Some of my favorite memories of going to California as a child are of Monterey. I think we went every single time we visited my grandparents. I was so excited to take my kids and make new memories with them. Grandpa and Grandma are charter members of the aquarium, so they have membership cards that get all of us in free. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the best in the world. I have never been to another aquarium that even comes close to it.
It was a very pleasant day in Monterey. The temperature was in the high 60's, and it was only slightly breezy. Aunt Teresa took the day off work and her, Jacquelyn, and the kids came with us. It was so fun to have them there.
The kids adored the aquarium. Our favorite thing to see was the open sea tank. It is enormous and so peaceful. We sat on the floor in front of it and watched the fish swim by. There were huge tuna and even some awesome sharks. At first Andrew was scared to see a shark, but he was soon pointing out the hammerheads as they swam by. We sat there in awe for quite some time. Then it was time for them to feed the fish. The kids got a front row seat and watched as they fed all of the various fish and sea turtles. It was one of the highlights of the whole trip. Then we went through some of the other exhibits including an awesome one about jellyfish.
The kids got hungry at that point, so we made our way to the outdoor area and had a snack. It was such a beautiful day to look out over the bay.
We slowly made our way through most of the rest of the aquarium until the kids were tired. The last stop was the aquarium gift shop. Christian and Andrew had been saving their money and were anxious to buy a souvenir. They carefully picked out something that they wanted and paid for it. Grandma O. was so nice and picked out a few more things for them, and also made sure that Hyrum got a toy since he was sleeping by that point. They were so thrilled with their souvenirs.
Then we headed to Fisherman's Wharf to get some lunch. Every time we go to the wharf, I get clam chowder, and it is always the most delicious clam chowder I have ever eaten. I have been dreaming about the clam chowder for the last 7 years, so this was quite a treat for me. We stopped at Old Fisherman's Grotto and got clam chowder and some delicious sour dough bread to go with it. I was in food heaven!
As is also a tradition, Grandpa ordered a big plate of calamari and tried to get the boys to taste some. Jonathon offered them 50 cents each if they would try one. Christian said that wasn't enough. When asked how much he would need, Christian said $5. Grandpa totally took the bait and said he would give him $5. A very eager Christian then downed a couple calamari and earned his $5. Andrew wouldn't go for the calamari, but he tried some shrimp for his money. Grandpa was sure a hero to those little boys. They proudly showed off their money and felt very brave for doing it!
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| You want me to eat WHAT? |
Happy boys with their $5 from Grandpa
After lunch, we walked along the wharf and checked out some of the shops. There was a little shop that offered sailing trips, and Jonathon really wanted to go. Mom C gave him money for a sailing trip the last time we were in Monterey, but the company messed up the reservation and he wasn't able to go. He signed up for a one hour long trip for the next day for him, Grandpa, and Christian. They were very excited. Lastly, we got the kids some cotton candy to enjoy on the walk back to the cars. They had a great time and so enjoyed being with Hayden and Paige.
I made sure we got lots of pictures on the wharf. I just can't get enough of the ocean, the colorful boats, and the scenery. I think it makes the most beautiful pictures.
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| The Whole Group |
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| Our Family |
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