White Tigers and Bagpipes

We (the kids and I) went to get Aunt Sarah and took her to lunch at Applebee's. She wanted to go to the zoo to see the white tiger. Strenuous enough for an able-bodied mom with two little ones...Sarah's 70 something. So, I get on the cell to see if I can get Ron to talk us out of it with something. He says "It's hot," and "do you have enough money?" I have $40 to pay for our lunch. Sarah wants to pay. So I have $40 to pay for the zoo. So much for that. She needs to stop at the store for some personal things for the trip. We circle the lot in the car, and circle, and circle...time to launch the rescue party. She's got the object of her trip in the cart with several more items, none essential, including a small watermelon, a pound of butter and an aromatherapy kit. I remind her we're on our way to the zoo. "Will this stuff be ok?" No. (butter?) We can take it by your place on the way. I'll run in and put the cold stuff away. I do. And find out she has a UTI. We have two liter bottles of water, suggest she drink when we do (often). And her medicine will be there when we get back. She later told me she had had the infection for 10 days. (!!!! Ladies, you know what I mean) So, we're on the road to the zoo. We get in and see an IMAX show, "Mystery of the Nile." Magnificent! This planet we spin around on has some of the most beautiful, and dangerous, places on it!! Go see this expedition from the birthplace of the Blue Nile to the Mediterranean. Well done! Now, out into the zoo itself after a potty stop (all but Sarah). The goal of the day is to see the special white tiger on loan from the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. We make the trek on foot (Sarah, the pillar of politness she is, asks a woman at the grocery store who has asked if we're waiting for the handicap space she is in if she looks like she needs a handicap space. No power chair for her.) the entire way to the Great Cat Walk, some 50-75 yards from the theater.



We see the white tiger, "Silver," walk across her enclosure and lie down for a nap.



We then proceed to breeze our way, at Sarah's painstaking pace, through the rest of the Cat Walk to the train station. Geordan is ecstatic, this is what he's waited all day for, the train ride!! He's all about trains right now.



Clickity clack, down the track.



We get to the car and take Sarah home. The kids are tired and happy and each have a souvenir. Geordan's asleep in his seat. Rianna is happily playing with her new animals. Sarah is trying to talk me into taking her to Theater in the Park tomorrow night (she won't fit in the car with us, we'd have to leave someone behind). Apologies. She's lonely. We love her. And take her home. On the way back up State Line, we see a 51 bus at it's waypoint. As I pull to the stoplight, I see the driver. It's the bagpipe player. He's sort of an institution. There was an article in the Star one year about him. He uses his time on his stopovers to practice his skirling. Lovely. We pull into the Ward Parkway parking lot to listen, Rianna climbing into the front seat with me. He's very good, I think he plays with the bunch from St Andrew's. They give free lessons. Someday... Anyway, we listened til he finished his "set" with "Scotland the Brave," stopped, received our applause with a wave, and got back on his bus. What a nice day.