I'm sure I was a sea creature in a past life, so when I fed the dolphins at SeaWorld ($7 for 3 little fish, but who's complaining), I was happy to meet some relatives!
Dolphins seem to be well tended there at the park. Time with humans is strictly limited, and interactions are monitored (the humans are the ones misbehaving by grabbing the dolphins' toys).
R's birthday was the official reason for making the trip, but the idea of SeaWorld was perfect for my Neptunian dreamscape with or without a notable event to celebrate.
My sisters and brother and I spent our childhood in the water. My mother and father ran the local swimming program for the various "villages" around Coventry and West Warwick. Places like Clyde, Arctic, Phenix, and Crompton where most kids lived in multi-family houses and didn't get to swim much.
Those kids got to go to Lake Tiogue once a week. We went every day with our dad and his very shiny silver whistle.
Up in New England, the water in the middle of summer hardly ever climbs above 60 degrees, but we didn't know any different. Cold makes you strong. We were 5 minutes from Middle Dam and 20 minutes from Narragansett Bay and Scarborough Beach. My favorite then.
I guess I have a new favorite now . . . SeaWorld!
