Insectarium

We have been having a great visit with Grams and Gramps this week. Today, we ventured to downtown New Orleans to experience the Insectarium and the Deep Sea IMAX with the kids. Mom and dad have a running bet that the first one to use the "h" word (commenting on how "hot" the weather is) owes the other person something grand. So we'd occasionally remark about the frigid temperatures, and get a chuckle. But really, the weather was fairly mild.
The insects were exquisite, especially the rare beetles and the butterflies. Benjamin enjoyed the underground exhibit most, with larger than life bugs and a synthetic spider which lurches from a trap door as you amble by in the darkness. Debra Lynn sampled a chocolate chip and cricket cookie, along with Benjamin and Grandpa. They received the most adventurous award, to which Timothy responded, "Yeah, but I get the smartest award." Mom was on a roll with witty phrases and jokes throughout the day, and she and I kept giggling. She dubbed the murky Bayou Lafource, our source of drinking water, as Bayou LaFlush, and wondered aloud if the Pure Cajun of Pure Cajun Swamp Tours was an oxymoron. Then came her series of jokes about ants, "What do you call an ant that just wants to be alone? Antisocial." And then there was, "What does an ant write at the completion of its higher education? An Antithesis"
Timothy and I got to visit with one of the bug breeders, who admitted to releasing into the outside world, local excess bugs. The way bugs reproduce in general, it's hard to imagine that it requires a level of involvement or intentionality to ensure that they do. She seemed to enjoy her job.
The Deep Sea Imax movie was intriguing, and te kids kept reaching out to grab the moon jellies on the screen, while mom remembered the sting of having swum through a group of them while snorkeling in Costa Rica. Once reentering daylight, we slurped down grape and strawberry snowballs and headed for the parking lot.
Great day. Great memories. I feel thankful.