SX19: Day Three

We were back at Atlanta Zoo today, and it was just the best day you could possibly go to the zoo.  The weather was so incredibly perfect today, so overcast and so cool - and yet in the middle of the summer.  It made for some of the greatest zoo pictures of kids and animals, including those flamingos you see above.  These pink birds have a special place in everyone's heart, don't they?  Madison was painting them last year for her birthday, and of course there are the flamingos we see on vacation, on cruises and so forth.  Daddy took a lot of pictures of kids in front of the flamingos.  Also, we took a lot of pictures in front of the gorillas too.

It was a fun day seeing all the animals, except for the rhinos, giraffes and zebras.  The whole Serengeti was closed off today, under construction.  Yes an entire part of the dark continent was under construction!  But the areas that were open were nice to see, and again the weather was so nice and cool and overcast.

Daddy was able to follow Madison's group along today for a bit, knowing full well there were other photographers along for the journey.  Also, I got some pictures of her group with some other special visitors.

It was a nice day.  We got down there without incident, right away.  We went straight to the tent in the back, where workers told us not to use the chairs and tables there, but to instead eat the sandwiches they had prepared for us on the ground.  We pretty much did that, but there were two employee there that was super nice, who helped us deal with a child with gluten intolerance.  Daddy was so impressed with them that he wrote a letter to the zoo about those two later on, after taking a picture of them.

But then we were all off and running, exploring the zoo on another adventure.  Daddy was taking pictures of animals just about as much as he was taking pictures of the kids:

Look how well posed this bald eagle is.  A nice breeze was blowing through, and he had his wings up, enjoying the nice cool air - just as we were.  Madison's leader told us she was going to the pandas, so Daddy had to head over there right away!

Here's her group at the entrance to the Chinese area, which of course reminded us of our visit to China some time ago.  There were just all these little accents that reminded us of the architecture and bamboo.  Here's another shot of Madison's group, overlooking the area with the red panda.

In all the visits to the red panda, never before have we seen the red panda move.  But today's weather was so perfect, even the red panda was up and about, posing for the camera.  This is one of Daddy's favorite pictures of the day:

This panda looks nothing like Shifu the panda from "Kung Fu Panda," of course.  But it was a cute one!  And right nearby the red pandas were the regular black and white pandas too.  Madison and her group did a special group shot right there in front of the pandas.

We did a lot of group shots today, including this one below that was also nearby.  The kids were nearby the elephant, so we gathered Pastor Lance, his family, along with Madison's group as well.  You can see that elephant in the back there, feeding.

It was a special day.  All the groups were running into each other and checking out all the different exhibits there, including some of the newer ones as well.  Here's a traditional picture from Madison's group leader from a few of her early years at Summer Xtreme.

They had a great time!  And that was pretty much the day for Summer Xtreme, as when you factor in travel time, there's not much time for other things as well.  The drive to Atlanta is getting longer and longer, and it just doesn't quite fit with the timing if we have a full service beforehand.  So today, it was all about the small group experience, an adventure with friends, and a happy time of friendship, exploring the zoo.

Of course, it's Wednesday, so the day isn't over for the church.  We have a Summer Bash in the evening, an outdoor event where the kids can run around on inflatables, enjoy snow cones, and ride rides.  Madison was content to be queen of the jousting competition:

The poor little opponent didn't have much of a chance.  She toys with her opponents a bit, and then knocks them down without mercy!  Okay, so she does have mercy - I'm exaggerating a bit there.  Madison was feeling sorry for this little guy, so she took it easy on him, she said.  That is, just before she knocked him off!

It was a fun night, and always one of those nights where staff and volunteers from Summer Xtreme walk around somewhat exhausted, thinking about all the things that will happen tomorrow.  And oh yes, there's a lot that will happen tomorrow for Summer Xtreme.  We got home, and were still thinking of all that, just as we were all going to sleep.