With Alex away at the coast, I decided that today would be a Father/Daughter outing. When presented with a set of options, Erica immediately decided that the zoo was the place to be. And so, off we went.

First, of course, we had to stop for food. I took her to the Pizza Schmizza that’s near one of the bus stops downtown (the service was markedly improved over that of when Dawn and I went, last weekend). Then we hit the MAX up to Washington Square Park Zoo, where we arrived just in time to see the one of the performances of “Discover Birds” on its inaugural date of the summer. Hawks, scavengers, owls, ducks and an eagle all graced the auditorium. (The Harris’ Hawk graced someone’s shirt before leaving one of the platforms, though. And this is why you don’t sit right next to those things.) We also made a point of seeing the goats, bears, penguins, meerkats, giraffe and butterflies.

Afterward Erica decided that the best thing to do next would be… to come home and play some games with her Dad. Aww! That’s my girl. I decided to introduce her to Empire Earth, since we’ve always had fun playing the various “Age Of” games over the years. Several hours later… we emerged victorious over our enemies. For what it’s worth, she outfought and outproduced me, though I did better at epoch advancements and research. It was her second wonder that triggered the win timer, not a minute too soon as it turns out we’d been at it much longer than I thought we would be. Whoops.

When I finally got her home (thanks in large part to a lift offered by the roomie), I received my Father’s Day present: A t-shirt that reads, “Bank of Dad” and done up like an ATM. “Enter excuse or sob story, then press —->” and the buttons are marked Clothes, Road Trip, Tuition, Bail, Pizza and Concert. The “Deposits” slot is cobwebbed over, and the cash dispenser slot is labeled “Take Money And Run.”

I said, “Heck, you should’ve given me the shirt before we left…”

(I was just joking, mind you. Erica was a complete sweetheart the entire time, not once begging me for money. She’s the best daughter an underqualified dad like me could want, I tell ya.)