CLEVELAND, Ohio — Over the river and through the woods to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo we go.
"We've been doing it for six years now" says Ann Kane who made the trek from Wadsworth to see their favorite zoo critters. The "Aye Aye", the "Fossas", and the orangutan all made their list.
For the Gascoynes, today was a first.
"We're on a secret trip but this is our first trip to the zoo on Thanksgiving." That includes baby Jade. She was born prematurely and is now healthy and big enough to tag along. From her smile, she approves. "This is our first trip and start of a tradition", says mom Chloe Gascoyne.
They're headed to see their favorite animal, the wolves.
Many of the animals got a Thanksgiving treat at feeding time and for many, the trip to the zoo was working up a big appetite.
Ryan Waechter was there with Mason, Mallory, and Lila and by the sound of things, they had a great time. "The weather wasn't so bad today, you can see some animals then go home to have a nice dinner. It's wonderful."
Many animals were outside like lions, zebras, and ostriches. Others were kept indoors like giraffes and elephants.
Lots of visitors kept warm with Thanksgiving-themed headgear like Ryo Christo and his cousin. "We got the hats at the turkey trot this morning", says Ryo, who is visiting from Florida. "I'm really blessed to be here today with my cousin and stuff." His cousin was thankful for a lot, especially his health. "I've lost like 50 pounds and I'm loving it. I'm loving the healthy lifestyle!" Being a photojournalist that likes to have fun on stories, I just had to ask him... "Are you calling me fat?" He laughingly replied, "NO! NO! I didn't say that! Ha Ha! I did not say that!"
I'm thankful for my sense of humor and the opportunity to tell so many of your stories. Happy Thanksgiving to all!