Summer in the Bluegrass

This post will begin with the July 4th festivities in Lexington. And before anything else happened that day, Callie had an early morning visit with some friends while we donned our running shoes and ran the Bluegrass 10K. We were quite proud of ourselves for not only finishing but looking good while doing it. Plus, the race justified our recent purchase of new running shoes.

Once we had finished the race and showered we were ready to take Callie to downtown Lexington where the streets were close for the big day. There were quite a variety of booths set up and there was a specific area for kids. As you can see in the video below, Callie especially liked the kids area.





The slide was such a hit that we had to go down it twice. We really could have done it several more times but her father was getting sick of the crowds by that point. This is something we need to work on, because that story won't fly as Callie gets older.


Any good fair has fried food, but only the best have funnel cakes. Sarah had only one requirement that day, and it was to have funnel cake. Although this almost didn't happen since Callie started to have a minor meltdown, she was able to pull herself together and enjoy her first funnel cake in one of the downtown parks.

The very next day John flew to Scotland for a week. But the camera stayed in Lexington, so there are no pictures from his trip. He doesn't do well with taking pictures on his own anyway, so there wouldn't have been much to look at. However, he did have a good time and thoroughly enjoyed himself. While he was gone, Sarah and Callie stayed extra busy. Among other activities, they attended a backyard pool party at the Gipes.





Callie is certainly enjoying water activities more and more. And she was happy as a clam in the little pool that Sarah and Alex had set up for the occasion. Not pictured is the trip Callie and Sarah took to the horse show at the Kentucky Horse Park. They are trying to learn all they need to know before the World Equestrian Games hit town next fall.


As soon as John got back from Scotland the planning for the rest of the summer went into full swing. First stop, the Cincinnati Zoo. Here Callie and John board the train that circles part of the zoo. Note to any potential visitors - this train ride is not worth paying the additional fee for "all you can ride". However, we did see a wolf. So that was pretty cool.


One cool thing about the Cincinnati Zoo was that we were able to interact with several animals. As you can see in this picture, Callie had the opportunity to meet Alan the baby alligator up close. We also met a bearcat and fed a giraffe. Both were awesome. Unfortunately the pictures of the giraffe feeding are not exactly blog worthy. Sarah just got too excited and got in the way. It's understandable - those giraffes are amazing!


Callie's favorite animal seemed to be the elephants. We definitely needed to stay at that exhibit much longer than others. She couldn't get enough of them. And right outside of that exhibit was this statue of a baby elephant. Just the right size for a picture with Callie.





Overall the trip to the zoo was fun. Another one of our favorite sights was a mother Bonobo and her baby. The baby was holding on tight and it was extremely cute. Here's a little fun fact for you. The bonobo is the primate with the closest genetic link to humans. It shares 95% of its DNA with humans. Unreal.


As we left the zoo we had one final photo op with the rhino statues. There is an adult rhino and a baby. Here Callie is riding the baby rhinoceros. So a good time was had by all and now we just may have to check out the Louisville Zoo for comparison.

So what's next for the summer? Swim lessons, a Lexington Legends baseball game, trip to Chicago, and of course, lots of time at the park. We hope your summer is just as busy and fun. See you all soon.