Touching Sea Cucumbers

Last week we spent some time in Santa Barbara visiting Ye-ye. On the 4th of July, we visited the newly opened Ty Warner Sea Center. It's basically a museum with marine biology exhibits oriented specifically for children. Karinna and Jeremy were fascinated by the various "learning stations" where they could observe live marine wildlife indigenous to the coastal waters off Santa Barbara. Karinna really enjoyed touching purple sea urchins and sea cucumbers (yes, the kind they serve at Chinese restaurants during wedding banquets). Jeremy didn't quite work up the nerve to touch these sea creatures, but he was most vocal in encouraging his older sister to do so.