How about wearing shoes when it's warm?

I don't want to say Caiti is gullible, but she asked "Is that a real animal?!" when first confronted with a jackelope at a roadside gift shop in New Mexico last year.  This jackelope came from a store next door to the Alamo, and is totally the real thing.

"Let's make the duck face!"
"I love you..."
"Grrr!"
"...I can't think of any more poses"

Everyone needs a break now and then!

We went through several plans this morning, but ultimately the weather was just too nasty to go far from home.  The Houston Zoo is only a few blocks from home, and we use it, as well as Hermann Park in general, as a kind of extended backyard.  It's a great place to picnic, walk, and watch the animals go about their daily business.

We know zoos and aquariums are important for keeping younger generations interested in conservation, and we know that comes with price tag.  But over the past couple of years we've noticed a trend  we're not entirely happy with.  If we were insufferable hipsters, we'd say they were selling out, but we aren't so we'll just call it commercialization.  It seems like the zoo is less and less about the animals and more and more about the money.