Zoos: fun for the whole family - NOT

Liesel had previously bought Nathan a wooden puzzle with wild animal shapes on it. He loves this puzzle, and can point out the Lion to you, roar like the lion, and mispronounce some of the other names like Rhino, Giraffe and Elephant. So obviously we thought he would love going to a zoo where he can see all these animals in real life. The weather on Saturday was perfect for a trip to the Cleveland Zoo. We got there as the gates opened and we were hoping that Nathan would appreciate the outing. We first go to the elephants enclosure, quickly checked Nathan's facial expressions and there was nothing! It was then that we realized that he was too young to comprehend that these were real animals! But it also broke Liesel's and my hearts to see these elephants kept in a relatively small enclosure. It seemed to be a lot smaller even than the Joburg Zoo's elephant enclosure! I don't if it because we come from Africa, and that we are used to seeing these magnificent animals in their natural environments, but we felt really sorry for these elephants. And it was not only the elephants, but cheetah, lions, gorillas, polar bears, wolves, monkeys etc that could not experience the freedom that they were intended too. There was also an eagle that was kept in a huge cage. It's sad to think that this eagle's destiny is to sit on the branch of a tree and not be able to soar over the plains...... I think this will be the last visit to a zoo for a long time. I must remember the next time we come to South Africa to visit - to book a few nights in the Kruger National Park again!

Needless to say, we left the zoo after a couple of hours and headed home for lunch and Nathan's doo-doo (nap). Nathan must have been worn out by the zoo because that afernoon he slept from 1pm to 4pm!!! There was just enough time to head for a swim before supper time!

Sunday meant Church in the morning. Nathan really seems to be enjoying it at church and playing in the nursery with some other children his age! It also a huge weight off our shoulders as we can both sit back and enjoy the service, knowing that Nathan is looked after. This afternoon is going to be pretty warm again (29C) so we will more than likely head out for another swim.

For those of you who were interested: on Monday evening I played some beach volleyball for a colleague at work's team. It was in the most incredible setting, located right next to a marina. Then the courts were all set up along the lake Erie shoreline, and while we were playing we could watch the sunset gracefully into the fresh water! The volleyball was good fun, and I didn't embarass myself. In fact we won 3-0. My colleague has also invited me to play in the indoor league with him in the fall and winter, so of course I said "YES"!!

Then this week, we also bought the air tickets for my mother to come visit in December. Now there's no turning back for her. We told Nathan that his gogo (granny) will take him sledding in December!!!!

I must say - life is good in Cleveland - now if only we had a baby sitter ;-)

Then this photo is especially for Janine - she wanted to see more photos of Liesel and myself - so here is one of me (where I haven't shaved for a few days)