Today was the Monterey Bay Aquarium!!
I woke up far too early, Frankie later, and we roused Brynna out of bed a half hour before leaving.
One must understand, that in our family, everybody has their own wake up call.
It was Frankie's option that prevailed that morning.
But we still made an early enough start, no sleep deprived fist fights, and parked along a street near the aquarium. So we had a lovely walk past the Hopkins Marine Station.
We absolutely had to spend a good amount of time ogling the harbor seals. Frankie thought they were rocks, at first. Then it was "Oh My God, They're Alive!!" And really, it was totally worth it. Watching them bask in the early sun, roll over to warm a belly, awkwardly caterpillar their way to and from the water - it was just "d'awww" all over the place.
Such a good start.
And an even better start when we had pre-purchased tickets so we could walk right in. Which I had forgotten about, but Frankie hadn't.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is glorious. The huge tanks, tentacles, kelp environments - it reminded me so much of when Nat and I used to go diving.
And I have to admit, I miss diving. I miss snorkeling. I miss smelling the water, feeling it get sticky on your skin. The sound. The spray, the big boom. The dance when you are exploring tide pools between what you can see and the incoming tide. The tickle of a hermit crab on your palm.
I miss the ocean. Constantly.
So it was wonderful to spend the day among sea creatures, to touch them and share an appreciation for their environs.
I educated myself about the environment with the book Between Pacific Tides, and since they based the learning model on that, it was like coming home.
We finished up about 3ish - the crowds (at least the young ones) were getting fractious and the place was feeling over crowded. So it was time to go.
After a stop at the gift shop.
Ok. One of the things that thwarted us yesterday were the swan boats at Dennis the Menace park. Frankie and Brynna said they had only seen swan boats in Sim games, and I remember them from my youth, so we absolutely had to go. But yesterday it was too windy, so we resigned the idea to the heap of "Someday" and got on with it.
However, today luck was on our side. Siri directed us right past the pond on our way out and lo and behold - there were swans on the water! I pulled a dick move and drove in the exit.
The owners tried to convince us that it was too windy, our frail womanly legs couldn't get us around, etc., but we were all RENT us the Mother Fucking SWAN!!!
They rented us the mother fucking swan.
We spent a joyous half hour terrorizing the seagulls in the water and the other group who had a duck. You can see it in the background. Sodding ducks.
Then it was back on the road.
But not without a stop at the Castroville Giant Artichoke! Because:
So we absolutely had to stop and partake of deep fried artichoke hearts. And discount produce. So yummy! Although, as we discovered, even better than mayo is mayo with hot sauce.
Frankie: You know what would be really good? Some hot sauce in this mayo.
Me: Wait! *rummages around in Adventure Bag*
Frankie: No way! Are you serious...
Me: Sriracha!
Frankie: You learned your lesson after New Mexico.
It was indeed delicious.
On the way back we discussed 70's vs. 80's music and a pie-in-the-sky plan to take Mavis on the road trip she's always dreamed of - Route 66. Frankie's idea was a Little Miss Sunshine van, which I thought was great up until I remembered the fate of Grandpa.
I woke up far too early, Frankie later, and we roused Brynna out of bed a half hour before leaving.
One must understand, that in our family, everybody has their own wake up call.
- Nat favors the Merryweather fight song.
- I prefer Sousa marches at high volume.
- Martha believes in leaving well enough alone.
- And Frankie indulges in "Good Morning, Sunshine! The earth says "Hello!"
It was Frankie's option that prevailed that morning.
But we still made an early enough start, no sleep deprived fist fights, and parked along a street near the aquarium. So we had a lovely walk past the Hopkins Marine Station.
We absolutely had to spend a good amount of time ogling the harbor seals. Frankie thought they were rocks, at first. Then it was "Oh My God, They're Alive!!" And really, it was totally worth it. Watching them bask in the early sun, roll over to warm a belly, awkwardly caterpillar their way to and from the water - it was just "d'awww" all over the place.
Such a good start.
And an even better start when we had pre-purchased tickets so we could walk right in. Which I had forgotten about, but Frankie hadn't.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is glorious. The huge tanks, tentacles, kelp environments - it reminded me so much of when Nat and I used to go diving.
And I have to admit, I miss diving. I miss snorkeling. I miss smelling the water, feeling it get sticky on your skin. The sound. The spray, the big boom. The dance when you are exploring tide pools between what you can see and the incoming tide. The tickle of a hermit crab on your palm.
I miss the ocean. Constantly.
So it was wonderful to spend the day among sea creatures, to touch them and share an appreciation for their environs.
 |
| Giant Sunfish! |
 |
| Anchovies! |
I educated myself about the environment with the book Between Pacific Tides, and since they based the learning model on that, it was like coming home.
We finished up about 3ish - the crowds (at least the young ones) were getting fractious and the place was feeling over crowded. So it was time to go.
After a stop at the gift shop.
 |
| Tentacle High Five! |
 |
| The contemplative tentacle |
Ok. One of the things that thwarted us yesterday were the swan boats at Dennis the Menace park. Frankie and Brynna said they had only seen swan boats in Sim games, and I remember them from my youth, so we absolutely had to go. But yesterday it was too windy, so we resigned the idea to the heap of "Someday" and got on with it.
However, today luck was on our side. Siri directed us right past the pond on our way out and lo and behold - there were swans on the water! I pulled a dick move and drove in the exit.
 |
| I'm on a swan |
They rented us the mother fucking swan.
We spent a joyous half hour terrorizing the seagulls in the water and the other group who had a duck. You can see it in the background. Sodding ducks.
Then it was back on the road.
But not without a stop at the Castroville Giant Artichoke! Because:
- Giant Artichoke
- Incredibly delicious deep fried artichoke hearts
- Discount produce
Artichoke! The musical
 |
| Artichoke! The Musical revival |
So we absolutely had to stop and partake of deep fried artichoke hearts. And discount produce. So yummy! Although, as we discovered, even better than mayo is mayo with hot sauce.
Frankie: You know what would be really good? Some hot sauce in this mayo.
Me: Wait! *rummages around in Adventure Bag*
Frankie: No way! Are you serious...
Me: Sriracha!
Frankie: You learned your lesson after New Mexico.
It was indeed delicious.
On the way back we discussed 70's vs. 80's music and a pie-in-the-sky plan to take Mavis on the road trip she's always dreamed of - Route 66. Frankie's idea was a Little Miss Sunshine van, which I thought was great up until I remembered the fate of Grandpa.
Sooooo - maybe not a VW.
But I still would like to give that to her. I think her grandkids are behind it as well. We'll have to see what we can do.
Because as I said before: mo bitches=mo bettah!
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