Monday, March 03, 2014

Snakes And Crocodiles And Owls, Oh My!

Sometimes I hear about potentially fun things to do with our kids from other people. Some things happen annually and I know to look for them. And sometimes it is just serendipitous. That's what happened with Little Ray's Reptile Zoo. It was advertised on the radio station I listen to, and then when it also appeared as an ad on Facebook, it seemed like it was meant to be. So on Saturday we headed to check out "Dinosaurs: Past and Present."

When we arrived, there was a huge line out the doors, but people said it was moving quickly, and thankfully it was. Fortunately, our kids were pretty patient too.
When we got inside, the first animal we saw was a kangaroo. He was a little shy and just wanted to hang out in his cage.
We checked out some dinosaur skeletons instead.
Dave, Sam, and Rachel practiced being Tyrannosaurus Rexes. Then the kids checked out some caiman lizards. Sam pet one and Rachel got up close and personal with another one. I can't believe she put her face right up to glass (we won't talk about how I caught her licking it - ewwww!), and the lizard was practically nose to nose with her. They were about two inches apart. Yes, this child is scared of dogs but not huge lizards. Weird.

Since the exhibit showcased animals which were related to dinosaurs, we also saw some birds. We tested our wing span to see how big we are!
And then we encountered an owl. It was perched on its handlers hand, and I didn't realize it was on a leash, so I may have accidentally knocked over a little kid when it spread its wings and looked like it was going to take off right at me. Yerghks :() Before that little incident, Rachel was all excited about the owl, but after that, she hung back and wouldn't go near it.
You can tell Dave is thinking, "Please don't fly at my face!"
Sam needed to hold Daddy's hand to be brave. It was around this point that I was imagining a movie nightmare scene where all the animals escaped their cages and it was complete and total chaos. I was also wondering why I'd thought this was a good idea in the first place.
Then we discovered Jack, the kangaroo, had decided to venture out of his cage. Rachel was completely entranced and watched Jack take a bath. Sam and Dave, after a few minutes, made their way over to the Reticulated Python. I wasn't even going near its cage but Dave wanted to take a few pictures. Afterwards I found out that the python was out of its cage and SAM PET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please tell me who thought that was a good idea.
After the python petting, we decided we were ready to go. This exhibit was really amazing, if you're not freaked out by snakes, birds, and crocodiles. In other words, if you're like me, take your husband up on his offer to go without you. Next time, that's what I'll do :)

10 comments:

  1. I won't lie - I had to hurry past the snake pictures as they make my blood run cold - but HOW COOL to have this experience!!! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, the snakes were definitely the worst part for me. Yuck.

      Delete
  2. Whoa. You can count me in for most of that trip, but I'd have HIT THE DOOR when there are owls on the loose. GROOOOSSSSS. (Perhaps relatedly, I had a very scary and traumatizing experience with a (real, live, attacky) owl during college. Perhaps this has tainted me for life, but I prefer to think of it as OPENING MY EYES to the truth about those disgusting creatures)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I didn't know that Little Ray's traveled outside of our area to do visits. That's pretty cool. Here in Ottawa you can have them come to your house with their animals for birthday parties. Your kids can do summer camps and they also visit schools pretty regularly. I have only been to their location once - figures I live here why would I visit the local attractions - LOL!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's hard to visit local attractions because you know they'll always be there. If one of my kids wanted to have this for their birthday party I would have to say NO WAY because it was freaky enough in a big room and I CANNOT imagine having it in my house!

      Delete
  4. Your reaction to the owl....hee hee hee! I would have done the same. =) Looks like a lot of fun! I can't believe Sam pet that snake. What a brave boy! We are going to try to go to a dinosaur museum over Spring Break. This post makes me super excited about it. Glad ya'll had such a great time!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a fun place to visit! I love taking my kids to places like this, especially when dinosaurs are involved. I thought owls were your favorite animals? Hehe! Just kidding. I would have reacted the same way if one spread its wings and acted like it was coming at me. I jumped a few weeks ago when I saw a large hawk sitting on our mailbox post, and I was inside my car. Haha! We are actually planning to take the kids to D.C. in April for Spring break to check out some of the Smithsonian museums because Evan has been wanting to see the real Stegosaurus after seeing the real dinosaur bones at our little science museum. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. You're all much braver and I am! I don't think I'd want to be in the same building with some of those creatures! Looks like fun (from a safe distance! ha!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like I said, at one point I was wondering, "WHAT am I doing here???" It was definitely a one-time experience for me!

      Delete
  7. The reptile zoo that had a kangaroo...that made me laugh. And so did Dave's super excited thrilled face about the owl. And the two extra large teas (coffees?) were a good plan for surviving the line. And petting pythons?? ummmmm.......ACK!!!! :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for being interested in my life as I blog it and for leaving a comment. Comments make me happier than reading a good book and drinking a cold Coke. Almost :)