With our move to Seattle coming up, it was hard not to think about the things that we will be leaving behind. The same goes for my parents and my sister. Once the Wharton’s head to the Pacific Northwest, my parents and sister wont have the same reasons to come and visit California. Its not that they wont come back to visit, but it wont be as often as it used to be. With that in mind we decided that during their visit, we would head to a few of the places we will all miss the most and today was the Santa Barbara Zoo!
It was a perfect day for the zoo too! Warm, sunny with a nice cool breeze. Couldn’t have asked for a better day! When we arrived at the zoo we headed straight for the giraffes, making sure we had the chance to see the new babies and feed Michael too. We made it with plenty of time to spare and enjoyed every moment. Its fun listening to Abby and Ellie giggle and laugh about the giraffe’s long slimy tongue.
After we fed the giraffes it was time to feed ourselves. We headed off to a quiet little spot for a picnic. We watched people and the giraffes from our perch and had a visit by several little hummingbirds. Once our bellies were full it was off to see more animals and have some fun!
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| Abby was so excited to feed Michael the Giraffe again! She loved every minute of it! |
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| Elle was trying really hard to feed Michael but tough his tongue too. She was fascinated by it! |
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| One of the two mama’s hanging out with the babies. So cute and she was being so protective! |
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| One of the little hummingbirds that came for a visit as we had a picnic. |
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| Walking the boardwalk to see the Condors and the Channel Islands Fox. |
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| Beauregard the Channel Islands Fox was adorable today! He crawled up a beam and came right up to the netting that covers his enclosure. We thought we were special but its because it was feeding time. A few minutes later a keeper came with dinner and he was off to give her some love. Still cute and Auntie Jillian was beside herself with excitement because he came so close. Great moment at the zoo! |
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| We had to stop and visit the penguins for Abby. Gotta love these guys in their little tuxedos! |
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| At the end of the day Abby and Ellie had the chance to choose something from the shop. Abby chose a giraffe which she named Audrey after one of the mama giraffes. Ellie chose a lion and promptly named him Ted. Not a clue where that name came from but it sure gave us the giggles. |
We made our rounds through the zoo, seeing as much as we could before closing time. I didn’t get to see the otters as I had hoped. Well I did but just their bellies as they were sleeping in the grass. What is important though is that the girls had the chance to see the animals they love to see; giraffes, elephants, gorillas, penguins, lions and more.
We had a great time with all of the animals and even the drive home was gorgeous. For one last bit of nostalgia, dating back to when Jillian and I were kids, we stopped on the way home to get a little treat at Foster’s Freeze in Carpenteria. So yummy and a great way to cap off an already fun day in Santa Barbara. Its going to be a while, but until next time Santa Barbara!
The Wharton Adventures 