Day Trip--Seward

David and I packed up and went to meet friends in Seward for a day.

It was a lovely day. In spite of the forecast for rain, we both came back with a little sunburn from the glorious sunshine we were able to enjoy~

We started at a park, with a view that really can't be beat, right on Resurrection Bay.

 And just in case you need a little different view, here's looking the other way in the park.

It was an absolutely stunning setting.

 We got our playtime in, had a picnic lunch, then went on a short walk over to the Alaska Sea Life Center.

The two dots in the water behind the boys are a pair of sea lions that were swimming along the shore. The boys are looking off in the distance because at the same instant, some whales were breaching in the bay.

 At the Sea Life Center, they were celebrating World Oceans Day--so there were lots of extra activities to enjoy. Here are our three sea buddies.

 David really liked watching the birds going between the rocks and the water.

Puffins are a fascinating and beautiful little bird. We heard a park ranger talk about them a few years ago, and she said that Puffins are the only animals that have a range of flying and also diving 200 feet into the sea. Even more fascinating is that the puffin uses its wings to swim and not its feet, and when they fly in the air their wings beat at 400 beats/minute. Those are some strong wings!!

The petting tank was a hit. David had to really concentrate to keep the two fingers out and gently pet the sea creatures, but he finally got the hang of it. (The two-finger rule was being encouraged by the staff.) The temperature of this water was 41 degrees--yowza! That's cold!!

They had an art project for the kiddos--making fake jelly fish in a bottle.

The last thing we saw was the scuba diver go into the tank. David had a front row seat--and when the diver moved along the glass, David stayed right with him and moved along as well. At least this time he kept saying "excuse me" while he exhibited the alpha behavior of being front and center. David gets so wrapped up in the thrill of it all, and there have been a couple of times when I've seen all social skills forgotten while he enthusiastically stays in the thick of the excitement. I'm glad to see a little boy who gets so caught up in the experience. We have a few more years to learn social skills--but the love of learning? It's thrilling to see it emerge so young.

The yellow bag in the diver's hand had squid in it that he used as food to lure a 4-foot eel from its little cavern. That long thing just kept coming and coming. It was also funny to watch a big fat fish get right in the diver's face--as if he was checking him out. Maybe David has a buddy inside the tank who also likes a front row seat to all of the excitement.

Thanks for such a fun Mommy-David date, little buddy!