National Aquarium

We've had absolutely no reason to go to Baltimore, MD for the entire two years we've lived here, even though it's only 1.5 hours away.  So, we finally decided to make a special trip just to see the National Aquarium last Friday.

It's not the world's greatest aquarium and, after being spoiled with the free museums in DC, I thought the $35 price tag was a bit high, but it was a really great place to take Alison, who has always loved a big tank full of fish.

The major attractions are the location (right on the Inner Harbor of Baltimore - Baltimore itself reminded me a lot of Milwaukee, but the Inner Harbor seems like it might be a fun place to hang out), the dolphin exhibit/show, a jellyfish area, an Australia exhibit (which reminded me more of an aviary with fish rather than an aquarium), and what Alison calls the "Daddy Shark" exhibit.  Instead of having a big, bright cage for the sharks with corals, other fish, turtles, etc, the "Daddy Shark" exhibit was at the very bottom of a long ramp.  It was dark and the big, circular cage had nothing except some ugly rocks and a bunch of large sharks.  It's almost like they were trying to scare you as you descended into the depths of the ocean.  I was surprised that this became Alison's favorite place.  I guess there's something about human nature that makes you simultaneously scared and reverent of large sharks.  I know now that's probably just part of our DNA.

Jellyfish Exhibit Decorations

Puppet Show in the Kid's Activity Area

Dolphin Show

Australia Exhibit

Alison got an umbrella as a souvenir and decided to use it even though it wasn't raining.

I'm glad we went, especially since at age three children go from being free to paying $22.  It was a fun girl's trip and probably the last time Alison and I will travel, just the two of us, for quite some time.

Florida: Part III - Corkscrew & Sanibel

I find myself in a lot of birding hotspots, not on purpose, but because Nathan is a bird nerd...fortunately.  That's how I ended up in my favorite spot of the whole trip: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  This place reminded me a lot of Congaree National Park, except it was more lush, green, and filled with odd plants that I'd never seen before.

 9-30-12 - Corkscrew Swamp Santuary Boardwalk Loop

 9-30-12 - Did not see any dinosaurs

The highlight of the trip for me was the rainstorm that made everything smell delightful and look rich and inviting.  The highlight of this stop for Nathan was seeing the rare Ghost Orchid in bloom.

9-30-12 - Ghost Orchid (white flower slightly North of center, Photo Credit: Nathan King)

We didn't see the Wood Stork, which was the inspiration for the protection of this sanctuary, until the next day, randomly by the side of the road but we did enjoy the views and the rain.

 9-30-12 - Soaked

The next stop was Sanibel Island, which was meant to provide a couple days of R&R before we entered the jaws of Disney.  It delivered. Last Monday was a near-perfect day.  It started with a run at sunrise on the beach, some fun in the sand, and then a trip to the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Refuge.  Again, a bird sanctuary without a lot of birds, but it was gorgeous and the weather was perfect.

10-1-12 - I know, typical beach sunrise, but I never get tired of seeing it in person

We drove to The Green Flash on Captiva Island for a lunch overlooking a coastal waterway and decided that Captiva is definitely the island for us.  It is secluded and the houses are much nicer.  They probably don't cost much more than our house in DC, right?  Wrong, they start at $2 million.  So much for that idea.

Alison spent the afternoon playing on the beach, swimming for the first time in the ocean, and then spending almost an hour and a half in the hotel pool.  She was in heaven, then she took a wonderfully long nap so we were in heaven.

 10-2-12 - This makes me laugh so hard (Photo Credit: Nathan King)

For dinner, we tried Gramma Dot's, which was supposed to have the best Key Lime Pie on the island.  It was amazing.  Everything from the main course to the Belgium Chocolate Shell holding our fruit to the pie.  I would definitely recommend this place.  Our pre-bedtime walk on the beach is where I realized that a day doesn't really get better than this.

The next morning we spent some more time with the ocean until I saw a Moon Jellyfish a few feet away and decided it was time to leave.  We stopped at the De Soto National Memorial, which honors a guy that reminds me of James Cameron, in that he hit it big on his first trip as a conquistador to the new world and then decided to come back, just for the adventure.  He died trying to claim Florida for the Spanish Crown, what a shame.

10-2-12 - Armor is surprisingly heavy! (Photo Credit: Nathan King)

 We ended up in Orlando by suppertime on October 2nd, and we were ready for Disney.