Since life was full of other stuff, like settling into Rehoboth, or JUST returning from Chicago, on the days of the girls' birthdays, I had promised them a special birthday outing that would take place at the end of summer. We let them each pick one friend and we made a day trip to Monterey to visit the aquarium. Working with the schedules of our friends, this trip had to take place on what would be the last week day of summer, so it was a great goodbye, as well.
We've been to the aquarium many times and we've shared it with many friends, but letting the girls each pick a school friend to hang out with for the day was another new experience. It was so fun for Dave and I to sit back and take in their interactions. Here are a few fun photos and their captions:
Group shot in the octopus lair.
Wall of sardines in the Open Seas tank!
Jellyfish symmetry.
Admiring the seemingly hand-painted spotted jellies.
The classic shot.
A perfectly beautiful Monterey day!
Ocean selfie!
Active otters, and our best spot ever viewing them right up against the glass. We also saw a presentation in the auditorium about an otter pup the aquarium had rescued and rehabilitated. I think otters won "Favorite Animal" of the day!
Touching sea cucumbers, abalone, urchins and crabs.
"I don't mean to alarm you, but there's an octopus right above you!"
Hiding in the kelp forest.
The penguins kept blocking my picture of Ella and her friend!
Laughing in the Wave Cave.
Cool sun beams shining through the kelp forest tank.
With a splendid summer drawing to a close and school starting in a matter of days, this was a great bridge between seasons. This fun outing was something special to end the summer with. And the time spent with school friends, and learning who this year's teachers would be via email on the ride home, was just right for getting us excited about getting back into school routine next week!
No comments:
Post a Comment