Four with a flourish. And fish.

Our Dagny has had a birthday. Last Thursday she turned four.

To mark the occasion, we had long planned a trip to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.

Our thinking was that Dagny has plenty of clothes and toys and other possessions (although we did buy her one more church dress), and is now old enough to appreciate and remember an experience.

So it was that TG and Audrey and Dagny and I set out for Atlanta over the weekend before the actual birthday.

We'd bought our tickets in advance and were thrilled at the prospect of getting up close to aquatic animals such as sea lions and otters and dolphins and penguins and so forth and so on.

We stayed at a Drury Inn, which, in addition to comfortable and well-appointed rooms, features free breakfasts and dinners. Since we are chow hounds, this was a big draw.

(Dagny liked the elevator, which she consistently called the lift. She talks like a Brit.)

And when I say breakfast I mean breakfast: as in, eggs and sausage, biscuits and gravy, potatoes, grits, donuts, hot and cold cereal, made-to-order Belgian waffles, juices and coffee. All delicious and in abundance.

As for dinner, on the evening of our arrival there were soups and salad items, baked potatoes, and hot dogs. If you wanted something more substantial, there were warm soft tortillas with grilled chicken, black beans, spanish rice, and sour cream, plus nacho chips with hot melty cheese.

Also there was theater-style popcorn and fountain soft drinks any time you fancied that type of between-meals treat.

What say you to that? No need to go out to eat, and we didn't. I imagine it would get old if one were to face the same fare day after day for any length of time, but for a few days it was enjoyable.

Having rested well and after a fantastic breakfast on our only full day in Atlanta, we set out for the aquarium. Some accounts claim the Georgia Aquarium is the largest in the world; I doubt that but I'm pretty sure it's among the top three.

From a central area that seems to occupy acres, one traipses off down convoluted corridors crammed with million-gallon tanks stuffed with fish and various other exotic marine creatures.

I was fascinated with the sting rays.

At least I think that's what those are. There were manta rays too but I don't believe I took a picture of one. They look different at the front of their body. 

The important thing to remember is that they are spooky looking. Like rubbery flying saucer-y things fluttering through the water scaring everything in their path.

At the same time, their underside resembles a goofy, friendly face.

God has a sense of humor. But then, we already knew that, having seen the platypus.

If there were platypuses at the Georgia Aquarium, we missed them. But there was significant sea turtle action.

Click to embiggen these larger pictures.

I'm pretty sure this tank holds more than six million gallons of water.

That's so that major players like this whale shark have room to navigate.

Speaking of which, look at these weird fish. The one seemed to be nosing the other one into that corner and denying him the right to swim away.

Not very neighborly. Or maybe a touch too neighborly. Either way, they freaked me out.

Dagny was duly dazzled by it all.

We saw SCUBA-geared divers working in the multi-million-gallon tanks.

The neon-colored small fish seemed to relish the divers' visit.

Jellyfish were showing off in nonconformist fashion as usual.

They got their wires crossed but never seemed to mind.

Starfish lounge all over one another when they're not plastering themselves to the glass.

And this is a seadragon.

Haaaaaahahaha. He's not content to copy all the others either. I admire his attitude.

We took a break. Dagny and Papaw horsed around.

Dagny posed again, in front of yet another fish wall.

I couldn't get enough of the beluga whales.

They seemed so quirky and playful.

All white is more than all right.

There was a pair of them.

Another thing I have a hard time walking away from is the puffins.

That face! It's just too cute. I can't stand it.

Way to go with the winged eyeliner. So very fashion forward. But then, it's easy to get noticed when your eyes match your beak, which match your webbed feet, all in Day-glo orange.

The penguins are more sedate.

Nowhere to go and nothing to prove.

There's lots of standing around. Contemplating.

And/or napping.

The sea otters were polar opposites of the penguins.

They barely stopped swimming and skidding and jumping and cavorting long enough for me to get a decent picture of them. This one was not going to give up that red chew bone.

Later, Dagny posed beside a display that lit up if you touched it, to illustrate bioluminescent sea creatures.

Dagny was glowing too.

Naturally we enjoyed the dolphin show and the sea lion show -- both amazing -- but you're not allowed to take pictures inside those theaters.

And so we didn't. 

Eventually we'd seen it all and exited the massive aquarium to see stormy skies over Atlanta.

That's the top fourth of the Bank of America building, seen from the aquarium parking garage.

There was some traffic but we weren't far from our hotel so the ride was not long.

The next morning, we made one stop before heading home. I'll tell you more about that later this week.

And it wasn't even Dagny's birthday yet. More pawtying celebrating was to come.

I'll fill you in on those details later too.

But that is all for now.

=0=0=0=

Happy Tuesday

Comments

[Judy]

Me wuvs Otters. My favorite.
I like aquariums too.
You ought to set up a small one for Dagny so she could have her own fish.

[Mari]

Oh my! How can it be that our Dagny is 4? What a sweetie and what a blessing she has been for these four years.
I love your gift idea. Memories were made and they last longer than a toy.
Happy Birthday Dear Dagny!
PS - I thought of you today. I saw a car with a personalized license - PIRATE!

[Mari]

PPS - We've never stayed at Drurys, but I guess we better if the opportunity should ever arise. :)

[Jennifer]

@Judy ... actually, Andrew and Brittany gave Dag a betta fish for her birthday, with a tank and a whole setup. You have to start somewhere. xoxo

@Mari ... PIRATE!!! Love it! I would go with PIR8 and did actually consider that when I got my Poe-inspired plate. Gothic poetry won out, haaaahahaha ... and definitely check out a Drury Inn when you get the chance. xoxo

[Cheryl]

What a "whale" of a birthday party!!! Happy Birthday, Dagny!
Since I will never get to that aquarium, thank you for taking us along via photos.

[Robyn]

Georgia Aquarium is amazing! I went in March right after I got back from deployment.