Theatre of the Sea

We headed north today to Islamorada where we had lunch at Marker 88, a restaurant we visited 6 years ago and is right on the Bay where we enjoyed nice breezes, beautiful views and great food and had our first slice of key lime pie.  The Keys are roughly 100 miles long and measured in terms of mile markers....Marker 88 is, you guessed it, at mile marker 88.

 

 

Afterward, we spent the rest of the afternoon at Theatre of the Sea.  We first walked through lush gardens with amazing orchids and other beautiful flowers.


 

The first part of the tour was a Sea Lion Show where "Wilbur" entertained us with his tricks.  It is just amazing what these animals are trained to do.

WILBUR

 

Next stop was a Guided Marine Life Tour where we saw lots of beautiful fish, some of which looked like they were wearing lipstick.  They also take in large sea turtles that have disabilities of one sort or another.  One was wearing a life vest as he had been injured and could not swim.

 
 

We were next delighted by a Parrot Show.  There were 8 parrots of various varieties who were eager to show off for us...one could even count!

 

Next was the Bottomless Boat Ride where two dolphins rode alongside the boat, jumping airborne to the delight of the crowd.

 
 

 

Last but certainly not least was the Dolphin Show where the same 2 dolphins in the bottomless boat ride performed amazingly with their trainers in the water. 

 

Theater of the Sea is not to be missed if you are in this area!

 

On our way home, we stopped for our new favorite tropical drink, "Pain in the Ass", which my favorite pain in the ass (George) also tried.  In case you don't remember, a Pain in the Ass is half Pina Colada and half Rum Runner.  Also had an appetizer which ended up being our dinner.

 

Once home, we hit the pool for a refreshing cool-down and a visit with some guys from "up north" who were on a guy-trip fisherman's week.  These guys were characters...can't wait to visit with them again tonight to see if they actually caught anything...other than grief from each other.

 

And, the highlight of our day and probably the rest of our life, we were swooned by the news that our oldest son, Mark and wife Pauline, gave birth to our first granddaughter at 3:15 in the afternoon to Miss Coraline Ripley Bell.  We are just over the moon with joy of her birth and can't wait to meet her!  Don't have any champagne on board but had a celebratory glass of wine.  Gonna sleep well tonight.