This morning, as the kids and I were heading to the zoo to meet our old neighbors, I told Kevin, "I guess I will bring my camera." He said something the effect of "might as well". I went with the kit lens- good outdoor light and we had a group of four kids so I knew I might want a wider frame. Also, it was already on the camera, which often guides my decision making process.
The zoo is regularly shifting and changing some of the extra activities, and there was a brand new live bird show I was excited about. When the man asked for volunteers, Gwen's hand shot up, so he picked her. Then she quickly put her hand down. He thought this meant she didn't want to volunteer and chose another child, but she was on her way up to the stage. He told her she could be a volunteer for the next thing. Then he asked for a volunteer with a camera. So I volunteered. He had a giant owl fly at me, which I was supposed to take a picture of. I did, and the owl, not surprisingly, is totally out of focus. I struggle with focus on a moving object under ideal conditions. In the sun, in front of a crowd, with a bird flying at me does not qualify as ideal conditions.
That is the owl, now in focus.
Finally, Gwen got called back up on stage (I was so worried he wouldn't bring her back up- she would have melted). Look at that happy volunteer!
First she gets a hat, and the trainer put seeds in the brim of the hat.
Then he called out the birds.
And they hustled on over to get their seed.
She was such a trooper. That bird laden hat had to be heavy. Also, I can't believe she didn't panic. I don't mind birds, but I feel like I might have panicked. At the end of the show, the trainer brought seed around to let people feed Gwen's birds. Stephanie said the claws hurt a little.
We had a really nice trip with our old neighbors. We spent nearly everyday with their kids and nanny last summer, so it was really good to have all of the kids back together, and I certainly enjoy having another adult with me when I do these things. I am hoping we will be having a few more day trips of this variety before we have to wave goodbye to the summer...
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