When i was 12 years old I visited Florida for the first time. My parents, my 5 year old sister, and I loved it. My favorite memory of that trip happened in a seafood restaurant right on an inter coastal waterway, but it had nothing to do with the food (although that was good to)! The waitress was very nice and asked me what i wanted to be when I grew up (mind you I looked like i was 10) and i said "a marine biologist!". She seemed excited by that and said "come with me". she took me out onto one of the docks outside and handed me a handful of lettuce. She said "they will be here any minute". A few seconds later i saw bubbles and 2 wiskery noses poking out of the water. I had no idea what i was seeing, but i knew whatever they were I loved them. She said "It is a momma manatee and her baby, they come here everyday". I bent down to feed them the lettuce as they poked their heads out of the water. I was amazed at how gentle and trusting they were. After that experience I drove my parents crazy talking about them. Now I am a member of the Save the Manatee Club, and give 5% of all my sales in my Etsy shop to this worthy cause. Find out more about these amazing animals at www.savethemanatee.org!
