Gemini Loop: Granny-Time in Chattanooga

Sara, Ryan and Olivia arrived (with Emma and Lex, of course) on Friday evening. We had dinner, played and then settled down for the night. Saturday, we hit the ground running! We had pancakes on the boat and then went to the Chattanooga Aquarium. There are two parts to the aquarium, river and ocean. We started with the river section, which was good because it was the longest. We saw lots of turtles, fish and snakes, but Olivia's favorites (and mine) were the otters.

The aquarium is huge and very well done. There were sections of swamp, rainforest, woodland ponds, etc. - and they looked exactly like them! You go up about four stories and work your way down along ramps with different habitats. When we reached the bottom, Olivia let us know that she was ready for a nap. Back to the boat for lunch and a nap, and then Sara and I took Olivia to the playground. Although she was eager to try out the sliding board, it turns out she's not a big fan. She also let us know that she doesn't like "big girl" swings. So back to the boat again.

For dinner, we went to The Chattanooga Choo Choo. It is a hotel and several restaurants in the old train station. They offer some lodging in old railroad cars (redone as modern rooms and bathrooms, of course). They also have fine dining aboard the dining car. We opted for the Station House restaurant, which was a wonderful choice. All of the tables, on several levels, face a raised stage behind the bar. A band plays almost constantly, and the waiters and waitresses take turns singing. Our waiter had a sore throat so he didn't sing, but he told us all about it. They were awesome! And Liv LOVED it! She danced in her chair all night. We were all pretty tired pups by the time we got home last night.

After breakfast, we went back to the aquarium to see the ocean side. The overwhelming favorite here was the penguins. We had gone on to the next exhibit, when Liv turned around and went back to see them again. There was a touch-tank where you could touch stingrays. Sara tried it. She was touching a large one, when a small one scooted by and brushed her arm. There were several displays of jellyfish - Olivia wasn't impressed but I was.

It was so good to have them here! Although we skype often, it's just not the same as having them here. Every time we see Olivia now she has learned so many things. She's like a little mockingbird right now, copying everything she hears - or at least trying to. For now it appears that I am Gaga and Steve is Goppie. That's OK. She can call us whatever she wants!

Tomorrow morning we will be off again, heading toward Knoxville.