Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

Here's another family vacation story. It could have had many titles. "Farmer Kate" came to mind, but then it would have been a whole blog about my sisters nuttiness when it comes to animals, and I don't want to be banned from the washer/dryer. :) It could be called "Dad in Charge". I could write a whole book about things that happened when my Dad was "in charge." Maybe those will be future blog attempts.

Every summer when we traveled to visit my Mom's older brother, Uncle Joe, and his wife, Aunt Dorothy, in Oregon (outside of Madison) WI, we would go off to the Vilas Zoo! I just love this zoo. When I was a nanny years later, in Madison, I would take Michael and Megan there all the time. First of all, it's free. Secondly, it holds a lot of fun memories for me. When we were very small you could feed most of the animals. We even bought sardines to toss out to the seals! They were in some very gross paper bags.....

The best story that comes from our zoo adventures is one that we had to be told, because we were all too young to remember it. It was probably on our first ever trip to Vilas. My Mom had taken Jerry and I to see something and my Dad was "in charge" of two year old Katy. There was an open area, with either a rope or a wide gap fence enclosing a baby elephant. Somehow my animal obsessed sister, who was actually no escape artist, or naughty child, slipped away from my father (Mr. Observant) and you guessed it.

My mother comes walking along with the two of us, only to see her toddler waddling toward the baby elephant, INSIDE the enclosure! The trainer and my Dad hot on her little heels. How Mom ever left him in charge of any, let alone all of us again is beyond me! Ah, those were the days. I can't believe we survived them!

p.s. Don't tell her I told you........ Kate had an imaginary FARM when we were growing up! Shhhhhh.... I just couldn't help myself. Farmville was made for her. *snicker*

Ok, to be fair, I was obsessed with Betsy the elephant at the Duluth zoo when I was a kid. I would want to spend the entire time sitting by her cage. However, I always stayed on MY side of the bars! I also tried to bring home numerous strays over the years, but all of them were REAL!