Roar!

This morning we enjoyed a light rain and temps in the mid 40's. The rain tapered off so I decided that we'd go to the zoo. Como zoo, of course. And we picked a good time and day to do so. The weather chased a bunch of folks off. We got there about a half hour after opening and there were only about a dozen cars in the lot. We just about had the place to ourselves.
First off is the primate house. The way it's set-up, you go from smaller monkeys to bigger monkeys. orangutans and then gorillas. She wasn't impressed until we got to the gorillas. She thought they were big. I said they were even bigger than daddy. She told me bigger than two daddies.
Next up was the big cats. The tiger was very regally sitting outside, just staring off into space, perhaps thinking about lifeboats. The cougar was pacing very visibly, which was nice. And a female lion was sitting inside. We continued outside and saw the male lion. The walkway is elevated by a good 20 feet so we looked down at him. Then, and this was very cool, he started to roar.
Ever hear a lion roar? They are tremendously loud. Jungle shakingly so, probably. We watched him for a moment. Then the tiger came over to his side of the pen and told him to knock it off. Relia tried in vain to get more roaring but he was all done.
Next up was the giraffes and zebras. We watched them eat for a moment. There was a zoo worker there fielding questions but I couldn't think of any until later. My question: are zebras different than horses other than coloring? I've got no idea.
The aquatic house was next and we got to watch both the seals and the sea lions get fed. One of them (sea lions?) kept making the 'ark, ark, ark' noises. Relia would turn to me and say, "I heard something,". Yes you did, honey. The penguins stood stoically, as is their wont. Don't know if I've seen them in the water. The polar bears are vacationing in Detroit of all places while they remodel their home.
We completed the circuit and saw the tortoise statue. There is a door near it with a sign that says 'staff only'. Relia wanted to go in but I told her it was for zoo workers only. She thought a moment and then told me that she wanted to work at the zoo. If someday she does, I hope that she lets me watch the tiger feeding.
We did a quick spin of the conservatory. There was a class full of kids that seemed to be from a Muslim school. Their teachers herded them past the naked statues with great speed. I told Relia that Hans and Rachel were married there and she took that in stride. Hey, that anniversary is coming up!
Then home with her falling asleep on the ride. I doubt she'll remember the lions roaring. But her daddy sure will.