Published: 11 Jul 2024

From The Previous Chapter:

When Mr. Ken stopped at Phillip’s bedroom, the man asked the boy how he liked having a roommate. Phillip smiled and said it would have been nice to have had a younger brother.

Mr. Ken hugged the boy and then he headed to his own suite.

It had been a long day for some, an interesting day for others, and now with everyone back at The Cove and in their beds, hopefully they all would have a good night’s rest.

During breakfast that Thursday morning, Sylvia asked what would be the best day to visit SeaWorld. Mr. Ken, tongue in cheek, said “Today.” Everybody laughed.

But then the man qualified himself and said that it was a good two-hour drive and maybe longer, if you weren’t familiar with the roads, and that you’d want to be there when it opens, because not all of the animal shows run throughout the day.

The boys began to ask if they were all going to go. ‘Dad Ken said that if they were going to go, none of their friends were going, as that was going to be a ‘family’ outing. Some moans and groans were heard.

‘Dad’ Ken then spoke up and told them that if that was something that they wanted to do, then they should have said something long before now, as the summer is moving along. He reminded them that he has the dedication of the vocational school to attend to, that has yet to be scheduled, that some of them want to visit their moms, and maybe dads, and then there is that career assessment that he wanted the teenagers to take, and then before everyone will know it, they will be on their next park trip and after that school will start.

“So, dad, if we want to do the Halloween, or Christmas, celebrations at Fiesta Texas and SeaWorld, we should talk to you now about them?” asked Charles.

The one-word answer that the teen received was. “Yes!”

“But we were talking about SeaWorld for now. And I think that tomorrow, or maybe Monday would be the better time to go rather than over the weekend. And, as for you boys, if you go, your friends stay home!” further emphasized ‘dad’ Ken.

Kate spoke up and asked if they could go tomorrow. She said she wanted to head home on Sunday and she’d love for Rusty and Jessy to go there and see the sea life they have at the animal water park. Her two boys looked at one another and smiled.

Jaxson and Alani asked their parents if they could go then too. The parents looked at one another, and they agreed that tomorrow would be a SeaWorld day. They then asked what would they do today then.

Wayne said they could head down to San Antonio and visit the Alamo, ride the barges on the Riverwalk, take a drive on the Mission Reach and learn how the Missions were built by stopping at Mission San José, which is the largest of the four missions south of the Alamo. The Estate Master added that Mission San José is lovingly nicknamed “The Queen of the Missions.”

Ken asked Kate if she thought doing that would be something she and her boys would like to do, as well. Phillip was sitting there wanting to ask if he could go as well, as his mother never took him down there to see any of that, and he so would like to see it.

Kate asked when could they go and do they need to plan anything special. Ken told her that they could all go in the Sprinter van, as it was big enough. He then told the boys that they did that trip not too long ago, so they were not being invited. He did ask Billy and Phillip if they wanted to go, because they weren’t living with them when they went.

Phillip almost jumped out of his seat to say, yes. All the boys laughed. Billy said that Lonnie was probably waiting on him. Wayne told the teen that he could miss one day of work to do something that he hadn’t done before, and Lonnie knew what to do and could work without him. So, with that encouragement, Billy said that he would love to go, and see all of that as his mom never took him down to San Antonio to see any of that.

So, it was agreed that The Parchsons and their two children, Kate, and her two kids, and Mr. Ken, Billy and Phillip would drive down to San Antonio using the Sprinter Van. Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis would hold down the ‘fort’.

Phillip then remembered to ask his ‘dad’ about Bryce coming over to join his band tomorrow. ‘Dad’ Ken asked the boy for the phone number and once he got it, he quickly called Jules Diamond and asked him to get back with him as soon as he could.

Matthew then stopped his dad and asked if they could plan a party for Kevin and Kyle with their old friends, while they’re gone. The pre-teen said that if they have a late-night party their friends will need to talk it over with their parents, and it might take a day or two for them to get back with them.

Mr. Ken told him to get with Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis and for them to plan for Saturday night, with the party starting at around six and ending whenever the movie is over, at maybe eleven, to eleven-thirty. Matthew smiled and then hugged his ‘dad’ and thanked him, as he ran off to tell his ‘brothers’.

It was agreed that the group would leave as close to 10:30 as they could, and Billy would do the initial driving, until they got close to the big city. It was agreed that was where Mr. Ken would take over driving in the heavy traffic.

