NOT QUITE A MEMBER

We flew to Florida on January 19, 1998, and stayed at the Doubletree Hotel on Clearwater Beach, seen in the background of this photograph taken on "Pier 60". Pelicans loved to pose for pictures, but not many animals from Florida would qualify as pets.

A "very friendly" stingray at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium lifted half of its body out of the pool and begged to have its back rubbed. During the peak of the swimming season, however, waders wisely do the "stingray shuffle" to avoid stepping upon these creatures buried in the sand.