BUSCH WITH ISAAC

220 – Saturday, August 08, 2009

When our day started, we had no expectations other than to enjoy the time allowed us with our grandson. Isaac was with his Grannie and Poppie while Mommy ‘went with the girls’, her mother and brother’s girlfriend, to shop and take in a movie while Daddy was working. There cannot be too much ‘grandson time’ in these formative days of adventure and new sights. We did not know when we arose that we would be blessed to keep him another full day. I took only moments, once we received the call to ask us if we would mind keeping Isaac one more day, (that is kind of like asking a pauper if he would object to winning the lottery) to decide that we were all packing up in the car and heading for Tampa to take in the jungles of Busch Gardens!!! What a blast! He walked and walked until his short little legs could not take another step, all the while grasping the downwardly stretched index fingers of Grannie on one side and Poppie on the other – how incredibly cute he was!! We devoured the daylight exploring the lions and tigers and hyenas and giraffe (he is adorable when he makes his effort to say giraffe – I could not even attempt a phonetic reproduction, but you can tell it is supposed to be ‘giraffe’ for sure!!!). He loved stroking the soft-curried fur of the massively imposing Clydesdale named ‘Duke’. Throughout the day, Isaac ate like a ravenous timber wolf, drank like a Bedouin camel preparing for a trans-Al-Dahna caravan (it was in the mid-90’s) and laughed like the hyena we had visited earlier in its habitat. Everything was perfect until we readied to exit and the rains came – I don’t mean showers, I mean the crackling thunderous kind that made the grandparents jump at the level of decibel disbursement and the blinding flashes of light – yet he remained fearless. We were on the tram back to the parking lot where we both got soaked to the skin in our efforts to preserve his dryness. It grew worse as we attempted to remain under the pavilion waiting for a break in the deluge. Poppie finally made a mad dash (more like a 3.5 mph brisk walk) through the pounding droplets to retrieve the car as a martyr to the cause so that he could keep the lad dry – it worked – he remained completely waterless while his Grannie and I paid the ultimate price. I have actually remained less wet while in the swimming pool!! Truth!! It all worked out, however, and his first safari through Jungala was an awesome time – he even has the T-shirt that bears the slogan, ‘My First Busch Garden T-Shirt’ – now how cute is that?

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