They found parking in the River Center Mall Parking Garage, which was central to just about everything they wanted to do in downtown San Antonio. Their first stop would be the Alamo.

The boys and one girl were surprised at what they saw when they first saw the Alamo. They thought they would see a bombed-out building. But Mr. Ken explained that over time people repaired the building and used it for storage before it was ever designated as a shrine and historical site. The children were still astonished they could still see what could be described as bullet marks on the façade of the church.

Mr. Ken reminded everyone that when they go inside, even though it isn’t an active church, it is a place where men and women died, so they should use their quiet voice. The group walked through all of the rooms and read the plaques on the walls and they saw the artifacts from the time frame and actual battle.

When in the main chamber, Mr. Ken told everyone that during the battle the church hadn’t been completed yet and he pointed out the change in color of the building materials towards the top. As they walked around the building, they all got to see a rifle and leather pouch owned by Davy Crocket, before heading outside to the Long Barracks which was originally constructed as a two story convento, or residence.

They learned that the building served as the quarters and offices of the Spanish missionaries, but that during the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, many members of the Alamo’s garrison withdrew into this building, where they made a last stand against Santa Anna’s soldiers.

After their visit to the Alamo, they decided to take a boat ride on one of the San Antonio River Cruises Boats. They had to wait for their turn and when they finally got to take what was termed their ‘cruise’, they enjoyed a 35-minute fully-narrated cruise. They saw incredible architectural feats, historic sites and buildings and heard fun things to do while enjoying cultural music aboard their brightly-colored boat.

They heard of so much more that they could do while they were down there that they had to decide if they wanted to do the Mission Reach, or stay there and do what the cruise tour guide had told them about. They decided to do the Mission Reach, but that they would stay and eat at one of the restaurants that they saw along the Riverwalk.

After a wonderful Mexican meal at a restaurant that had colorful umbrellas over their tables that lined the edge of the river, the group headed over to Mission San Jose. Once there, they all entered the Visitor’s Center to get an overview of all of the Missions on the diorama after which they then watched a short 15-minute film explaining all about the missions.

Walking around Mission San Jose, they learned it was founded in 1720 and was nicknamed the Queen of Missions, because it was the largest mission in San Antonio, and the most beautiful. It was also the most restored mission site, offering a glimpse at what the mission sites would’ve looked like during the mission period. The mission walls, parts of the church, and granary were restored in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration, an ambitious employment and infrastructure program created by President Roosevelt in 1935, during the bleakest years of the Great Depression.

They also learned the mission had been moved twice before it found its current site. The first site was moved perhaps to make room for another mission, San Francisco Xavier Najera. The second location was too close to the river and the mission suffered heavy losses due to an epidemic. The mission was then moved a third time to its current location around 1740. The stone walls were completed in 1755 and had two purposes: protection from hostile threats, and living quarters for the indigenous people, the native Indian tribes. The group learned that during the peak of the mission in 1768, 350 people would live inside the walls.

Their self-guided tour also included their back tracking to Mission Concepción, which is the first mission just south of San Antonio. There they learned it was dedicated in 1755 and appears very much as it did over two centuries ago.

The still active catholic church stands proudly as the oldest unrestored stone church in America, that in its heyday, colorful geometric designs covered its surface, but the patterns have long since faded, or had been worn away. However, original frescos are still visible in several of the rooms. The children weren’t too impressed, but the adults surely enjoyed seeing that something that old was still being used by the faithful.

On their way to Mission San Juan, Mr. Ken stopped by the Espada aqueduct that was built between 1740 and 1745 and was still flowing water over a stream of water. The children were amazed that it could do that after all that time. Mr. Ken let the children walk around and as they did, he told them that the Espada Aqueduct was the oldest Spanish aqueduct in the United States.

The man explained that the aqueduct carried water over what is known as Six-mile creek and the water is going to their next stop, Mission Espada, where there is an Acequia, used in Spain and former Spanish colonies, which is a community-operated watercourse that was revitalized for that Mission for irrigation of the farm fields that are still in use today.

After the lesson, they all loaded into the van and Mr. Ken drove the group over to Mission Espada, the last Mission of the Mission Reach.

Although this was the last Mission that they were viewing, Mission Espada was actually the first mission in Texas, founded in 1690. They all learned that in 1731, the mission was transferred to the San Antonio River area and renamed Mission San Francisco de la Espada and a friary, where the religious missionaries lived, was built in 1745, and the church was completed in 1756.

