Vacation Day 4 (July 11, 2013)

Dear Gage and Gabe,

We awoke on our fourth day of vacation to over cast skies. I packed you both up to take a walk but about 1/4 mile into it, the rain started to fall. We hurried back to the condo and sought shelter before the skies opened up. While we waited for Sissy and Daddy to wake up, you boys watched The Sword in the Stone and I watched the rain and my spirits fall. I couldn't help but be depressed about the rain. I checked the forecast and saw the rain might clear up later in the day, but there was an 80% chance of rain for Friday (our last full day at the beach).

Once everyone was up and ready, we tried to make the most of the rainy day by taking a drive to the aquarium in Destin - The Gulfarium. We got to the parking lot and quickly became discouraged by the lack of a parking spot. We circled a few times and finally found one. Daddy and I got out while you boys and Sissy waited in the car. We wanted to see what kinds of activities the aquarium had and if packing you all through the rain would be worthwhile. There was quite a line inside. We found a schedule of events and saw there was a dolphin show about to begin. We talked with one of the employees at the door and she said the 12:30 show was always the busiest and it would probably be better to come back later. We decided that to be best and went back out to the car.

We now had a little over 2 hours of time to kill before the next dolphin show, so we did some exploring. While we were looking for a place to eat lunch, we decided to stop at the Destin Harbor Boardwalk and look around. Most of the shops were outside, but along the hotel, there were covered sidewalks. We walked along, looking out at the harbor and checking out the scene. We stopped at a shop that specialized in flavored popcorn. After looking around at all the flavors, I decided to purchase some Fruity Pebbles flavored popcorn (a taste test later that night would prove I made a great choice). We walked down to the fisherman's docks and saw some of the day's catch. Gage, you were quite amazed at all the fish. It was really neat to see the variety of fish, but not so much to see them butchered.

Yummy

Posing at the Boardwalk

By the time we made it back to the car, it was time to head back to the aquarium. The parking lot was less packed and the rain had started to taper off. We got inside and this aquarium was much different from the ones we have been to before. The center of the building was a giant tank where the dolphins lived. There were small windows at various heights that allowed visibility of the dolphins as they swam under water. We watched the dolphins for a few minutes and then found the smaller aquariums. We saw a variety of fish and even saw a few small sharks. Once we looked around, it was time to make our way to the top to watch the dolphin show.

Dolphins in the tank

Looking at the fish with Daddy

Dory and Nemo

Little sea explorer

A large crowd had already gathered and the bleachers were full. We found a decent spot along the rails from where to watch the show. There were three dolphins in the show and they did all sorts of tricks. We saw them catch and toss footballs, jump through hoops, swim backwards above water and do flips in the air. It was so entertaining.

Tossing a football

Moving backward on top of the water

By the time the show ended, the rain had completely stopped. We left the dolphin pavilion to check out the other exhibits. There were penguins, turtles, seals, stingrays and sharks. There was a "hands on" area where the public could touch horseshoe crabs and other touchable organisms. Your Daddy wasn't scared and he held a horseshoe crab. Gage, you touched it too! We were able to see two other shows while we were there. The sea lions put on a nice set, complete with dancing and ball balancing. We made it over to the alligator display just in time to see the trainers inspect and feed the three giant gators. We walked around and saw all sorts of different sea animals. 

By the time we left, the sun was starting to peek out through the clouds! We were so excited. Once we got back to the condo, the clouds had nearly disappeared. We decided to make the most of the afternoon and went down to the beach. We took a lot of photos and played in the sand and water. Gage, your little friend Gage 2 was there as well, so you all had a lot of fun building sandcastles. Gage 2 loved to play out in the water, so that made you Gage, a little brave. You actually asked to go out into the water and you loved being out there. We had to hold you the entire time, even in the knee deep (for you) water, but it was a step in the right direction.

The Paynes

Playing in the sand

Gage 2 and Gage building a sandcastle

Gage out in the water with Mommy

Playing out in the water

Later that night, there were fireworks at the Harbor Boardwalk. We were able to walk out on the beach and watch the firework show. They were quite distance away, but we were still able to see all the colors and enjoy the show. It was a great way to end a great day!

I love you,

Mommy