Our Visit to Seaworld

First of all, I apologize to those who come to this blog to hear about the adventures of new New Englanders. You might be asking yourself, "Seaworld? Since when is there a Seaworld in New England? Perhaps they mean the aquarium in Boston?" Well, you'd be justified in asking yourself that.

Still, we took a bunch of pictures in Florida and we have to put them somwhere. :)

One of Erin's requests for our trip home was to visit SeaWorld since she loves Shamu and went to the park often during her summers working at Busch Gardens in college. I hadn't been to SeaWorld since I was 12 or 13 and couldn't remember anything about the place other than heat and big aquariums. I was happily surprised to find they have improved the park quite a bit and it's a good value if you love sea creatures.

Here's what you are seeing in the above pictures:

1. Even though I'm a diver, beachgoer and have lived in Florida off and on for 36 years, I had never touched a dolphin in my life. Erin was shocked to hear that and told me to pony up the $5 to get some baitfish. It was really thrilling to touch a dolphin and see it up close.

2. This is a horrible shot of us in front of the SeaWorld lighthouse that I'm only putting in for completion. This is one of those posed shots where you hand the camera to a fellow tourist and take your life in your hands. Obviously, the guy had never worked one of these strange photographic contraptions before. He didn't even say "Say cheese!" What has happened in the digital camera age where we just snap a pic with no warning??

3. I've seen several dolphin shows in my time, but nothing compares to the incredible show they have at SeaWorld. They've combined the singularly dull dolphin, bird and acrobatic shows into one which makes for a fantastic experience. It's not like dolphins are doing any better tricks over the years, but they've Disneyed up the show.

4. This is the dolphin we petted and fed. Cute bugger!

5. The Antartic section of the park was a letdown because the polar bear exhibit was closed down. Still, they have a place for adults to crawl around in polar bear cave simulations. Then again, it might just be for kids...

Morgan on the Road

When we first made our trip to NH, we worried how Morgan would take to the backseat for 1400 miles. We shouldn't have been because she rode like a champ! We were really proud of how low maintenance she was at rest stops, hotels and fast food restaurants along the way. Above are some pics of her in our travels.

(Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

1. This first shot is of Morgan in the backseat with her doggy hammock, which kept her from climbing in the front seat, and two pillows from our bed to lounge on. We never grew tired of her little head peaking over the hammock or resting softly on the pillows. I know...I know...we're those annoying people that need to have kids.

2. That's Morgan standing up in the backseat with her two pillows resting against the cooler.

3. Morgan and Erin in the lobby of the Holiday Inn Express. We can't say enough nice things about that chain because they are so welcoming when it comes to pet. Morgan didn't much care for the elevator, but the king-sized bed was to her liking.

4. And there she is on the king-sized bed. She quickly took to the extra space and made herself at home.

5. This shot of Morgan on the Henry's couch shows how she spent half her vacation. The other half was spent tearing up the backyard with her "cousin" Jasmine, a rottweiler. (Again, I know we sound like "those people" when we are talking about doggie cousins.)

The Boutons Are Home!

We've concluded our 3-week trip to Florida and safely arrived home in Dublin last evening. We want to thank everyone we were able to visit and apologize to those we couldn't find time for. Two weeks really flies by when you are jetting from one place to another.
Many of you told Erin and I that you love the blog and asked us to keep it up. Thank you! It doesn't take much time to post the pictures and write the text, but your appreciation makes my small efforts worthwhile. Also, please remember we can add or remove you from the e-mail list that announces updates.
Some of you told us that you didn't know how to leave comments on the site. Just look down at the bottom of any post and click on the comments link. Then enter your text, put your name at the end and just submit it. We appreciate any comments you write and helps us see if anyone is reading.
I spent some time read over all the old entries on the blog on vacation and realized that there is a lot of room for improvement. We are going to include more non-pup pics of our surroundings and our lifestyle.
Again, thank you so much for supporting our blog and keeping up with our adventures. We love you all!

Our Last Snow Before Spring Break.

Quinzhee: Don't call it an igloo!

This is a quinzhee, or snow house, that was built by Eric, a science teacher here at Dublin School. With the help of some students and faculty, he packed a huge pile of snow and then tunneled out a space inside with an upward sloping entrance to keep in the warmth. Erin and I sat inside and found it surprisingly comfortable. Even Morgan popped in for an inspection.

This is the quinzhee after we had a good snow and it's starting to fall in on itself.

Where does maple syrup come from?

This is a snow-covered sap bucket hanging off of a maple tree. One of our Dublin students, Scott, is in charge of collecting this sap to process into maple syrup. After collecting the sap, he takes it to a "sugar house" where they remove the water through a heating process. It takes 40 liters to produce a single liter of syrup.

I'm not sure if I'm explaining this correctly, but suffice to say that this is where you get the real syrup and not that watery nonsense they put in the Village Inn containers.

(If you find this fascinating then go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup to learn more!)

Accept no substitute for NH maple syrup! (Unless it is Vermont because they are kind of nice. Canadians aren't half-bad either. Heck, just use any real maple syrup you can find.)

The Boutons are Coming Home For a Visit!

The whole Bouton clan, including Morgan, will be in town on March 7th until around the 20th! We're driving down on the 5th and staying with one of Erin's best friends and her Maid of Honor, Lindsay, for a night and then Savannah for another. While in town, we'll be staying with Erin's parents and hope to see as many of you as possible.
We've checked the calendar to see when Armwood and Tampa Prep are in session so that we can stop by for a visit.