Walking around, the children, along with the adults, learned that the Franciscan missionaries, sought to make life within the mission community closely resemble that of Spanish villages and Spanish culture. So, they taught the native Americans how to farm, blacksmithing skills, and weaving skills which were needed to help clothe the inhabitants. They also taught them masonry and carpentry skills under the direction of craftsmen contracted by the missionaries.

It was a long day of driving, seeing and learning for everyone, but they all agreed it was also a fun day to see all of those new and interesting things that they never knew about.

Phillip spoke up and said he’s lived nearby all his life and his mother and grandmother are from there, yet, they never took him down there to show him and tell him about all those Missions and how they were built. The young Cover thanked his ‘dad’ for taking him and then he hugged him.

Billy also thanked Mr. Ken for asking him to go along. He told his foster dad that this was a very educational trip that was fun. The teen then went and hugged the man, as well.

Kate, Sylvia and Reynolds heard and saw how the two Cover boys cherished what their foster dad did for them and how much they appreciated it. The three adults knew that the man had a special knack in dealing with the boys and here they saw it first-hand.

It was getting late and they hadn’t had anything to eat since their Mexican meal on the Riverwalk. So, they stopped for something to eat and drink and Mr. Ken called Momma to tell her that there was no way that they could be back in time for dinner. The owner of The Cove told her to just feed the boys, and that they would get dinner at Four Corners when they get back.

Mr. Ken also told her who was going down to SeaWorld tomorrow, so she wouldn’t have to cook for a large number of people tomorrow night. Momma Maria thanked him for telling her that, so she could give Sophia and Estela the evening off.

Then, as for dinner that night, Momma told him that they would keep everything warm for them in the ovens and whatever time they returned, they would have a wonderful ‘amigas’ meal waiting for them. Mr. Ken knew not to argue with the woman, so he told her that they wouldn’t be home until sometime around 7:30.

Mr. Ken told the group what Momma Maria told him about dinner, so for them not to eat too much, as they would probably have a big meal waiting for them when they got back to The Cove.

The traveling group did get back to The Cove around 7:30 and the Cover boys and Chief were there to greet them. After lots of hugs and doggie kisses, the travelers went in and got cleaned up some and they all sat down to a wonderful Mexican meal.

While the travelers ate, the other boys sat and talked to them and asked them about what they’d seen. Phillip was the most vocal about everything he’d seen. Rusty talked about the water he saw in this gutter thingy that went over another river. He told them that he’d never seen anything like that before.

Jaxson told them how they could still see the bullet holes in the Alamo and that those Mexicans must have shot thousands of bullets at the defenders.

Alani mentioned that the churches were really old inside and that they still used them. She mentioned that she could still see some of the designs that they had put on the walls over two hundred years ago. She added that she was glad she wasn’t born back then. The adults smiled, and the boys laughed.

It was nine o’clock when the meal was over and the table cleaned off. The boys rinsed the plates and put the leftovers in the refrigerator, while the adults went to the Study to talk about what they would do tomorrow.

Mr. Ken told them that if they were going to SeaWorld tomorrow, they should leave by nine o’clock, but sooner than that would be better. The parents agreed they needed to get their children to bed early tonight, because after their long day today, getting them up in the morning will be tough.

Sylvia asked Ken if he was going to take Phillip and Billy tomorrow. Ken told her that he was going to ask them if they wanted to go. He reasoned that neither of them had ever been there. He then asked her if she had any problem with either of them going.

Mr. Ken then asked the group if they had any intention of them swimming. He said that the day will be hot, but if they swim, they may miss out on some of the animal shows, as they don’t have them regularly throughout the day. He told them they do have a ride or two that they can get wet on, so they may want to have the kids wear something that will dry easily, but they might want to take some dry clothes they can change into later, if necessary.

When the kids came to the Study to ask the adults what they were going to do now, Kate asked where Rusty and Jessy were. When her sons came to the Study, she told them that it was getting late, they’d had a long day, and they were getting up early tomorrow, so they could go to SeaWorld tomorrow, so they needed their sleep.

The two boys began to argue, but they heard Jaxson and Alani being told the same thing, so they stopped and went with their mom to get ready for bed. Mr. Ken then called Phillip and Billy over and asked them if they would like to join them tomorrow.

Phillip couldn’t say yes fast enough. Billy asked his foster dad if he was sure he wanted to take him. ‘Dad’ Ken told the foster teenager that he was sure, because he figured the teen had never been there, and, just like today, he wanted to give him an opportunity to experience something new and exciting. Billy smiled and said that he would love to go.

