My wife and I took a little trip over the weekend. We didn't go far. We just wanted to get away for a night. We chose a place that's about 40 miles away named the Serengeti Resort. As the name suggests, they have African wildlife. There was a rather large picture window in our room with a majestic view of the "Serengeti". On the Serengeti you could see giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, antelope, etc. No lions or other predators or elephants, but just about everything else. You could take out golf carts and ride around the resort to get up close and personal. Now, I expected questions like, "What kind of animal is that?" or "Is that a Gnu?". But what I got was "What kind of animal poop is that?". With all that surrounded us, I wasn't quite sure why the focus was on poop. But apparently, this was of some interest to my wife.

However, as the day progressed, I got to thinking that maybe she was on to something. I mean, there weren't any animals out there that I hadn't seen before. I hear someone say "Look! A Zebra!" and I go "uh-huh". Someone else says "Look! An Ostrich!" and I nonchalantly say "Yeah, we have one of those at work". But the more and more I thought about it, the more and more I found myself looking at the ground. There was all this different looking poop and I realized I had no idea who left it.

Now it makes sense that when you're on safari, being able to recognize what left that dung heap might just save your life. But in urban America, not so much. You see it. You avoid it. You move on. So essentially, a pile of poo has never been food for thought (Sorry about my wording there). But when you're on a wildlife ranch drinking a fine Malbec, examining animal poop can open up a whole new world of fascination. And after all, isn't that what going to new places is all about? Not just relaxation, but exposing yourself to new experiences and stimulating the mind? In those terms, I would say mission accomplished. I now have a brand new appreciation for the science animals leave behind. Oh, and just in case you're interested, the original animal poop that piqued my wife's interest turned out to be baby camel.