Future Zookeeper

Clara might have found her calling on Sunday, when we visited the Oakland Zoo, and were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour that included up-close-and-personal visits with tortoises, giraffes, a yellow-naped Amazon parrot, a blue-tongued skink, and the teeny-tiny, porcupine-like tenrec.

Proving that she really has been raised by a pack of wolves -- Joey and two 100-pound dogs -- Clara gamely stroked the leathery neck of an 85 year-old tortoise, was unfazed when she was covered in slimy saliva from multiple giraffes, and would have definitely jumped into the sunbear exhibit if she had been able, to get a better look at the wrestling going on inside.

No wonder one of her favorite books is Goodnight Gorilla! Give her a ring of keys and a flashlight, and she would happily share a snug little zookeeper house with a lion, a gorilla, a giraffe, an armadillo, and even a mouse.

Joey and Molly joined the fun, too, but kept their distance a little more.

We ended the weekend with not one, but two family photos!! If only we had all gotten the memo to stick out our tongues like a giraffe!

Thanks to Amy Phelps, one of the fabulous giraffe keepers at the Zoo, for organizing our tour!