Legoland... Underwater

Slept in til 9:20 on Sunday, but made church in good time even though it is supposed to start at the half-hour mark. It was a good sermon (about sharing my faith), but one that I've heard a lot of times. Lunch was very convenient as usual (bagel with an egg/sausage casserole as the spread), because right after that, I took off a half-hour north to the Sea Life Aquarium at Legoland.

It was something to go back, not having been since my third trip to the area in 2009. Then I had been running out of time, and went to the Air & Space Museum for the first time instead of going to what I assumed was an over-marketed (and expensive) aquarium for children. I am very glad I finally got around to going. It was still expensive (my military discount got me to the 2009 regular price), and I was cautious when we had to watch a short video about the experience before being let in... but it was one of the nicest I've been to. It started with freshwater fish, like large-mouth bass, then progressed to California coasts (including a very upset Giant Pacific Octopus), and then to their special exhibit on crabs and lobsters: "CLAWS", and then to a walk-through dome of shoaling fish, a theater (where I watched their movie about Lego divers in search of Atlantis) and tide-pool touch tank, a big walk-through tank with sharks and rays, a great exhibit with 3 species of seahorses, and finally, the gift shop. The 3-foot Lego figures (in diving gear) weren't really a distraction. They just made the background more interesting. Anyway, highly recommended.

I took a little under an hour and used a shopper's pass to shop in the Big Store near the front of Legoland itself, and take another turn around Mini-Land USA (DC, NYC, SF, LA, LV) and again, greatly admired the detail. President Obama's inauguration at the Capitol Building was ousted by a moving marching band... which I thought was swell. New Orleans was shut down for maintenance, but that wasn't my favorite anyway. I love DC and San Francisco... and the Statue of Liberty is pretty cool too.

Just had snacks in my room when I got back, because Christine and Luke were making a big Thai dinner for the small group... pork & green beans, and a coconut milk soup with chicken and mushrooms... yum! I helped with the tapioca, and for dessert we had Mochi ice cream, which was certainly a new, yummy experience.