Carmel and the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Last weekend we took the kids to Carmel for a couple of nights, so that we could go to the Montery Bay Aquarium. We stayed in the Carmel Valley Ranch, which had the all important swimming pool. Julia was looking forward to the pool more than the aquarium, and we spent as much time there as we could. The aquarium is amazing, and we only wished we had leashes on the kids so that we could have enjoyed it with a little less stress. Turns out it's hard to keep track of a 2 and 3 year old in a crowded, confined setting with lots of little rooms, hallways, pockets, and dark spaces. We had quite a time of it, keeping track of the two of them, and trying not to lose each other. Well worth the effort, though, for the spectacluar displays and georgous setting. Julia's favorite thing was touching the starfish, and Andrew liked chasing the pigeons out on the deck. Here are a few pictures of our visit: Lunching outdoors by the pool; A jellyfish; Julia and Andrew looking at a shark; Jeff and the kids in the pool.