While Mikey excellently vacations...Birch Aquarium in the morning for 3 crabs

I dropped GMK and Mike at Sea World for the day, proceeding to La Jolla's Birch Aquarium (at UCSD) with LLGA and Charlie.

"I wanna see fish!"
But first, throwing Crab's clams into the fountain..."another penny" at a time.

Like a weird intersection of "Kissing the Blarney Stone" and the healing waters of Lourdes?



Yep, he put his right foot in -- he took his right foot out when his mother shrieked and waved her arms about.




I think this is LLGA sign for "want bathtub". Hence, she was locked in the buggy.
Tide pool exhibit with Charlie-boy.
Note to future self: Self, Charlie is not so hot with following the sign that says "Touch gently with one finger." (More like grab the seastar and detach it from its rock with brute force while three docents in unison do the CQ Gasp of Horror -- a close relative of the Sigh of Crabbiness).
Finding a new spot with fewer seastars and new docents to offend.



She wanted out...there's the Scripps Oceanography Station below.
Inside, Charlie pointed at the swimming school and exclaimed, "Sardines!"
He was correct and apparently retained something from his school fieldtrip.
He campaigned loudly for "go to kelp forest!"
He prevailed.
LLGA in her adorable Tea outfit.
If Charlie could go only get inside the forest...

Lucy was a bit more skeptical. No less vocal, alas.
Wouldn't THIS be a handful?! Thought of Patty Lisa Triplets.

Look carefully at the sea dragons and you can see Charlie's reflection.
Outside again.
Best of Day
And she's off...she tried to get through the glass barricade.
Foiled by the laws of matter (with its ally, the CQ).
I let her splash a bit. The docents cringed in unison. At least there's no expectation of digit dexterity -- then again, her arms aren't long enough to get anything sensitive.
Unlike Mr. Long Arms and Wild Hands. At least we're at the fountain again here.

Freedom!





Endangered Grape seems officially downgraded to Threatened Grape.
I sincerely hope this can count as her bath of today!



Clutching a Torrey Pine needle, which the Kumeyaay Indians used to make baskets and rafts.

Her fingers in mouth signified our departure time had arrived...including some personal time with M.P. (aka, Purell(TM)).