Otter-ly Obsessed Part 2
Pun Inspiration: Otters
In case you missed it, my otter love became a defining feature of my life at a young age. Arguably, to an unhealthy level. But I mean, how could I pawsibly resist them?
I was fortunate enough to grow up with easy access to a zoo that is home to small-clawed Asian (pictured to the left) and North American river otters. I can’t count the number of times I have shellfishly forced friends and family to spend at least an hour watching them, even if they were just asleep.
I was particularly fond of when the small-clawed Asian otters had a large litter with eight or so young ones. They had seemingly endless
bounds of energy: chasing each other, running around, diving, wrestling, climbing, and squeaking like a group of chew toys the whole time. The poor adult otters didn’t stand a chance against such a puprising.
I later encountered sea otters at both the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. On each visit, I watched with rapt attention, testing the patience of my family and friends. But for decades, my primary bucket list item remained unchecked.
I wanted to see a sea otter in the wild.
Flash forward to September 2018. It had been… an intense couple of years. They culminated that August with an anti-climactic completion of my masters degree. It had been an emotionally taxing and stressful time so I was pretty ready for an escape. Fortunately, I had enough vacation time and money saved up that I decided I could squeak in a trip.
So, I ventured to the West Coast for the first time, visiting friends in San Fransisco. Unfortunately, being grown adults and all, my friends couldn’t just take time off work to romp around the city with me. I tried to figure out what adventure I wanted to take (ab)alone and as I stared at the map, it dawned on me what I would do.
I would take my long-anticipated pilgrimage to The Land of the Sea Otters.
Almost instantly, I fell in love with Monterey. A Steinbeck nerd, I was enamored with walking down Cannery Row and couldn’t wait to visit the famed aquarium.
Upon my arrival, I had an aqua-ward amount of time before dinner. So, I stopped at the Steinbeck Statue and stared out at the harbor, watching seagulls and cormorants swoop in and out of the water. Apparently they had no qualms with enjoying an early-bird special.
I breathed in the scent of sea water, allowing the comfort from the smell to spread throughout my body. Pouring in like hot steam, my mussels relaxed for what felt like the first time in years.
After checking the time, I decided it was still early enough on the East Coast that I could call the man I’d been seeing for a couple weeks (now my significant otter of over two years). We idly chatted about our days, flirting and giggling as one does in the early stages of infatuation. I was jealously commenting on the freshly baked cookies he was enjoying when it happened…
… in the middle of the harbor bay, amidst the sea birds, I saw it. A vision I had imagined for literally decades.
A sea otter. In the wild.
Even recalling it now, my heart is bubbling over with the purest joy. I was buoyant with the mix of childlike wonder, disbelief, awe, and elation. I was overcome. A river of emotions flowing through me, I actually happy cried for only the second time in my life. I couldn’t believe it was finally happening!
And it was as wonderful as I had always imagined it would be.
I couldn’t keep my excitement at Bay. Still on the phone, I recounted every time the raft-y otter dove into the water; every time it popped back up to the surface. Every paw movement, every head shake, every fur fluff – I recounted as if I was describing a ballet or a game-winning play in a sports match.
When the man on the other end of the phone found my otter meltdown endearing rather than concerning or terrifying, I could sea weed be together a long time.
As you can see from the photo, I was so far away from the otter it was basically a silhouette. It was getting cold and dark, but I didn’t care. I was insulated by my joy. The magical Monterey, The Land of the Sea Otters, had delivered. And my dearest childhood wish had finally been granted.
It’s a memory I will otter-ly treasure for the rest of my life.
Pun Count: 18 + 1 bonus pun
In an I-Deeley World 