Alligators, Lemurs, and Wine

Last Saturday, as I crouched down in the soft green grass while the sun warmed the back of my neck while I rubbed the soft belly of a six foot alligator, his sharp white teeth a mere foot from my hand, I had the thought that if I were to see this prehistoric guy wandering most golf courses, I'd be high tailing it in the other direction.

But this wasn't most alligators and this wasn't most golf courses.

This was the Zoo to You "Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate, Oh My!" fundraiser and I was relatively safe with Spike while his handler described the differences between alligators and crocodiles.

To be honest, the idea that there would be animals at the event was of less interest than knowing there would be wine and cheese. I'm a sucker for the combo - especially a nice artisan cheese and one of our delicious local wines. The area I live in has over two hundred wineries, many of them award winning. I'm always game for a wine tasting event - though they're usually held in the hottest months of the year and are usually so crowded I start to get claustrophobic.

Not this event. It was cool and sunny with maybe two hundred people wandering the event site tasting wines, bidding on the silent auction items, and, of course, learning about the animals.

I discovered lemurs have fingernails and thumbs and when people get too close to this guy, he snuggles into his handler's neck the same way Elizabeth snuggles into mine.

I learned that there are still falconers who hire their hawks to dumps to alleviate sea gull and rodent problems.

I learned that this little armadillo rolls into a perfect ball but doesn't ever roll.

I peered into the wise eyes of an owl with a six foot wing span that fanned the air so hard, sheets of paper blew.

I pet a beaver as he tried to make his way to the water, his fat body waddling.

I rubbed the ears of a kangaroo who was snug in a pouch sling.

And I gave the porcupine a wide berth as he walked on his leash.

Oh. And I drank wine, ate cheese, listened to a band, and realized, at the end of the day after filling myself with Chinese food, what a truly fantastic day it was and how happy I am that spring is here and with it, amazing weekends are filling my calendar.