Birthday Bonanza

Instead of retelling the tale of my riveting birthday to just Chantal, I'll simply make my first post and describe the experience to all of you...and my standard warning is that it will be extremely long but you probably all know to expect that from me anyway...

To those of you who attended my birthday bash at the noodle restuarant, thanks for being there! I'm sure if you were paying attention, you heard some interesting conversation coming from the far side of the table. Haha yeah, those zoo people are crazy. I won't be posting any pictures here because my camera, due to sand in the lens, is out of commission and I've been relying on Dave's until I get a new one. If you're really adamant about seeing pictures, there are a ton posted on facebook. Now on to July 22nd...

We started off the day with Dave arriving at my house early enough to prepare our yummy sandwiches for lunch. Of course after smiling that I have someone special to share my special day with, I beamed at the sight of a colorful wrapped box beneath his arm. Finally, I thought, my top secret gift shall be revealed. After feeling the box for any tactile clues, my mind screamed shoe box, but I was perplexed as to why my boyfriend would randomly buy me shoes. As it turns out, there was nothing random about it because I unwrapped the gift and discovered customized Converse low-top chucks, all black with white lines and a very Juli-like pink tongue. Halfway through my first squeal of delight Dave showed me the back heel stripe, which was embroidered with our signature "D and J." The shockers didn't end there either. He had on a matching pair with blue instead of pink! I love how we match each other perfectly. Now he's able to be completely guaranteed vegan with his non-leather shoes and wallet that I made for him. Next, I was whisked off to an undisclosed location...

Two hours of driving and looking anxiously out the window for any indication of where we were headed, we reached Safari West, a wild animal park seemingly in the middle of nowhere in Santa Rosa. He was right, it was someplace I'd instantly love. How could I not, with African birds and mammals surrounding me? One of Dave's friends of 8 years from the zoo, and his co-intern during my second year of Nature Trail, showed up too. Her appearance was a complete turn of luck because it was her day off and she just happened to have been called in for work. I can't believe she remembered me out of that ginormous group of volunteers, but I suppose if Dave could single me out, she could too. Dave's connections work in so many places. Perks definitely don't make up a relationship, but they're always fun. He found out about the safari place because years ago, he went there for the funeral of an employee who used to work for his mom. It wasn't until near the end of our tour that he learned the deceased was not the former owner, as he had been thinking the entire time, but someone he had no idea existed. That led to a bit of confusion when our tour guide talked about the owner as if he were still alive and thriving. So our tour...

...was thrilling! Dave's friend hooked us up with the first truck to set out, driven by Helene, pronounced "L-N" (French, therefore weird, she says). We gathered at the tree full of macaws, gorgeously plumed and groomed, and Dave had fun trying to identify the different breeds based on his knowledge from his children's zoo internship. The bird with an orange chest was the only challenging one, but later we learned that it was a hybrid known as a harlequin (by the way, do not google that word under images unless you want to have the image of a mutated bloody baby etched into your memory).

First stop on the tour were the giraffes and red lechway, and we had the pleasure of seeing giraffe drool drip up close in an oozing stream from the mouth of one social male who enjoys chewing on seatbelts. The whole tour was full of adorable baby sightings as well. Next up came the kudu, which confused us because they very closely resemble the common eland, and gazelle. The only difference I can tell is that kudu have gorgeous spiral ornamental horns, wheraz eland horns are straighter and less ostentatious. Along the way we met up with more antelope species and had a lesson on the difference between antelope and deer, and how to recognize their habitats by their body shape and markings. Also, the Christmas people have been lying to us about Rudolph and his crew, because caribou/reindeer carry antlers based on the season (males have them in spring/summer and females have them in fall/winter). Therefore all Santa's reindeer must be girls! The lies never end. There was a tiny white baby antelope that endearingly walked in front of our truck and then lay down with its mother for many pictures to be snapped of it.

We stopped by the white rhinos, the two newest members of Safari West and almost watched them being fed. In a feat that would terrify most people, the keeper walked right up to them with a leafy branch. Unfortunately, the rhinos weren't interested in food at the moment so we moved on. The ride was full of bumps, shaking, dips, and ditches in a refreshingly natural wild setting. Without fences or glass separating us from a clear view of the animals, the experience feels much more personal. We journeyed into a land of poop, in other words, the home of the sacred Masai cows, where cow pies outnumber everything. There we marveled at the enormous horns flanking the heads of the humongous cows. Our guide picked up a nice big chunk of dried dung, and proved that after baking in the sun, thanks to the ruminant qualities of cow stomachs, the poop doesn't even smell. I was then grossed out by the Masai recipe of cow milk, blood, and urine.

Further along the way were the ostriches, and Dave and I saw the typical black and white ones that we never get to see at our zoo because we only have the plainer-looking brown females. Ostriches are apparently unintelligent birds that cannot tell the difference between a green plastic matt and real grass. By this time Dave and I were sitting on the top of the trunk (good thing he advised me not to wear a skirt), with a great view of the surroundings. He planned that too because we let other people ride up there for the beginning so that we could avoid the giraffe drool and have the best photography seat for the latter portions of the safari. I never knew there were different varieties of zebra that differ in the ways they are striped. Specifically, that Chapman's zebras have black and white interstriped with gray, Grant's zebras have only black and white, and there are numerous other pattern types. To answer the ago old question of whether a zebra is white with black stripes or black with white stripes, the common consensus of white with black leans toward being a misconception because the skin itself is dark, minus the white fur. Also, we all had a good laugh about the fact that a zebra is literally a striped ass.

