Sequoia visits her first aquarium....

All I can say is it's about time. I was beginning to wonder if Sequoia was ever going to make it to an aquarium. Well she managed to make it just before her 3 month birthday.

Saturday we drove over to Maymont in Richmond. Maymont is a really cool park that has an aquarium/ nature center, a petting zoo, a regular zoo, an old Victorian era mansion, a beautiful Japanese garden and acres and acres of rolling lawns and shaded trails. It is a perfect place to go for a picnic and some walking. The best part is that it is free.

Sequoia was really awake and alert while we were there. Anyone who thinks that a kid who is just under three months is too young to appreciate something like a trip to the aquarium obviously has never spent time with one that was awake.

We had a ball watching her reactions to the different fish and animals in the nature center. The tanks were really active and kept Sequoia very entertained.

She got to get up close and personal with fish bigger than she is - like this big old carp.

She also had a great view of some pretty sturgeon. We think it would be ok if she chose to grow up and be a sturgeon conservationist.

One of the funnest things for us was watching her at the otter tank. Colleen used to train river otters when she worked at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. She would love to do that again one day and I doubt she would mind if it was a mother and daughter training gig. The resident otters were in their glory wrestling and playing with each other right in front of the tank. Sequoia was fascinated by them and would move her head around to watch their antics. I could have stayed there all afternoon. This was a big step up from our little 55 gallon tank at home. I am certain that this is only the first of many, many trips to many, many different aquariums.