an amazing trip...my magic kingdom

Over twenty years ago, my parents were planning a vacation for our family. For some reason, they decided to give my sister and me some input as to where we would go. My dad asked “Disney World or dolphins”? For anyone who knows me even a little, my answer would be no surprise. Dolphins? My whole life was about dolphins. Reading, sleeping, and absorbing every bit of dolphin-ness that was out there. My sister didn’t disagree, so we were off to the Florida Keys. When we drove up to the Dolphin Research Center and I nearly passed out at the sight of the gargantuan statue of a dolphin and her calf. I knew I was in for a treat. I may elaborate on this specific experience in later posts, but right now I want to jump to my latest trip. So, to make a long story a little shorter, my swim with the dolphins when I was ten was the beginning of an even more obsessive love for dolphins. Twenty-plus years later, it has pretty much become my hobby. I have been back to the same facility at least once a year ever since that first time. I have taken week-long classes at the facility where I literally spent ever waking moment interacting with dolphins or learning about them and every night dreaming about them. This past trip, my “sister vacation,” I was sad about the absence of one of the dolphins who I had known since I was ten. Delphi, the father of many of the dolphins at the facility, had passed away. At the same time, new life was brought into the Center in the past year. There were three baby dolphins I had seen only a month or two after they were born, and were now two years old. Most remarkable was Jax (see pic at top), a dolphin of approximately one year who had been found in Jacksonville parent-less and the unfortunate victim of either a shark attack or a boat propeller. This little guy was pretty shy when he got to the center, his new “forever home.” However, he had turned into one of the biggest hams I’ve seen yet – and lots of these lovable grey faces are known to be hams, so that’s saying a lot. I was taking a picture of another dolphin and Jax jumped right in front to get in the shot! Part of his dorsal fin, pectoral fin, and tail fluke are missing from his attack, but that does not stop him by any means. He still dives, flips, and zooms around the pool (which is actually the Florida Bay/Gulf of Mexico) without abandon. He is still learning different hand signals from his trainers and sometimes gets a little confused, but this little guy is a firecracker—loveable and animated. I can’t wait to see how his “dolphinality” develops as he grows older. I will keep going back every year to check on all of these beautiful creatures. I’ve still never been to Disney World!