waves of honor at seaworld!

What a fabulous birthday60+1 gift from SeaWorld Orlando!
Not that they knew it was that kind of present to me.
The gift, of free admission for me and up to three family members was simply because I had served in the United States military.
That's more than four hundred dollars of incredible generosity!
I very much liked the name of the program, too: Waves of Honor.
How very appropriate for me, not only because I served in the Navy, but also because I was part of the Womens Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.
(smile!)

The special is only for four weeks, until July 15th.
Naturally, I offered the three free tickets to
Christy, John, and Caitlyn, as they are soon
to join me in Florida.
However, they had plans already for a water
park for the weekend.
So, I went by myself!
Here is where my car waited all day.

Of course, getting from the dolphins at the
entrance to the grounds to the parking lot
took about 35 minutes.
Another 20 minutes later and I was inside!
I'm so glad I'd brought my big pink hat and
rubbed on lots of sunscreen!

I headed straight to Sesame Street, a new area
in the northwest section of the park.
I was right on time for the parade!
Ribbon twirlers! Dancers! Cookie Monster!
Oscar the Grouch! Big Bird!
Even The Count was there!
That's his float, right behind me...
and I got to dance with the parade!

When the twenty-minute parade was over, I
headed around the corner to Shamu Stadium.
Did I want to stay for the show or try to catch
one of the others?
Decisions, decisions, and only me to make them!
So I grabbed a coke and a smile - literally - and headed off for adventure elsewhere.

Along the way, I played a free game, "Rush The River", which resulted in the sponsor donating fresh water to an area that needs it - nice!
These flamingo paddle boats gave me another pause, reminding me of my time at Lake Winnie with the physicist - good times!

I arrived in plenty of time for a good seat for Clyde
and Seymour's 1 PM show.
Instead of pirates and the like, the new theme was
"Sea Lion High: The New Class".
A bad girl had hidden cheat notes for the big test.
It was up to the "boys", their friend Neutron,
a multi-talented handyman-mime-DJ, and a rat to
foil her plans and keep the school safe.

Great fun!
My favorite part was this one, though.
The two sea lions and Neutron were in the school cafeteria and Neutron was trying to divvy up the fish.
But Clyde would eat his as soon as it hit the plate, throwing off the count!
Then Seymour started doing it, too!
Very funny!

A brief rain shower made me very glad to have
brought my hat!
Refreshed, I caught the 2:30 PM "Dolphin Days"
show, in the southeast corner of the park.
Blue and gold macaws opened for the aquatics.
As for the show, I enjoyed this inner glimpse into
the daily training engaged in by the people and
the dolphins - very nice!

Had I said the rain refreshed me?
Well, it had, mostly... except my feet.
These water shoes, which I'd bought especially for tromping around a theme park, had proven to be
very thin soled.
The addition of rain water had not helped.
I definitely already had blisters, but I persevered,
as this was my one day here.

Fortunately, the Manta Aquarium was close at hand.
Ah, so peaceful!
Having just been treated to an aquarium last night,
I felt truly blessed to be having another experience
so soon!
But what's this!
My hat has changed to shade of blue!
Hahahaha! Hahaha!

What kind of fish are these?
I do not know, nor does it matter to me.
What fascinated me was the way they were swarming,
just as the light fragments do in that piece of
art I love so much.
This was the real thing!

After lolling in the cool and admiring the dip
and sway of the manta rays, I had to hustle to
make the 3:45 PM "Pets Ahoy" show...
but I made it, achy feet and all.
I so enjoyed the show, too, with all the dogs
and cats and ducks and pigeons and mice -
there was even a pig!
I laughed and laughed at their antics!

Thinking I'd had enough fun for one day, I was going to head to the exits.
But, wait! What was going on here?!?
It was an impromptu skit by three men in oversized glossy not-quite coveralls and hard hats!
They were trying to figure out how to water the hanging plant and having quite a time with the ladder.
What an up-note for my exit!

My many thanks for a day well-spent -
to the fine folks with Waves of Honor -
to the many entertainers at SeaWorld -
to God, for this day of gifts.
(smile)