Brookfield Zoo DIscovery Camp

All last week, Little One stayed here with me, and we really had a fine week. Her parents had enrolled her in the Brookfield Zoo camp, for the week; she ensured her own lunches, got her water bottle out of the icebox, settled her sunglasses firmly on her forehead, and got into the car happily every morning.

Amazing how well she can arrange her hair, it seems to stay orderly all day. She showed me, she often wears it "down" for dinner, and it flows beautifully. No wonder she got tired of having short hair.

The counselors are ready, morning and evening, with sign-in sheets for the person-reponsible to initial, in the lobby of the big Discovery building. Coming in to meet her at three thirty, I would pass streams of people all three feet high, with black stripes on their faces one day, bright blue shirts; younger groups are escorted almost to the front door. Little One's group had received beige shirts the first day; they were old enough to stay in their meeting room, all three groups (about eight each) cleaning up the room and kind of bouncing around, until they are signed out. Having the groups relatively small enabled happy days. Touring the animal houses, they noticed no air conditioning at all. Well, I noticed some. The sprinklers were running, and Little One popped right under one a couple of days, before we ever left the Zoo.

I remember the Zoo in past stages; well-kept, unkempt, severe, and at present, beautifully presented. Corporate names appear here and there; streets that lead to it are now named Rockefeller Drive and McCormick Street. One of the best zoos in the country, I think. And they have penguins again. There was a time when the penguins were gone, probably loaned out until some new building was done. The sloth bears now have a really handsome habitat, and Zorro, the stinking fox, is nowhere to be seen.