The older I get, the lower my tolerance for zoos. That said, we spent 4 or 5 hours at Chengdu’s “Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding” center last week as one of Elle’s spring break activities, just like we had during spring break five years ago when we visited with the Jacobs family.

Elle was 7 years old during that 2011 Chengdu trip:

Me and sweet Elle…

Now 12. Still my kitten, but what a world of difference:

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Anyway. It’s hard not to love the pandas, and the Research Base is a beautiful park. A peaceful, happy day.

Rambunctious boys wrestling and chasing each other up a tree. Endlessly.

It’s Tsingtao time…

That Artie’s a helpful fella…

The center is also home to  peacocks and “red pandas” (which are clearly related to raccoons, but now I hear that pandas are once again being designated as bears…so does this make raccoons bears too?).

Park grounds are lovely, with spring springing. Again, just so peaceful. No crowds.

No baby pandas were available for holding on this day. Maybe we’ll go back for that, maybe not…