This Place Is a Zoo! (Part I)

Much as we may sometimes feel that way about our household, the place we were today literally was a zoo . . . the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, ND. When we showered Susan with fabulous gifts yesterday, we called her attention to the fact that that meant no gifts today. Instead, we gave her the option of eating today at whatever restaurant she wanted. I even suggested some Bismarck locales, and she took me up on that offer. So this morning we drove to Bismarck in time to dine at noon (Central time) at the Texas Roadhouse.

Wow, was that a good choice. There was a brief wait for a table, but they had a crafts table set up outdoors (beautiful weather--around 85 degrees with a breeze) with a woman available to do face-painting. The girls got their cheeks decorated, and then we were seated. Because we had never been there before, the owner brought us a complimentary portion of barbecued ribs to sample. The server started us off with delicious, hot rolls served with honey-cinnamon butter. On our table was also a bucket of peanuts in the shell with another bucket to collect the shells. Or we could have tossed the shells on the floor, which was done at other tables and in the lobby, where a gigantic barrel of peanuts is available for waiting patrons.

We started with an appetizer: a cactus blossom (an onion partially julienned, battered, deep-fried, and served with cajun horseradish sauce for dipping). The girls' meals had huge portions of mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans with bacon, chicken strips, sirloin tips, and macaroni and cheese. Susan and I ordered two meals and shared them: barbecued ribs, barbecued chicken breasts, grilled shrimp, overloaded baked sweet potato (with caramel sauce and marshmallows), overloaded baked potato (with cheese, bacon, and sour cream), baked beans, and chili topped with onions and cheese (yes, all that came as part of only two meals!). Simply delicious.

Afterward we surprised the girls with a trip to the zoo. They donned their sun hats and sunglasses, slathered on the sun screen, and set about leading us on the 893 miles of paths around the zoo grounds. We took photos of every caged and penned creature that we saw, spent some time in the educational exhibits building, rushed with plugged noses through the horrifyingly pungent monkey house, took a water break midway through the tour, and ended our stay there so hot and tired that we were basically rushing with feigned interest past the llamas and rabbits and turtles and lemurs, taking perfunctory photos, and looking for the exit gate back to the vehicle so we could sit down.

After seeing the horses, the sheep, the goats, the cattle, and the deer, I asked, "Where are the elephants and the hippos and the lions?" Suzanna said, "Yeah, these animals aren't very exotic." So true. However, we were evidently on the domestic leg of our journey at that point; the second half of the zoo path offered us peacocks, spider monkeys, alligators, mountain lions, and the like. The zoo grounds are a beautiful setting in and of themselves, so I was able to snap plenty of shots of the family, too (wildlife in their own right).

Afterward we did some shopping at Kohl's for new clothes for Mommy, and then we had ice cream for supper at Cold Stone Creamery. Yep, you read that right: ice cream for supper. The girls were asleep before we'd left the city limits of Mandan. We drove home to a thunderstorm a-brewin' in Dickinson--a gorgeous light show in the night sky. I hope Susan had a good Mother's Day; we surely had a good day celebrating her and spending time with her!

P.S. Unusual sight of the day: three short-haired, bearded men in sandals and long brown monastic robes attending a Clydesdale horse in the equestrian pen. As we walked past, they scuttled off into a shed inside the pen. Perhaps the friars are skittish around lay persons? And what were they doing inside the Clydesdale pasture, anyway? Was it "Bring a Benedictine Monk, Get a Dollar Off the Price of Admission" Day at Dakota Zoo? Ah, just one more of life's mysteries. We shall speak of it no more.

P.P.S. Check back tomorrow for photos from the day.