What sound does the peacock make?

So, two Novembers ago, I was down in Texas for Thanksgiving. Craig, my SIL Kris and their then-onliest-child Sydney and I went to the Austin Zoo.

Now, bear in mind, I was accustomed to the Washington, D.C. zoo, and the Bronx Zoo. They were enormous metropolitan monstrosities with attendance to match, particularly when the pandas were out and about. The Austin zoo is barely near Austin itself — and it's down a dusty set of streets that end on Rawhide Road, where you are in fact at a zoo.

They even have signs warning you what not to do with the monkeys, and what penalties you will suffer if you interfere with the monkeys (click on photo on right to get the full extent of the fine print). Lions, apparently, are fine with the cell phones.

They also have peacocks, which run loose and screech.

Anyway, today I (and possibly thousands of other Flickr users, who knows) had a photo selected from my Austin Zoo trip (of that there peacock) to appear in this tourist type interactive map guide called Schmap. No compensation, but it's still kind of a neat thing. Personally, I think the photos of my niece were far cuter, but I guess they wanted actual residents of the zoo for the map.

I tell you, I could let this Austin thing grow on me. Seriously: The story I've got coming out in Well Told Tales in December takes place in Austin (ish), and now the photo. Maybe someone's trying to send me a message….

5 Comments

  1. snoringKatZ on 4/11/08 at 6:20 pm

    Congrats!  Austin is lovely and wonderful.  I must go again.  Although I suspect I would not leave…



  2. LeendaDLL on 4/11/08 at 6:24 pm

    I keep having an unknown pull to Austin (I don’t know anyone there and don’t thing I’ve ever been).

    The peacock sound question made me laugh. Somehow one ended up in my residential area (there are no zoos or farms within 30+ miles) and would make an insane racket every morning. Scared the hell out of my cats. It disappeared after a couple weeks – I assume animal control finally caught it.



  3. Armchair News on 4/11/08 at 9:01 pm

    Hey, thanks!

    Austin definitely has its strong points. As I’ve stated, they include ribs. And ribs. But the whole live-music-culture thing the place has going is just good all the way through, it feels like. I heartily recommend a return.

    Now, wish me luck on my next trip: I’ve never been anywhere in Texas *but* Austin, and we’re supposed to go to San Antonio….



  4. Armchair News on 4/11/08 at 9:02 pm

    On the one hand, having a peacock in your ‘hood seems incredibly deliciously decadent. But yeah, once they open their mouths you just wanna get out the shotgun…



  5. snoringKatZ on 4/11/08 at 9:19 pm

    we’re supposed to go to San Antonio….

    My SIL’s folks live there.  I haven’t been there myself but hear fine things about it.  It’s not Austin but I’m not sure any place on earth is :)  Have a good trip!

    mmm… rrriiiiibbbsss….