Santa Barbara

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April 14, 2015 What a day in Santa Barbara! The bad news is we didn't see any whales on our whale watching tour, the good news is we saw so many dolphins! We cruised into a humongous pod of common dolphins. They were swimming and leaping everywhere you looked. Mom and I had rock star parking at the very bow of the boat, hanging onto the railing. The dolphins would race to the boat, turn around and swim in the wake right underneath our feet! We had a close up view of them, we could even see their blow holes opening to breathe and hear them as they whooshed out a breath. And there were moms and babies! A dolphin is cute enough, but a baby dolphin is way too cute. We also saw a male dolphins displaying their undersides, which is a way they impress the girls. We sailed among this pod for probably 30 minutes before we headed off to look for whales. We also saw tons of seals and sea lions, pelicans, cormorants, coots and more sea gulls than you could count. Mom and I decided that even though we didn't see any whales, the excursion was well worth it. However, I'm an idjit. In the excitement, I forgot to put on sunscreen. Yes, it's true. So now my face and the back of my hands are sunburnt. My nose especially, think a red clown nose and you've got my look. You would think after 50 years I would learn... Back on the ship, Mom gave the casino $20 in a blackjack tournament while I sat in the Explorer's Lounge listening to a lady sing. Then off to bed for me while Mom stayed to listen to country and western singing. Such a wonderful day in Santa Barbara!

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