A Week of Firsts

I found out Thursday that I rate an 8 1/2 as a traveling companion, according to my younger daughter. We were at the airport in San Diego awaiting our return flight after 3 days of fun in the sun, and I asked her how she'd rank me on a scale of 1 to 10. She informed me that I had points deducted for loud snoring and "going to the bathroom too often" on our all-day excursions to Sea World and the zoo. Sorry, Katie, but an almost-50-year-old bladder needs frequent release!! Even though I wasn't a 10, I'd give the trip a 10 just for the opportunity it gave me to enjoy Katie's experience of many "firsts".
It was her first time through airport security--but I was the one who set off the metal detector by carrying my wallet/change through! She began her first plane ride with that uncertain, panicky look on take-off, the moment when your stomach drops as you realize you will soon be 37,000 feet above the ground. But it wasn't long before she was looking out the window and taking pictures--and on the way back, she said she was surprised by how much she enjoyed flying. At Sea World she touched a dolphin that swam up to the edge of the pool by her. A gorilla at the zoo strolled down the hill in his habitat and sat down right in front of us, folding his hands and quietly looking her in the eye. Her lifelong affinity for animals made both moments unforgettable. At the beach I watched her take her first steps into the Pacific. I wished the fog hadn't come in to obscure her view to the horizon of the ocean's seeming endlessness and mystery.
Given the choice, Katie would have spent another week there--but it was still a memorable 20th birthday trip. I think it was just the first of many travels she will experience in her second 20 years. And by the way, I rated her an 8 1/2, too. She worries too much, and she doesn't think my jokes are as funny as I do.

More trip highlights tomorrow!