Another decision that was made was to leave the twins at The Cove, since they’ve already been to SeaWorld. They could then call their friends and have them come over for the day and they could also have their friends talk with their parents about the late party on Saturday.

Everyone going to SeaWorld the next day went to bed earlier than usual that Thursday night. Mr. Ken did say goodnight to the boys, as he would normally do, but it wasn’t a long, protracted one. The boys understood and they all told their ‘dad’ to have a good time with Kate, and her sons, at SeaWorld.

Momma was busy making breakfast that Friday morning when Ken Thomas entered the Kitchen Nook. He smiled that the woman came in at least a half-hour earlier than usual, just so the ten of them would have breakfast before they traveled to SeaWorld later that morning.

Mr. Ken took his morning newspaper out of its sleeve and began separating it into its sections and began reading it, just as Kate, Billy, Phillip, Rusty and Jessy came into the Nook. Jessy and Phillip went directly over to rinse and replenish the resident pet’s bowls with fresh kibble and water for when Chief came down with Collin.

Reynolds and Sylvia and their two children came into the Kitchen Nook and when Momma saw that all the tourists were there, she began to make their breakfasts. The talk centered around how they would proceed at the park. Mr. Ken told them that if they get there when they open, they want to try to make the first Shamu show and then after that they can plan the rest of their day.

As they ate, Mr. Ken explained that the whale show was only held about four times during the day and the other animal shows, like the beluga whales and dolphins, the Clyde and Seymour Show, which was a walrus and otter show, were offered later in the day and sometimes during when the later Shamu shows were, so you had to decide which was more important to you.

Breakfast went along smoothly and the group was finished close to their 8:30 departure time. They all used one of the many bathrooms in the main house and then they met outside the garage where Billy had the Sprinter van ready.

It was 8:40 when the group of ten drove out the Main Gate and were on their way to SeaWorld of San Antonio. Billy did the majority of the driving with Mr. Ken, sitting in the front passenger seat, watching how well the teenager kept his focus on the road, while he didn’t get too close to the vehicles in front of him, and always used his turn signals. And the one thing the foster dad did notice about his foster son was that he didn’t enter into a long conversation. He answered when he was supposed to, but he didn’t prolong the discussion, so as to not take his mind off his driving.

Ken Thomas watched traffic and as they got closer to their destination, Billy would ask if they needed to trade off, but Mr. Ken told the teen that he was doing fine and to keep going. Before long, the group was traveling on Loop 1604 and they were now seeing signs for SeaWorld. Mr. Ken told Billy to follow the signs, and that’s what the teenager did.

Billy followed the signs to get off the Loop and then to take the road leading to the park entrance. It was when the teenager got to the winding road that took him to the parking Kiosk that frustrated him. He wasn’t expecting the right-left-right-left twisty-turny road and when he finally had to stop to have Mr. Ken pay for parking, he was relieved.

After parking, the ten park goers had a fairly long walk to the admission booths. But luckily, Mr. Chris had purchased the ten tickets over the internet, and all Mr. Ken had to do was go to the Will Call Window and pick them up.

Mr. Ken then hurried everyone into the park and he told the adults to each get a map/show schedule and to check for the start for the Shamu show. It was almost 11:30 now and the Shamu show started at twelve, noon, so the group hurried to Shamu Stadium. It was a quick, long walk that the children weren’t ready for and neither were the adults.

The children wanted to sit down front, but Mr. Ken told them that down there they would get splashed. The children all yelled that that’s what they wanted. But Mr. Ken told the parents that it wasn’t a good idea and if they sat up top, they would see the show better and they would see why he didn’t recommend letting the kids sit down close.

The animal trainers brought out the huge killer whales and showed the audience how they could get them to swim together, come up on the platform and spin, go deep and then breech, swim along the glass wall and a few other things.

It was while the killer whales were swimming alongside the glass walls that the trainers had the whales splash the people in the Splash Zone. The group saw that many of the people got soaked, and not once but sometimes twice.

“Boys, Alani … if you had been down there you would also have been splashed, and had gotten just as wet as those people did,” began Mr. Ken.

“Yea, that’s what we wanted,” yelled, Rusty.

“Well, that water is 55 degrees and that is cold. And now you would be shivering as those children are and they now have to walk around the rest of the day in very wet clothes. I don’t think that you would want to do that?” teased Mr. Ken.

