Wild About Otters!

Andy took the day off Thursday and we drove down to Monterey to go to the Aquarium and have a fun Whole Day. We started with a coffee and a croissant from "No Mas Pan" (which is really the Italian French Baking Company on Grant and Union) (how ALL Whole Days start) and headed out of town.

We made it to the aquarium too late for the penguin feeding, but just in time for the otter show, which isn't a show WITH otters, but ABOUT otters. Andy didn't get picked to play on stage, and thus did NOT win an energy-saving light bulb, but we DID have a GREAT day at the aquarium, and DID write to the Govenator to communicate our support for coastal marineland protection, and that we vote.

Aquarium highlights include:
-those four little otter gals are a riot of good times, I think I'd like to have one.

-a harbor seal out in the real water, swimming around in the cove!

-seahorses galore

-a private q&a session with a docent whose time we monopolized

-asian otters who act kind of like cats (andy liked, me: ehh)

-penguins!! even if they weren't emperor penguins, or swimming.

-reading the best chapter of Cannery Row ON Cannery Row (concerning the gopher in the vacant lot)

-LOTS of schooling fish (I love it when they school)

-the Archer Fish, which spits a spout of water at a bug to make it fall into the water to eat it!

-the only albatross in captivity (who looks interestingly similar to a seagull...)

-scuba-diving window-washers / aquarium maintainers

-amazing jellyfish

Then we ate our packed picnic lunch of quiche and salad with lemonade and champagne in the back of Andy's car. We strolled through Cannery Row, took our own walking tour through all Steinbeck's spots, watched an otter who was right offshore, and walked along the Monteray coast for the afternoon, before heading back up north. We stopped at the beach on the way home for a nice long walk, and then for late-night tacos in Capitola, before making our way back to the city.

I crawled into my bed a tired, happy girl.