Oblivious.

One of the coolest things about kids is their innocence. Until they have encountered something really scary or dangerous, often times they have no idea if it is bad, good, or just something that is in their way. It really becomes a problem when they wander off, talk to strangers, or the worse yet, come in contact with a different environment they are not used to. When I hear of kids drowning because they fell into a swimming pool, turned over when left unattended in a bath tub, or the rolling over in their sleep and suffocating, there is nothing you can say that will make it better.

Fortunately the opening paragraph is the downer side of "Snap.Shot." today---this is all about how kids really enjoy visiting an aquarium like I did last week.

At the Georgia Aquarium, I spent a lot of time in front of the world's largest aquarium; there is no denying that. But I also made sure I had silhouettes of people near or next to the glass to provide a much better picture. As I described last week, using people in this situation not only allows a true understanding of the size of these fish, but it also provides a look from one world to another. There is life inside the 7-million gallon aquarium, and life outside looking in amazement. It really is amazing.

While I was watching the fish swim by, it turned out it was feeding time. You can not believe what fish will do for food. They swim like it is their last meal, and as you might guess there is a pecking order as to who gets the most. There must be a reason why the smaller fish are small, and the Whale Sharks are big. What was really fun to watch was how the Manta Rays circled and did loops in front of people who were right in front of the glass. Although their eyes are strangely placed, you would think they knew they were being watched---and vice versa. These rays are gigantic. The speaker said they can grow to 9 feet wide. I don't know what you think is large, but this would be pretty darn big to encounter if you were alone in murky waters. I think the worst that would likely happen to you, since they don't sting people, is a nasty bump or bruise. They don't attack or eat people.

The photo above was one I was really glad I took. There were two little boys who were up against the glass. I can't imagine they were more than 2 years old, and they had thick curly hair. What was great about them being up near the glass was their silhouette; when the fish swam by they had no idea of the gigantic ray that was a few feet from where they were crawling. These are the times when being young and innocent are great---funny how when you get older you sit back from the glass no matter how thick it is.

Thanks for stopping by.