Thanksgiving holidays are in full swing around here. We’ve been doing lots of fun things, especially since Aunt Debbie, Nicholas, and James are in town for the week. They arrived last Friday and are here until this Saturday. (Uncle Paul had to work but he flies in today to join the fun).
Our first planned outing was last weekend, when we went across the lake to visit the Global Wildlife Center. This has been on my bucket list for a long time, and I’m so glad we got the chance to go as a family.
The center is located in Folsom, LA, on over 900 acres of land that houses more than 4000 animals of 32 different species. I was hoping Riley would enjoy the whole experience, and while he did have a good time, Rory absolutely loved it.
The twelve of us boarded a tram, one of four pulled by a tractor, for a 90-minute safari tour of the center’s grounds. Grandpa even sprung for three buckets of food pellets so we could feed the animals.
There were tons of deer, llamas, geese, cows, emu, antelope, donkeys, and even zebras. And they were all so close to us we could practically touch them. And some of us did. Lots of our group got a llama to eat out of our hands.
And Kenny fed a cow! He said the cow’s tongue actually wrapped around his hand. I can only imagine how weird that felt.
Rory totally got into feeding the animals. He would reach his little hand into the feed cup of whoever was holding him and throw the pellets to the waiting animals below. He LOVED it.
We had to watch out for those zebras, though. Our guide, Dana, told us not to feed them from our hands since they would probably bite. And after getting a glimpse of their teeth, that was really good advice. Wow.
However, by far the coolest part of the day was how close we got to a family of giraffes. They are so majestic and beautiful. And tall.
Many of us got a giraffe to eat out of our hands, which was so incredibly cool. In fact, I think I was so focused on getting one for myself that I sort of neglected to help Riley. Oops.
Once our tour concluded, we decided to head back to Covington for a late lunch. After a pass through the Global Wildlife gift shop (where the boys each got something, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa), we piled into our cars and headed out. Rory promptly fell fast asleep, clutching his new green tractor. When we got to the restaurant, I got the sleeping boy out of his seat and held him until our table was ready. He was pooped.
I was so glad Kenny suggested eating at the Chimes on the Northshore. I had never been before but have heard nothing but great things about it. The location is so cool, right on the Bogue Flaya River with raised decks and walkways and seating areas leading from the back of the restaurant all the way out to the water. So pretty.
The building is set into a little hillside complete with a small creek flowing down to the river, with goats, ducks, and chickens roaming around. James now wants a pet goat, and Rory enjoyed feeding one some magnolia leaves. Too cute.
It was a long day but it was a really fun day. It’s always nice spending time with Kenny’s family, especially when his sister is in town. Having those five cousins together is priceless.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow. I’ll be back on Friday with more of our family holiday adventures!
