Bucket List – Another Check Mark!

Sunday, January, 19, 2020

We almost hate to say it, but it was absolutely gorgeous in the Florida Keys today. We cooked breakfast for Barry and Donna and our selves and then we decided to walk over to the Dolphin Research Center which is about a block from Jolly Roger. We had reservations for the dolphin encounter on Tuesday but the weather is not going to be as nice so we were able to change the encounter to today at 12:00. This was amazing. We were in the water with the dolphins and able to give them commands to ask them to jump and spin or splash water. We could have them shake hands with us, and give us a kiss. We were able to rub their backs as they swam past and the big bucket list item, we swam with them and held on to their dorsal fin while they pulled us across the water. So cool!! Such beautiful animals and so very smart!

The tricks the dolphins are taught are not only to entertain the visitors, they also keep the dolphins in good physical condition.

The trainers trained us to interact with the dolphins with hand signals.

Of course, the highlight of the day was each of us being pulled through the water by a dolphin.

After our time in the water, we could go to the various other pools and educational areas to learn even more about the dolphins. Anne was able to talk to some of the trainers who worked with the dolphins medical issues. Today they were working with some of the dolphins on learning to us a nebulizer. Yes, like the giving yourself or your child a breathing treatment, nebulizer. The big difference with dolphins is that since they breath through their blow hole they have the big doughnut looking device that sits over the blow hole while they breath in the medication. Today they were just teaching them to do this while they are well with no medicine in the nebulizer so that if they were to ever need at treatment for a fungus or some other illness they would have the skill to use the nebulizer. Pretty amazing. We all four had a wonderful day at the Dolphin Research Center!

Of course a day of fun with Barry and Donna is never complete without ice cream. Late this afternoon we drove into Marathon to Sweet Savannah’s ice cream and cupcake shop. Key lime ice cream for Anne and Donna and salty caramel for Barry and Max. So good. We may have to go back Tuesday when the special is Boston Cream cup cakes. It was a very good day.