Mother's Day

It was up to Mom to decide what we would do for Mother's Day. She decided to meet our friends at Tracy Aviary which is located in Liberty Park. Liberty Park is like Central Park in New York City. It is centrally located, has a small lake, lots of trees, paths, picnic areas, tennis courts, playgrounds, it is a very popular place for the residents of Salt Lake City.







We met Venus, her husband, her mom and daughter inside the aviary. Jorge, her husband, was selling enpanadas as a food vendor.


Eva Marie was very happy to see Vero, it was time for a group hug.



We saw this peacock sitting on the roof and noticed that it had a "Keep Off" sign. When I mentioned it to Vero, the peacock realized that he was busted and jumped off the roof.


Afterwards, the peacock decided to give us a show in exchange for not telling anyone that we caught him on the roof. Benjamin wasn't too sure why this crazy loud bird was showing off.



We came across a nice grassy area were several vendors were selling their goods. Also, this gentleman was playing his guitar, which was very relaxing. We decided to sit down and listen. Benjamin and Eva Marie played with twigs they found on the grass. They are at a good age to be entertained at most anything.



The peacock showed up once again and showed us his best NBC impersonation.



This man was painting a portrait, very good in my opinion.



Another vendor had a sing-a-long to find recruits to attend her music classes. Benjamin really enjoyed beating on various instruments with the other kids. He didn't want to give up the drumstick.



While we walked around looking at the different birds, this duck flew up and landed on the fence next to Benjamin. The duck did not say "Aflac", contrary to popular belief. It just stood there and quacked at the other duck that chased it from the water. Benjamin could only point at it and say "daaaa".



The flamingos were simply ignoring all the people around them. Apparently, we came at nap time. There was once a flamingo that escaped from the Tracy Aviary and lived at the Great Salt Lake. He was nicknamed "Pink Floyd" and was often featured in news stories as being spotted. Last year, it was announced that Pink Floyd had probably passed away because he hasn't been seen for several months.



There was a flock of Pelicans that were swimming around a pond and grooming themselves.



Just outside of the entrance to Tracy Aviary, there is a small carnival that caters to kids. Benjamin doesn't comprehend what this means, yet...at some point, he'll be asking us to let him ride them.


Benjamin has this little camaflouge outfit he wears, making him look like he's going hunting. I saw an airplane and a little jeep that would match his outfit perfectly. I know he wouldn't complain to find these in his toy box.





After spending time at the Tracy Aviary, we found ourselves attracted towards drum beats in the distance. This is the path we started down to find out what was going on.


We found a group of people sitting in a circle beating drums. The drummers were all ages and had all types of drums. Apparently, this drum circle meets every Sunday and attracts a variety of people.



The drums had Benjamin's total attention, he even ignored the dog that walked by. He watched the drummers and tried to keep beat with them.


Interestingly, we ran into some friends that we have known for years. We made plans to have them go camping with us over the holiday weekend in Moab.



After the drum circle and friends, we started walking back towards the car. Benjamin decided that it is more fun to help push his stroller than to ride in it. Here mom is helping Benjamin reach the handle to push.

When Benjamin decided to push his stroller without mom's help, he blindly pushed it down the sidewalk. From the front, it looked like an escaping stroller.



He continued to push his stroller up and down the sidewalk, getting smiles and "Oh how cute" comments from others.



When he became bored, tired or both, he then started playing on the grass. Water and kids tend to find each other and Benjamin is not an exception. He wanted to run down the little hill and see what is happening in the lake.



Of course, Mom sat with him and told him about the birds and people on the paddle boats.



Mother's Day was finished off with a wonderful dinner with friends. While we ate, Benjamin tried to figure out how to free the dog from the other room. Look behind the chair that Vero is sitting in, you can see Benjamin playing with the dog at the door. Benjamin eventually figured out that if you pull down on the handle and pull, the door will open, and the dog will run in.

We went home very happy after such a full day. Benjamin fell asleep within moments of being buckled into his car seat. Happy Mother's Day!