I guess if you had asked me yesterday if I had ever rode atop an elephant, I probably would have told you no – but here is the incontrovertible evidence that I did once sit astride one of our large, gray pachyderm friends. And this was just one of the fun distractions to be found in this magical land called “Busch Gardens” located in sunny Tampa, Florida. We apparently visited it during our Siesta Key stay in June of 1980.
We seemed to find the parrots mesmerizing as we took a series of photos of each of us being gripped by one of these avian monsters. I have no doubt that I found the whole park experience excruciatingly exciting. As did my Dad. Darlene remembers that upon entering the park, I became so excited that I began flailing about and managed to kick him square in the groin. I certainly can’t remember being yelled out, but then again, his anger might have subsided by the time he was able to speak again. (For the record, Dad seems to recall that this event may occurred at a different time at Kings Island).
Okay, so she was cute…
This concludes the postings from the 1980 Siesta Key trip, one which only yields very scant memories. Next up, a trip that was quite a bit more memorable…
Leave a Reply