Monterey Monkey

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, and Jakey’s first trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  We saw otters, fishies, birdies, flamingos, pelicans, jellyfish, sharks and whales.

On the walk from the parking lot to the wharf we witnessed numerous bicycles as they whizzed toward us.  A man with a helmet approached at top speed.  “Bicycle.  Helmet.”

“Saaaaanta!”  Yes, he had a long gray beard.  (It’s hard to describe in words how he says Santa.  It’s kind of like when an adult is talking to a little kid in that incredulous tone, “Naaaaaaaaa.  You don’t like candy, do you?”  Or when someone rubs their hands together in a greedy, scheming kind of way?  It really requires a verbal impression…)

Then we had lunch and set Jake free on the wharf.  He had a grand time running around chasing birdies, falling in front of tourists, and generally performing some sort of interpretive dance.  For some reason it’s more effective if you lunge forward and spin around with martial arts-like arm movements.  I’m pretty sure I witnessed drool leaving his mouth with the centrifugal force … especially when chasing birdies right into certain open-air restaurants.  We got two ice cream cones as Jake continued to terrorize unsuspecting birdies (and tourists) around the plaza.

When I was little, I remember there was a dancing monkey in that plaza.  It was always the highlight of visiting the wharf.  I gave Jakey some bites of my ice cream and he proceeded to dance with happiness, “baila, baila.”

Apparently this plaza still features a dancing monkey.