My family spent fall break in the San Diego area, where we visited the San Diego Zoo, the corresponding safari park, a number of beaches and a retired Navy aircraft carrier. It was a little something for everyone in the family. But I think the activity we all enjoyed the most was watching the sea lions gathered on the rocks off the coast of La Jolla.

Most of the sea lions were basking in the sun, offering the occasional, relaxed bark, as sea lions are wont to do. But there was one sea lion who was scooting frantically back and forth on a large rock and whose bark was loud, frequent, a little distressed and, seemingly, pretty annoyed. It took us a minute to realize that the bark was directed at a much smaller sea lion floating back and forth between the rocks as the tide came in and out.

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