Memorial Day Weekend

Finally...off to Como Park for a picnic and the Zoo! We've been waiting for a good weekend all spring, and Sunday was the day. Joyce and Paul met us there, along with Jenna, Kyle, Chuck, Phebe, and me, so we had quite a crew.

We decided to picnic first, since everyone was starving hungry. While waiting for her hotdog, Phebe met a little friend - see the little inch worm on her finger? She was fascinated by the little guy!
I was a little concerned about finding a picnic spot with a grill on a busy holiday weekend, so I discovered a great invention at Target - Barbie 2 Go! For $5.99, this little disposable grill came completely equipped with char-coal (already soaked with starter fluid), grate, tongs, and spatula. All we needed was one match, and 10 minutes later, we were ready to grill! Worked great!

After eating (and soaking the still-hot charcoal in pop before tossing in the garbage), we made our way over to the zoo. Phebe found some animals to feed.

The flamingos were beautiful!

Phebe wanted to see the mountain lion, and she got a great bird's-eye view from Kyle's shoulders.

The sea lions were fun to watch, too.

Kyle remembered climbing on this tortoise when he was Phebe's age.

Of course, Joyce and I couldn't resist joining her.

The almost-100 year old carousel was fun, too!

After checking out the conservatory, we made our way back to the cars. Parking was interesting since there were tons of people there!

Phebe got out the sidewalk chalk on Sunday night, and Kyle got busy and made her a HUGE hopscotch game.

She demonstrated her skills...

and then Kyle took a turn, too.

Not bad for an old man!

The weather was gorgeous on Monday morning, so we walked down the hill for the annual Memorial Day parade. The parade is short and sweet as it winds its way to the Colonel Colville statue in the cemetery for the service.

It was a beautiful day for the service - the high school band played, President Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address (see him at the podium??), and the sun was shining on all of the people remembering the many soldiers who have died in service to our country.

Jenna and Andy joined us in the afternoon to grill steak (on a regular size grill this time) and hang out for awhile. Then back to school for another 8 days before....summer vacation!