“OK. Where to next?” asked Mr. Ken.

The adults took a quick look at the animal show schedule and they saw that there was a show at 1:30 that highlighted the white beluga whales and dolphins, and if they walked towards the way they came they would be next to Shamu’s Happy Harbor where the children could play until it was time for the show which was right across the way.

They walked a little slower this time to Shamu’s Happy Harbor. There the children got to climb all over a huge wooden ship. There were ropes and slides and next to it was a room full of balls where Rusty and Jessy had a good time crawling on top of and through.

When it was time for the show, the group tried to get seats near the top. That was so they could watch everything in the large quarter circle shaped pool. The white beluga whales were brought out first and the trainers had them go through a few trained skills. Then they brought out the dolphins.

The dolphin’s energy and their acrobatic skills made the show. Plus, the trainers and some additional divers added to the show with the additional actors diving off high platforms and doing some interactive comic stunts to thunderous applause of the spectators.

The children all loved the show, as did the adults. The kids talked about the show and how they loved how they used the standup swing to launch people into the water.

After the show the group looked at the park map and they all decided to walk to the back of the park where there was the Penguin Encounter Habitat. They also knew as they walked that way, they would pass by the Steel Eel, which Billy, Phillip and possibly Jaxson will want to ride.

But along the way, the groups stopped for a few drinks to quench their thirst. They also saw where the Clyde and Seymour Show Theater was and they checked the show scheduled and made note of the last show time, so they wouldn’t miss it.

As they came up to the Steel Ell, Billy and Phillip asked if they could get in line. Jaxson asked if he could join them. Mr. Ken said he wanted to ride it and asked Kate if she would join him. Kate said she would keep her feet on the ground and watch Rusty and Jessy.

Rusty wanted to ride it, but Mr. Ken told him that the ride was 150 feet high, which was a bit too high for him right now, but as he got older, he could begin to ride the bigger rides at Crystal Lake. That made the young boy smile.

It took the four riders about thirty minutes to finally get to ride the Steel Eel. Billy made a comment to Mr. Ken that now would have been a good time to have a Fastest Pass. Jaxson asked what a Fastest Pass was. Phillip told him it was what his ‘dad’ has at his amusement parks, so you didn’t have to wait long in lines.

Billy and Phillip rode together as did Mr. Ken and Jaxson. They rode in the middle of the coaster train, as it made its way to the top of the 150-foot first hill. Mr. Ken had ridden that coaster before, so he told the three boys to take a quick look around the park, while they could.

And before they knew it, they were racing down the first hill at 65 mph and then up and down the second and then up the third where the brake run was before the sweeping down turn for the return run back to the station.

Billy and Phillip were whooping and hollering the whole time as they enjoyed the ride while Jaxson was almost white until the return run. The four then enjoyed the camel hills on the return to the station.

“Mr. Ken … you need to buy one of those for your parks,” exclaimed Billy, with a great big smile on his face. “That was an intense ride with loads of air-time and those camel hills at the end … those were just awesome!”

“Tell us how you really feel,” chuckled Mr. Ken.

The group did stop at the Penguin Encounter Habitat so the children could walk through and see over 100 types of penguins up-close, and get a glimpse into their world and habitat of icy waters, cliffs and snow beaches. The children watched as the penguins dove down and frolicked in the icy waters with the other penguins.

Another feature in the building was the Puffins habitat which are small seabirds who possess adaptations that allow them to thrive in the harsh, cold ocean waters of the Northern hemisphere.

After coming out of that building, Phillip asked if they could head over to The Great White roller coaster. But the younger boys wanted to ride Rio Loco, the water rafting ride. They said they were hot and that ride would cool them all off. Kate couldn’t argue with that as it was quite hot that afternoon, and she figured if they got wet, they would be able to dry off. So that was where the group was headed too next.

But they had to pass by The Great White on their way to Rio Loco and Billy and Phillip asked if they could ride it after the water ride. Mr. Ken told them he wanted to ride it also.

The group got in line for Rio Loco and even though the water rafts held six people each, they knew they had a long wait ahead of them. They talked about what they’ve seen so far and what they hoped to see before they left for the day.

As they all stood in line, Jaxson asked Mr. Ken about his amusement parks. The boy wanted to know all about them and what sort of rides, he had. Mr. Ken asked him to talk to Billy and Phillip, as they just visited all five of them and rode virtually all of the rides. Jaxson asked the man why he couldn’t tell him about them. Mr. Ken told the boy that even though he owns them; he doesn’t ride all the rides as his ‘sons’ do.

