As it turned out, our trip to the Georgia Aquarium was perhaps one of the most difficult things we’ve done in years.
The difficulty of our trip had nothing to do with the recent collapse of I-85. Being a native of Atlanta, I know the quickest back roads to get around any traffic problem and the best hole-in-the-wall barbecue places along any route. Besides, the hour tour of old dilapidated downtown neighborhoods that had been recently revitalized was a welcome drive down memory lane.
Our problem wasn’t bringing an almost 3- and 4-year-old with us on the trip. Our granddaughters Little One and Sweet Caroline were the reason The Wife and I were making the trip to see all the fishes and turtles. And the girls on the trip up to the aquarium entertained themselves by reciting songs they had heard endless times from “The Little Mermaid” and “Moana.”
Parking wasn’t a problem upon our arrival. Seemed the entire town was on spring break and we had our pick of the best parking spaces right next to the elevators. Our situation only turned fishy when we arrived inside the aquarium and viewed the very first gallery window sea wall.
Behind the glass wall were 10,000 gallons of water and two sea otters. Perhaps the most playful of all sea creatures, these two otters were doing more than just playing. Sweet Caroline noticed them first and said, “Awww, they love each other.”
Not to be out done by her younger sister, Little One said, “Look, Papa, they’re hugging!” The Wife and I exchanged embarrassed looks not quite knowing how to explain the special “hugging” to the young girls, so we turned to the aquarist standing nearby for help. She blushed and led us to the next exhibit, the penguins.
What’s not to like about penguins? They’re white, black, waddle around, and as we discovered on our visit, do an awful lot of hugging. They were hugging on rocks, in the water, and even standing up. The girls noticed all the hugging going on and stated, “Penguins really love each other.” The aquarist said it was spring, the season for hugging. With great apprehension, we moved along to the beluga whales.
Luckily for us, the great white whales either didn’t know ‘tis the season or weren’t in the mood for hugging. Either way, they were amazing to watch.
Watching such remarkable creatures swim, it was hard to imagine they’re still hunted and slaughtered. After the whales, we moved on to the 11 o’clock dolphin show – a “can’t miss” show we almost missed. I was in the gift shop trying to decide which to buy: a whale of a whale hat or a squid hat full of 2-foot-long dangling tentacles. It was an impossible decision – I bought both.
At the dolphin show we got lucky, or I should say I did. Imagine my surprise when we entered the theater and found the first two rows still with plenty of seating left. The Wife and the girls wanted to sit 10 rows higher for a better view, but not me. Finding a spot on the front row of a dolphin show is like going to the grocery story on a rainy day and slipping into the closest parking space. It never happens.
During the show we learned dolphins are very intelligent, can jump fifteen feet in the air, swim at a speed of over 35 mph, can weigh as much as 250 pounds and live 60 years. But that’s not all that we learned during our visit to the aquarium.
I learned you can’t wear two different hats at the same time. (The wife made me choose between the squid and beluga). I learned no one thinks it’s funny when you ask for fried fish or fish sticks while ordering lunch at the aquarium or asking where the fishing poles are at the gift shop.
And finally, I learned why, at show time, there were plenty of seats left vacant in first two rows of the theater. Seems dolphins can splash more water out of their tank, and onto Big Papa, than our granddaughters do at bath time. Trust me, that’s a lot of water.
When we got home, both girls were worn out and asleep from their exciting day. The Wife told me that I still smelled like fish and to go take a shower — otherwise there would no chance of any hugs later.
[Rick Ryckeley has been writing stories since 2001. To read more of Rick’s stories, visit his blog: storiesbyrick.wordpress.com.]
