Spring Break 2012 - Day 6 !

Springtime in Texas!  Bluebonnets!

Spring Break 2012 - Day 5 !

Natural Bridge Caverns with Jill and Daniel!

 Everyone in the entire state decided to go to the caves on Friday.  It was CROWDED, but we still really enjoyed it!

 Trying some tasty Cavern Water!

 A pack of satisfied spelunkers.

 Well, after 11.5 hours at Sea World and a full day of cavern exploring, we were unable to make it all the way home.  So we stopped in Schulenburg for the night and for a Farkle tournament!

 Winner.

Second place by only 200 points!

 Fourth place.

Bedtime!

Spring Break 2012 - Day 4 !

SEAWORLD with Jill and Daniel!!!

First purchase: 10:30 a.m. - hats for the kids.

 First Ride: The Steel Eel - Only Alek was brave enough to ride.  He ended up on this ride five or six times before we left.

 ("Ma'am, you can't just take pictures of the screen.  You need to buy the print." Ha.)

 First animals: Penguins and Puffins

 First and only full group ride: Rio Loco

 I may be getting old, but any ride in which upon exiting one must detour to the ladies room to completely undress and wring out ALL, yes ALL, items of clothing and then purchase flipflops as your shoes are too water-logged to wear will be forever off limits for me from now on.

 First show: ONE OCEAN, starring Shamu!

Nora and Daniel sat in the front row with the desire (a desire that was perhaps overly fulfilled) to get soaked.  Alek and Jill sat a little up from them and fared pretty well with the help of a towel.  Walter announced that he did not want to get wet, so he and I sat near the top of the stadium.

 First Costumed Character: Baby Beluga

 First Time I was smart enough to catch the real prize pictures during a show.  This was AZUL, and the kids (and the moms) loved it.

 Alek was amazed at the diving.  Nora was mesmerized by the costumed trapeze-like performers.

 First Ice Cream Treat of the day.

 First major disappointment: No dolphin petting as we got there just after they stopped selling the food.  The dolphins taunted the kids mercilessly by lingering just out of their reach.

 First group Map Reading.

Alek, Daniel, and Nora were on this ride.  Jill and I opted out as did Walter.

 But he chose to stand in the splash zone of the ride as the kids came down!

 First Caricature (Is this spelled right?!?) for Nora while Alek rerode the Steel Eel half a dozen times and Jill went to find her cell phone.

First time to close down Sea World!  10:00 p.m.  Dinner - still at Sea World.  We had such a fun day there!  Can't wait to go again - We still have dolphins to feed and some Sesame Street and Sea Lion Shows to see!

 First experience wearing a wet shoe for several hours.  Walter was enthralled with his foot at the end of the day.

Spring Break 2012 - Day 3 !

We got up and on the road bright and early so that we'd beat the crowds to Fossil Rim Wildlife Park.  And we did!  The back windows of the van don't open and close, so once we entered the park, we all shared the front seat!

 The first customer of the day!

 These are called Shag-a-muffin-me-shacks - or European Red Deer - whichever floats your boat.  We prefer the first.

The first group of giraffes didn't feel like approaching the cars, so we moved on to lunch and to the petting zoo at the half way mark.

 Lunch was nice.  A perfect breezy day - almost chilly in the shade.  Walter brushed some goats.

 And then we made a second attempt at giraffes.  They also weren't close to the cars, but we decided to wait them out.  We were patient, and Nora whistled to them about 400 times.

More shag-a-muffin-me-shack fun.

 This guy may have been the highlight of the visit!

The rhinos and cheetahs are in enclosures, but we still enjoyed seeing them. 

I think we counted at least 10 cheetahs.  They have a breeding program.  Too cool.

 The last of the food!