The day after I drop Ann off at Denver International Airport to attend her brother Ryan’s wedding, my dad and I return to pick up my cousin Jon, wife Claire, and kids Brook and Forest for a visit. They’re on a furlough from their missionary work in Thailand. We go to the Denver zoo, where despite a rainstorm we see many amazing things. The hippo statue here was far less amazing than the real hippos, but easier to photograph. When watching the real hippos it finally struck home that my wife used to swim in Zaire with these monsters. I feel grateful in a new way.