Ok, so a three part post to document one vacation might be a bit excessive, but there is a lot to tell!
One of the neatest things we did at Sea World that I failed to put in the last entry was to take a backstage tour. Originally, we intended to take a tour that had a dolphin interaction, shark touch tank and a sting ray feeding, however that tour was sold out. So, we let the two year old select our tour. She picked the "Save a Species" tour because it advertised petting a shark and feeding a sea turtle.
A few years back, I participated in a backstage tour at Sea World San Antonio, and it was AWESOME! We got to see so many different animals and feed or touch quite a few. This tour . . . was not that.
We did get to pet baby leopard and nurse sharks, and Caitlyn loved that. I think she would have crawled into the tank if we hadn't kept a close eye on her. The girl loves everything about sharks. She knows what their skeletons are made up of (cartilage). She has a favorite shark (hammerhead). She can identify all of the types of fins (pectoral, caudal, dorsal). She is just fascinated by sharks.
After the shark touch tank, we continued walking to the next area. On the way there, our group stopped beneath a group of pine trees to discuss . . . pine trees. Really? We paid $20 a person to stand underneath a stand of pine trees in a public area of the park and discuss how many needles were on this type of tree? Again, really??? Pine trees are great, but let's get to the marine life! The rest of the tour was neat, and we did get to feed endangered sea turtles, although I use the term "feed" loosely. In reality, we got to toss lettuce into a tank where the turtles fought to eat it.
For the rest of our vacation, we relaxed at the condo and on the beach. One of our favorite adventures was searching for shells on the beach, and we found several to add to Caitlyn's shell jar- a gift Daddy made her for her second birthday. Avi's daughter, Leeta, came to see us, and we really enjoyed spending time with her. She helped Caitlyn build a tent in Grandma and Grandpa's room, and she could really get Lorelei to giggle.
One evening, we walked to an amazing seafood restaurant. Everything on the menu (probably 30 different types of seafood) was mesquite grilled, and I had the most delicious scallops and shrimp with drawn butter. I could have eaten for hours!
On our last day, we went to Oceanside and ate on the pier. Caitlyn and Jason liked watching the fishermen, and Caitlyn got to see some fish up close and personal. We also saw a giant brown pelican just sitting on the pier- it was huge!
Finally, after a stop in Westwood Village to eat at The Gypsy Cafe, one of my very favorite places to eat, we took a short stroll on the UCLA campus to satisfy Jason's love of the Bruins. Caitlyn pranced around yelling the Eight Clap, much to the delight of all of the students walking by.
Our flight home was a red eye that left LAX at 11pm, and we got home at 10am the next morning. It was long, exhausting, exhilarating trip, and we have hundreds of special memories. We miss the family we left out in California, and we can't wait to see them again.
Now, I've got a mountain of laundry to do, Mickey ears to put away and questions about Shamu to answer- the perfect end to the perfect trip!
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