touch tank
We arrived just as the door was opening at 9:AM. We walked straight to the huge 50' high kelp tank, and for a few minutes we had the whole thing to ourselves. We stood there for a long time watching the leopard sharks and big groupers swim by.
Then it was down the hall to the seal and sea lion tank. Enzo stood in his usual spot where the seals swim through a tunnel under the walkway and pop out right in front of the glass. "Coming", he says, as he waits for the next one to come.
From the seals, we went to the shark and ray touch tank. We pretty much had the entire thing to ourselves, and spent about 20 minutes reaching for little sharks and rays. He was up to his elbows, leaning over the side, trying to grab everything that swam by.
We walked up the stairs to the invertebrate touch tank. Enzo was very anxious to touch the anemones. He touched them all so many times that by the time we left the tank, they had retracted all their tentacles in an effort to hide. He also manhandled some starfish, sea slugs, and cucumbers. On the way into the second floor gallery, Enzo stopped for a staring contest with a harbor seal.
On the second floor, we saw the divers feeding a big school of fish in the same big tank where the turtle lives. Enzo got a great view of the turtle. It sat there for a minute and then swam up the glass right in front of him, "wow". We also saw a big octopus swimming around, a shrimp tank that Enzo was really in to (he told everyone that came by, "shrimp!"), and a king crab tank. As we sat on the edge of the crab tank, I said to Enzo, "this is the biggest crab". "Ever!", he exclaimed. So we went back and forth - I say "the biggest crab", and he yells "ever!"
We stopped at the kiosk to listen to sounds that whales make. He liked to listen to the humpback and orca most of all. At the otter tank, we sat for a snack, and then moved on to the clownfish and tang tank (aka Nemo and Dory). Enzo asked to use the potty, and took a pee.
The aquarium was starting to get very crowded but we fought through to go see the shark and ray touch tank again. Right when Enzo got to the edge of the tank, a huge ray slide along the rail with it's wing way up out of water, splashing Enzo. Kind of freaked him out, so we went to picnic area for another snack, and then headed out.
We stopped in the gift shop to buy a little stuffed whale that Enzo clutched in his arms has he drifted off to sleep in the back seat. I thought it was interesting that this visit, Enzo really seemed to notice and appreciate more details and small critters than last time. It wasn't all about sharks, seals, and turtles.
Enzo slept all the way home. The rest of the day was pretty mellow. Zoe has a miserable night on call, and Enzo and I were pooped too. We watched some videos, played out in the back yard with Betty, and then went to the dog park. Before we left, Enzo pooped on the potty. When he saw how big it was, he said, "oh my goodness!" Enzo asked to chat with A-Ma, but she wasn't there. Then he asked to chat with Dee. He told Dee and Buzz about his day at the aquarium, and then told them the elf story. Mommy picked up some dinner, and Enzo took a bath. He was so tired, so we put him to bed early.