Reynolds and Sylvia heard that exchange, and asked Ken about that. He honestly told them that he does go on the rides, but he knew Billy and Phillip would have more fun talking about them than he would. The four adults laughed at his explanation.

The group of ten divided into two water rafts of five, when it was finally their turn. Ken, Kate Rusty, Jessy and Phillip were on one raft, with Reynolds Sylvia, Billy, Jaxson and Alani were on the second. To say that everyone got wet would be an understatement.

“That was fun mom. I wish we had something like that near us,” exclaimed Jessy, as the wet boy walked with his mom, brother and Mr. Ken to The Great White roller coaster.

“Well, you’ll have a water park at Crystal Lake next year Jessy,” spoke up Mr. Ken, who was shaking his shirt to try to get it to dry some.

“We will? Oh, boy, that will be fun. Will it be like what we did the other day, Mr. Ken?” asked Jessy.

As they continued to walk towards The Great White, Mr. Ken told him that the water park will have practically every one of the same slides he experienced at the Lakeside Water Park. Both Rusty and Jessy smiled really big at hearing that.

The group came to the Great White and Billy, Phillip, Jaxson and Mr. Ken all got in line. Reynolds hesitated, and then Sylvia told him to go ahead and ride it.

It took the five of them quite some time to arrive at the front of the line and when they finally did, there were only four seats in the row, so Reynolds and Jaxson sat in a separate row from Mr. Ken, Billy and Phillip.

After the lift hill, the coaster train took a steep left turn into an immediate inversion and then a 360-degree twist and into another inversion and then some more twists and turns before heading back to the station. The ride was only about two minutes long from its start up the left hill to its stop in the station.

Again, Billy told his foster dad that he needed to add one of those to his amusement parks.

While those five were on The Great White, Kate and Sylvia discussed where they would go to next. The women thought that the Clyde and Seymour show would be fun and that they should head in that direction. But Kate looked at the time and told Sylvia that her boys were probably getting hungry, and they should find a place to get something to eat.

When the coaster riders joined the women, they were told that food was going to be their next stop. The women told the men that there was a Barbeque place next to the Rio Loco, but it was only open on weekends, so the closest place was the Smokehouse Grill close to Shamu’s Stadium. Mr. Ken said that they had good food there, so that was where they all headed.

The water ride, Journey to Atlantis was close by and after they’d all eaten, the children, Mr. Ken included, all wanted to ride it. So, the group, minus Sylvia Parchsons, all got in line and waited for their turn.

Each boat held sixteen people and from experience, Mr. Ken told everyone to sit up front, so they don’t get too wet, and that was what they did. And because there were nine of them, one person, Billy, had to sit in the third row, and he might get wetter than anyone else.

The four children loved coming down that big hill at the end and having the water splash up and getting some of it on them. Rusty and Jessy especially loved that they got to ride such a big ride with their mom and Mr. Ken.

Jaxson and Alani loved that their dad rode with them and that Phillip was with them as well. Billy rode by himself and he came off the ride wetter than anyone else.

The group looked at the time and they realized that they had to walk fast if they wanted to make it to the last showing of the Clyde and Seymour show. The children complained that they were walking too fast, but the parents told them to hurry if they wanted to watch the last show of the day.

At the show the group learned that Clyde, who is Sea Lion High’s top math star and Seymour, who is the school’s sports star, have both been nominated to win scholarships to Sea Lion University. But on the last day of school the duo realize they haven’t completed all of their classes in order to get their diplomas, and without a diploma they won’t be able to attend Sea Lion University.

In order to complete their classes and get their diplomas, Clyde and Seymour take a wild and heroic adventure full of animal behaviors, laughter and other sea creatures including otters, walruses and more sea lions of course. The children laughed at the animal’s antics and by the time the show was over they had totally forgotten about the fast walk to see that show.

While the group was in that area, the adults took the children to see the seals and sea lion community which was right next to the Clyde and Seymour Theater. They bought the kids some fishes they could throw to the seals and sea lions and they surely enjoyed doing that. What they didn’t like was the smell on their hands afterwards.

