Homeward Bound:Marine Blue

Daniel graduated! It was a beautiful day, little chilly but the sky was blue, clouds were recently fluffed and the Berry campus is gorgeous. A lot of my family was there: parents and their spouses, aunts, uncles, Granny and cousins (including new 2 yr. old and 4 yr. old darlings).
It is really quite strange to watch him grown up. I can't seem to stop seeing the small-framed little boy who would let my cousin and I play "hide Daniel. The game entailed one of us cramming Daniel into a cabinet, the top shelf of a closet, under the bed... When he was hidden the hider would alert the seeker and the fun would begin...at least for my cousin and I. I'd like to think that I was helping to build the patients and stamina needed to acquire all those shinny metals. Oh, but I know better :) Congratulations lil' bro!















The day after graduation, while D- recovered from his hangover, the rest of us headed to the aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. If you are ever in area, I highly recommend it. Atop seeing marine life in a very well-thought-out and elaborate tank extending 3 floors, I got to touch a restrictor snake, a marckrell, a sting ray and a sand shark. There was a particular sting ray in the petting tank that would come up to the edge near the people and flapped his wings(?) out of the water. With further investigation I found out that this was the "southern" sting ray- "hey y'all, common over and pet me!" There was also a butterfly room that displayed cocoons and wet, hatching butterflies. Oh yeah, aaaaaaand I got to see otters who are absolutely adorable and playful. I am pretty sure my little cousins thouroghly enjoyed themselves as well, but I was not paying attention.