Memories

Did you ever read those Childcraft books? It was a huge set, maybe 15 or so books, all on different topics from fairy tales and riddles to math and science, from big foot and aliens to dinosaurs and cavemen. Kimball and I both have great memories of reading these books for hours at a time. He loved the math and science ones, I live the fairy tales. We both loved dinosaurs.

When I was four or so, I remember being taking to the Calgary Zoo. It was no ordinary zoo. It had a huge section full of hoodoos, little ponds, and huge, terrifying dinosaurs. They were life-size replicas of real dinosaurs, and it was amazing as a child to walk among them. I have so many great memories of running around in that place with cousins and siblings for what seemed like hours of hide-and-seek or sardines. My very first memory, though, is of me walking next to a stroller which held Brittany probably. My dad pushed her along as we approached the huge and terrifying T-Rex. I was intrigued and we all wanted to say and play until the sun went down... that is until I learned what would then happen.


My dad was kind enough to explain that these statues, frozen in daylight, would awake as soon as the sun disappeared. Oh the terror that seized me! I remember running as fast as my little legs would carry me out of the park behind my dad, glancing back now and then at that beast, hoping we'd make it out alive.

We did, and it's a wonder I became so enchanted with dinosaurs over the next few years.

I got this excellent photo from this random blog... she has a lot of other great pic of the zoo's dinosaurs. 

*I also found, while searching for pics of this place online, that a wile ago the Calgary Zoo added animatronic dinosaurs that would move and roar and growl! They even had leathery skin. So awesome.