From there the group walked over to Dolphin Cove where SeaWorld had a dolphin pool where the children could also feed them. There was also a shark and coral reef exhibit that had numerous species, so they walked even further to the back section where the sharks were housed in 450,000-gallon aquarium. There the children were able to see zebra sharks, sand tigers, black tip sharks and nurse sharks.

There was also the Explorer’s Reef which featured a breathtaking cylindrical salt water aquarium with living coral which was home to some of the most wonderfully unusual treasures, like sea horses, clownfish, coral reef fish, dart frogs and more that enthralled the children.

After the group had visited the large building of sharks and other exotic sea creatures, the day had moved along. They all decided to grab dinner and then walk around the park some more. Billy and Phillip wanted to ride the bigger rides and this time Reynolds rode with his son, Jaxson.

SeaWorld did have a few smaller rides for Rusty, Jessy and Alani’s size, and so the adults took them over there for them to ride.

Ken and Kate walked hand-in-hand, as they took Rusty and Jessy to the rides they could go on. And, as the day moved on, they also walked them over to view the alligators.

But with young boys the day was catching up with them and the group had seen just about everything there was to see at SeaWorld. Yes, they could have done what was called Aquatica, SeaWorld’s water park, but then they would never have had the opportunity to watch the animal shows, which was why they had gone there in the first place.

It was close to eight o’clock, and the adults had already bought the kids some souvenirs to remind them of their day at SeaWorld, so they agreed to head on back to The Cove.

Billy was asked to drive, as this would give him some more night time driving time. The teenager didn’t complain, as he enjoyed driving. Mr. Ken was his navigator, though, and gave him the directions to get to Loop 1604 and then onto I-35N to head back towards Austin. The drive would take approximately three hours since traffic was heavier, as it was a Friday night.

Rusty and Jessy fell asleep almost immediately as they had awakened early, rode for quite some time to get to their destination, and then they walked all over SeaWorld all day long. They were extremely tired. Even Phillip, Jaxson and Alani lay their heads back and they too fell into a light sleep.

The Cover boys had a fun time visiting with the twin’s friends all day at The Cove. They had the barbeque, they played the large games, skated and swam. The twin’s friends all got permission to come back tomorrow, Saturday and stay through to the movie, which was projected to end between 11:00 and 11:30 p.m.

The traveler’s arrived back at The Cove close to eleven p.m. and they were warmly greeted by the boys, Mr. Wayne and Chief. Since it was so late, the Parchsons decided not to go inside the main house. They took their two children to the guest house and told everyone that they would see them in the morning. Mr. Wayne told his boss that he would be back later tomorrow and then he left the estate.

Mr. Ken had the rest of the boys go inside the house, while Billy and Robert carried Rusty and Jessy up to their bedrooms. But first they stopped at the bathroom and got the two young boys to pee, then they took their clothes off and let them sleep in their underwear in Matthew and Phillip’s rooms.

Kate watched how lovingly the two older teens treated her sons. She knew that if she and Ken could ever marry, her sons would be well cared for, and watched after, by these older boys.

Ken stopped by the boy’s bedrooms and gave them some hugs and thanked them for being such great kids. In Bill’s room he told the teen that he was impressed with his driving skills, both going and coming home, and that he would have no trouble with getting his license when it was time. Billy just smiled and thanked his foster dad for what he told him.

Mr. Ken reminded Phillip that Mr. Bindy would be there in the morning, so for him to set his alarm clock so as to not miss his guitar lesson. Phillip thanked the man for the reminder, but told his foster dad that he’d already set the alarm. The two hugged and Mr. Ken made his way to Collin’s room.

“So, Collin … I’m sorry that we haven’t spent much time together this week,” offered the young man’s Big Bro.

“I know, but I understand that you have company, and you need to be there for them. One day I might find myself in the same situation and watching how you handle things now will give me the confidence that I can do it as well,” responded Collin.

The two hugged and Mr. Ken turned to make his way down to his own retreat. But Kate was waiting out in the hallway for him. She told him she wanted to thank him for such a wonderful day and then she kissed him. The two shared a loving kiss and hug and it was something the two didn’t want to end, but they were standing out in the middle of the guest hallway and they knew they needed to end it.

Ken told Kate to sleep well and that he would see her in the Kitchen Nook for breakfast. The two then shared a quick peck and Ken Thomas had some pep in his step as he made his way to his retreat.

It was later than usual in The Cove that Friday night. But everyone was home and in bed and either already asleep or soon would be. The Cove would soon be quiet the whole night through.

The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhnd at Gmail dot Com

137,530 views