Miami Seaquarium

Hey all, I'm back from the dead (at least that's how I have felt for the past two weeks)

I haven't been around much because I have been working alot, including weekends and have been way to exhausted to write anything coherent, much less entertaining.

Last week I went to the Miami Seaquarium on Key Biscayne for work-related activities, and actually had quite a bit of fun, though was left totally and completely exhausted. I haven't been to the seaquarium in years, not since my sister came to visit and it was still under reconstruction. It's a pretty cool park to take kids, they have alot of different exhibits and shows, all of which are educational without lecturing. My entourage of 2nd graders dragged me from exhibit to exhibit and show to show to point out all the things and scope out all the animals. I learned that if you take a quarter and rub it against the glass, eventually the dolphins will swim up to you. I also learned that once you become BFF with little kids, they force you to sit in the front row of every show. Including the whale show. They really aren't kidding at the Seaquarium when they say you will be drenched if you are in the bottom rows. Lolita (pictured below) sent a tidal wave our way. The kids who insisted on sitting in the front row? Yeah they ducked behind me screaming each time. Greeeeeat. My parents thought this was hilarious.



More pictures:

The dolphin was actually posing for all the pics.


The pelicans and ibises chill at all the shows so they can sneak into the fish supplies when people don't pay attention




The sea lions also enjoyed taking a hose and spraying everyone during the show.

From the bird exhibits:


These guys were shy

Shark Valley

I love the sun, I love being outside and I love being active. These are some of the many reasons I appreciate South Florida so much. Usually on the weekend, I end up walking around outside, either in my neighborhood or on the boardwalk or something.

This past weekend we did something different. We went about 17 miles past Krome on Tamiami Trail to the Everglades and went biking in Shark Valley. Shark Valley is part of the Everglades National Park, within the park there are tram tours, an info center and a path through the park. But it's not for the faint of heart, it's a 15 mile path, with some offshoots to see bobcats and otters (we saw neither.) But on a nice day, it's great for biking because its a wide, level paved path. I wouldn't recommend it for the summer though, as very little of the path is shaded.

It's fun though, because the scenery is beautiful and you can see alot of wildlife. Some of my pics I took from my bike, others I swung around and jumped off. Here are some of my favs:





(a long road ahead of us)



(baby croc)

The marshes made me nostalgic for the South Carolina lowcountry. So peaceful



The view from the 7-mile halfway point.

If you are into biking, it's totally worth going. The path is long enough that you can coast and absorb the scenery around you, but it's also perfect for those moments when you hunch over the handlebars, throw it into gear and tear down the path with the wind in your face. Just don't forget sunscreen and water.