to the top of the fence, peeking at everyone passing by.

We stopped for a drink, since it was pretty hot out, before circling back to the front of the park. On our way, two zebras were absolutely fascinted with Traveler. Traveler stuck his neck out ot sniff in the direction of them, but was so calm otherwise:

Zebra first noticing the visitor.

Creeping in for a closer look!

We made our way back to the bus, and happily waited for it. The sun was starting to get pretty strong, but my eyes weren't hurting too badly, which was a welcome suprise. :)

The bus took us to the end of the Orange Line, so we rode it back to the red to get to South Station. While waiting for a connecting train, I caught wind of a performer. Now, perfomers in the subway are a common, everyday thing. Well, this one was something special! He sang only christian songs, it was truly wonderful, and really put me at ease. He was on the opposite side of the station, so I doubled back to listen to him until it was time to catch my train. He sang songs like "I can only Imagine," "Open the Eyes of My Heart" and other wonderful songs that were familiar. Once he took a break I approached him before boarding a subway, and thankned him for brightening my day. I hope he keeps it up!

I was exhausted after the day, so I went to dinner after getting off the train. After dinner I went over to see Jamie to help her download and activate some programs on her new computer. I lef the pup here to rest, and when I got back, he was so excited and ready to play. Go figure! After such and eventful day it was suprising.

As an aside, the new lamb and rice food seems to be doing well with him. The Iams lanb and rice isn't the best, but it will do for now.

More on the BEAUTIFUL weekend to come!