Now that my computer is working again I am going to try to get caught up with our Florida vacation. It is Wednesday night as I type this but I am going to try to recall the events of Monday. Hopefully, my memory will not fail me.
On Monday the forecast called for rain and clouds in the morning so we decided to skip the beach and head down to Sarasota to visit the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.
The Mote Aquarium opened in 1980 to showcase ground-breaking marine research taking place right in Sarasota, Florida. Mote scientists work worldwide on problems affecting the health of the oceans and the animals that live in them.
The Mote Marine Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit organization. Their marine research is funded through grants from governmental and nongovernmental organizations and foundations.
At the Mote Aquarium we saw colorful fish, giant sea turtles and manatees. Here are a few photos from our visit.
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| Sardines |
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| Sea Horses |
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| I thought this was an unusual looking fish. |
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| Monkey posing for the camera |
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| We watched them feed the sharks here. |
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| Another unusual looking fish |
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| I thought this was interesting. |
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| Hammer head shark |
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| Parrot had fun petting the sting rays. |
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| Petting the sting rays. |
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| A giant sea turtle. |
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| Manatee |
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| They fed the manatees lettuce. |
The weather cleared up in the afternoon so we were able to visit Grandma and Grandpa on the island and hang out at the beach. The waves were huge and we had fun body surfing and playing in the ocean.
After the beach, we went out to dinner with Grandma, Grandpa and a couple of their friends at this restaurant near a big pier. Gruper is a popular dish out on Anna Maria Island. Grupers are large fish that are commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico. My mother, Goose and I ordered a Gruper Reuben and it was Delicious.
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| Somebody had problems parking their boat. |
After dinner we went back to Grandma and Grandpa’s resort to watch the sunset. Watching the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico is always the best ending to a perfect day.
I hope you are able to take the time to read my other posts from our Florida Vacation.
Florida Vacation Part One
Florida Vacation Part Two
Forida Vacation #WordlessWednesday
Florida Vacation Part Three
Florida Vacation Part Four
Florida Vacation Part Five