Covering 400 acres of land in sweltering dry heat wasn't the most comfortable thing, but as long as I have Dave and animals, I should be content. Their little deli must make a huge profit on cold beverages. We had to keep returning at every chance to buy another bottle of water or Snapple. The work environment in that place is so relaxed and welcoming. After the zebras, we came across a herd of cape buffalo, the most dangerous animal in Africa based on statistics of human attacks. The aggressive demeanor of the buffalo makes it one of the most terrorizing beasts in the continent, along with the hippo. Next we were off to see the wildebeast. I don't see how the wildebeast's head bears a similarity to that of an armadillo, but that's what they say. It is often referred to jokingly as the scraps animal. The story goes that after God created all the other animals, he took the leftover parts and fused them together to create the wildebeast. The odd animal has the tail of a horse, the stripes of a zebra, and a plethora of other parts I can't remember.

A dainty fawn being pushed around by what we assumed to be its mother drew much attention from our group. The deer were quite a distance away from us, but their graceful jumps and playful antics amused us from afar. Fortunately the sheep up on the rocky forested cliffs were feeling less shy than normal. If you're ever at the SF Zoo and want to pet the long silky hairs hanging off the goats, think again because as Helene pointed out, they routinely urinate on those hairs to make their scent stronger and more inviting to females. The thick curved horns and powerful leaps of the adept climbers are a majestic vision to behold. They weren't doing as much jumping as they were shying away in the shadows, but it was fun to search for them among the foliage.

On our way back along the loop to our original location, we drove past a huge lake in the middle of the park where two swans glided over the glistening water. A smaller watery area next to the overnight camping grounds housed a black swan. Nearing the giraffes and macaws once more, we stopped at the deli for a couple minutes before starting our walking tour. We headed toward the smaller enclosures that contained fennec foxes, cheetahs, lemurs, and more. Those tiny foxes are so incredibly adorable with their oversized ears and miniscule furry bodies! Honey and Buzz, the sleepy little foxes, wouldn't wake up for us to see their faces, but at least Dave and I saw them awake and active earlier. Seeing white ruffed lemurs but hearing nothing isn't something we're used to, thanks to the incessant howling that emanates from the lemur forest at the zoo.

Finally in the mammal category we viewed the cheetahs, particularly one who paced like Inti the bobcat at the zoo, but with a much slimmer and lengthier physique, as Chantal says, the body of a real runner. Next time when we're not broke we'll pay the extra extravagant amount to have our picture taken with that big beautiful cat. Helene explained that the extent of their training for photography consists of walking out of her private area, up to the people, sitting next to them, looking at the camera, and then walking back to her personal zone. Near the cheetahs were African desert tortoises patrolling a strip of grass acting as eco-friendly lawn mowers. I'd hate to have to lift those for visitors to pet.

Our last stop brought us to the aviary, which is also a lot more awe-inspiring when the netting is out of your way. I never knew how deep and bright the red plumage on a scarlett ibis is. The bird species ranged from pigeons in a luxurious shade of blue to shy tree ducks. Another chorus of "aww" was stirred by the sight of a baby ibis taking food from it's parent's beak, and an especially social bird who walked with our group and stood among us as if it had no reason to feel out of place. Safari West certainly proved to be the next best thing to a true African safari in northern California. Following hours of UV rays battling bottled water, we were set to find surprise location number two.

I proclaim the restaurant Herbivore to be my newfound savior to the vegan appetite. Who would have thought such a chic 100% cruelty-free menu would exist in one of the lesser-visited areas of San Francisco? The dim lighting provided by the single bulb above each table, the modern atmosphere completed by mahogany tables and metallic seats, and a choice of dishes I'd never seen since turning vegan have made Herbivore my favorite eatery of all time. That, and one of the places I'll never forget because it's where I received my second birthday gift from Dave. Cracking up at Dave stuffing food into his face like a shameless fatty, I savored the vegan mocha and my penne pasta with lemon herb sauce. We didn't expect many people to show up for an all-vegan meal at that time, but halfway through dinner, the little restaurant was filling up quickly.

My excitement took a slight drop when Dave told me he accidentally left my other gift at home, but I didn't mind much because we could easily drive back to his house after dinner to retrieve it. Then suddenly out of nowhere, he placed a box in front of me - the same red square with a cream-colored bow that I so clearly remember giving him on New Years, the start of our official relationship. I'm never the type to rip through the wrapping on a gift, no matter how eager I am to see what is inside, especially when I know it's something I'll treasure forever. Inside the second box, nestled in the first, I found what I first thought to be the same necklace I gave him. Beaming with a smile as wide as it's ever been, I was overjoyed to finally have my own priceless article of jewelry to wear proudly everyday.

All my elation made me forget to check the back of the necklace, where as Dave pointed out a second later, was engraved a variation on the message I wrote on his version. To match his, which says, "New Year, New Life, New Love," mine says, "One Life, One Love, Forever." Feeling him courteously help me put my gift on, I felt without a doubt that this love will last forever. Now when friends see him wearing his necklace, they won't be asking me, "Where's yours?" because I'll always have it right there close to my heart, just like Dave. To commemmorate the event, we tried taking a picture in the restaurant, but due to poor lighting conditions and Dave's inability to center things with a camera, the perfect memory-making pictures took a while to achieve.

I've designated the song "Heart Attack" as the newest addition to my playlist of songs that mean something to us because it was playing on the radio when we began the drive back home. Mr. Weathers was right when he said that music has the ability to make someone remember a specific moment in his or her life. Every time I hear this one, I'll think of that day, remember how we felt to be with each other on my day of entering the world of legal people, and I'll look forward to the many more days we have together to savor our everlasting love.