Laura has always had a love for dolphins. As chance would have it we were close to Grassy Key where the Dolphin Research Centre is situated. Formerly a centre for marine biologists to study the behaviour of dolphins the centre is now open to the public, the proceeds go to the up keep of the dolphins. For those us old enough to remember this was where the original Flipper from the TV series originated from, indeed some of his descendants are still at the Centre.
Yesterday we had visited to get the lay of the land and see what programs they offered. There was everything from being a trainer for the day (for about $350) to stroking the dolphins. We had thought about letting Laura swim with the dolphins, but in the end we chose a program where you hold a t-shirt whilst a dolphin paints it. It was too late when we arrived yesterday for Laura to do this so instead we contented ourselves with watching the dolphins swimming around the lagoons and also going through some 
of their routines, from aerial displays to demonstrations of dolphin husbandry. Their power and grace is absolutely amazing. Just looking into their eyes you can see their burning curiosity and their intelligence is clear to see.Today we went to the Dolphin Research Centre once again, today was Laura’s turn to play with the dolphin. She was taken down by the trainers to poolside where she sat patiently and waited her turn while the trainers ran through their preamble and the dolphins performed some to their tricks. Finally it was Laura’s turn to have fun. She lay down on the side of the dock while the dolphins swam past she could reach down and touch them. The finale of Laura’s experience was for her two dolphin playmates to help paint a T-shirt. Laura holds the T-Shirt just above the water while the dolphins with brush in their mouths rise out of the water and doodle on the shirt. After a few minutes the deed is done and Laura, with a huge smile on her face proudly holds the newly painted T-shirt aloft.
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