Thursday 2/9/12. We arrived at the Dolphin Research Center shortly after 10:00A. Linda and I walked the grounds and met two ladies that would join us on our ‘Dip with the Dolphins’. While we were talking, a gentleman came up and started talking to the four of us asking where we live and other small talk. Naturally the conversation went straight to dolphins. He seemed quite knowledgeable and was interesting to listen to. Then he casually mentioned he founded DRC forty years ago after moving here from Boston, MA. We were talking with Armando “Mandy” Rodriguez who co-founded DRC with his wife Jayne Shannon-Rodriguez back in 1972. When it was time for us to go into the water our trainer/guide was Kelly Jayne who we found out later is their daughter. Kelly grew up with the dolphins and they are like family to her. 
The two dolphins we played with were Pandora and Calusa. They are sisters. Pandora, born in 1997 is the oldest and Colusa was born in 2001. They both have, as Kelly put it, great dolphinalities. I really believe the dolphins were having as much fun as we were. As you watched the interaction of the twenty two dolphins you could see all the emotions and interactions we humans have; affection, competitiveness, aggression, dominance, submissiveness and definitely showing off.
Other pictures taken while we had a 'Dip with the Dolphins'.
More shots around DRC
It’s now 10:30P and we should be ready for a good night’s sleep at the Holiday Inn in Key Largo but, Linda is still as wound up as if she just finished eight cups of coffee!
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