This Memorial Day Weekend, Clayton actually had a long weekend off! I wanted to go to an arts festival, or camping. Clayton plead too masculine for an arts fair, and the weather wasn't looking good for camping. Luckily, we found some fun British shows on Netflix, and I had the brilliant idea to ask his brother, Davy, to hang with us for a day.
So it was that the majority of the weekend was passed in alternating between moaning about the heat, and taking turns glaring at our broken air conditioner (as if dirty looks would scare it into proper behavior). Mostly we drank lots of water, and only ventured out on our walks at night. However, on Sunday we shaped up long enough to put on real clothes and go meet Dave in Jacksonville. We arranged to meet him at Walmart, thence to go to the zoo I had discovered on the magical interwebs. Here Clayton and I made a couple mistakes. First, that we'd be meeting Dave at *the* Walmart; second, that Jacksonville has a "zoo." It turns out, Jacksonville has at least two (2) Walmart stores. Two! Dave first went to a Walmart, and it only took him maybe ten minutes to drive to the Other Walmart, where Clayton and I were parked. Dave groaned when we told him our next destination, but, I suspect, it was morbid curiosity that propelled him to jump enthusiastically into our vehicle with little further protestation.
When we arrived at the "zoo," we thought seriously about turning around without parking, but for some reason none of us insisted on it, so soon enough we were walking up to the tiny ticket booth and asking for admission. The establishment claimed to have 80 species, but we're pretty sure that was counting the natural wildlife that can already be found in North Carolina. Almost all of the snake cages were disturbingly empty, and the happiest looking animals were cows and goats. Several of the exotic animals were repeats, kept in cages all over to make it look like there were more of them, even though they were often alone. The saddest sight of the day was probably the saddest little monkey. He came up to the edge of his cage when we called him, and he kept looking at us with a sad face while we talked to him. When Dave took out a piece of gum for himself, the monkey quickly thrust out his little hand in desperate supplication, giving Davy the full glare of his Sad Monkey Face.
So it was that the majority of the weekend was passed in alternating between moaning about the heat, and taking turns glaring at our broken air conditioner (as if dirty looks would scare it into proper behavior). Mostly we drank lots of water, and only ventured out on our walks at night. However, on Sunday we shaped up long enough to put on real clothes and go meet Dave in Jacksonville. We arranged to meet him at Walmart, thence to go to the zoo I had discovered on the magical interwebs. Here Clayton and I made a couple mistakes. First, that we'd be meeting Dave at *the* Walmart; second, that Jacksonville has a "zoo." It turns out, Jacksonville has at least two (2) Walmart stores. Two! Dave first went to a Walmart, and it only took him maybe ten minutes to drive to the Other Walmart, where Clayton and I were parked. Dave groaned when we told him our next destination, but, I suspect, it was morbid curiosity that propelled him to jump enthusiastically into our vehicle with little further protestation.
When we arrived at the "zoo," we thought seriously about turning around without parking, but for some reason none of us insisted on it, so soon enough we were walking up to the tiny ticket booth and asking for admission. The establishment claimed to have 80 species, but we're pretty sure that was counting the natural wildlife that can already be found in North Carolina. Almost all of the snake cages were disturbingly empty, and the happiest looking animals were cows and goats. Several of the exotic animals were repeats, kept in cages all over to make it look like there were more of them, even though they were often alone. The saddest sight of the day was probably the saddest little monkey. He came up to the edge of his cage when we called him, and he kept looking at us with a sad face while we talked to him. When Dave took out a piece of gum for himself, the monkey quickly thrust out his little hand in desperate supplication, giving Davy the full glare of his Sad Monkey Face.
About 30 minutes after entering the zoo, we exited it, having seen all the creatures it contained. The boys agreed they were hungry, and that they wanted to do something else, but they couldn't decide what order to do it in. I suggested we get food first, and then talk it over. Dave directed us to his favorite Mexican place, where we all enjoyed some really delicious food and drinks. After that, Clayton wanted to see Camp Lejeune, so Dave gave us the grand tour. With some daylight remaining, we went to the base's beach, and walked on the sand and splashed in the waves for a while. Camp Lejeune's recreational possibilities exhausted, we headed back into Jacksonville to see "Men in Black III," which was surprisingly good. After the movie, we said good-bye and went back to our respective homes. I think we all agreed that the zoo was the worst idea ever, but we all had fun that day still the same.
Click here to see more pictures.
Click here to see more pictures.