Siamese Crocodile

Ohio History

Miniature Croc

This cute little crocodile is just that...little. Living in the Aquarium's Gator Alley, it couldn't have been longer than six inches from head to tail. It reminded me of a salamander. The crocodile's pose was very unique, eyes barely above water, almost like it was ready to take a nap. Maybe it's a technique to stay hydrated while watching out for danger too. Or maybe it's just bored to death! The sign said that the Siamese Crocodile lives just about everywhere--freshwater lakes, streams, and swamps, as well as some brackish waters; however, little is know about the species' diet or population in the wild.

Alligator Snapper

Ohio History

Sleeping Giant

Doesn't this little creature look so cute and harmless? It's what I'd imagine a baby turtle looks like, fallen asleep in its nest. Well, take a look at the picture below before you make your final decision. Yes, that's the very same critter! For one thing, this animal has very BIG jaws, and for another, it's larger than it looks--this was had to have been almost three feet long. It's called the Alligator Snapping Turtle--and for good reason too. Just look at that mouth!

Ready to Attack!

 The sign said that these turtles can live to be 150 years old or more in the wild. They weigh over 200 pounds and eat . . . just about anything. So watch out if you're ever around a hungry Alligator Snapper. You don't know what ideas might be in that big fat head!

Tentacled Snakes

Ohio History

A Tank of Sticks

 "Dangerous and Deadly" certainly wasn't an understatement for the next area of the Aquarium! From piranhas and puffer fish to alligators and crocodiles, you really had to watch your step! Of course, as long as you stayed outside the glass, you would be perfectly safe. Now, about the picture above, are you thinking I just posted a picture of some underwater sticks? Look again! That "stick" right in front, with the curved ends, is no stick at all, but an impostor in the form of a snake! This tank contained a couple dozen Tentacled Snakes, which can grow up to 25-30 inches in length. I will not describe their methods for capturing and eating their prey, which consists solely of small fish, but I'm sure it will reassure you to know that their venom is not poisonous to humans. Tentacled Snakes can live in fresh or salt water, and can stay underwater for up to 30 minutes.

Discus Tank

Ohio History

Blue Discus

This was one of my favorite tanks in the whole aquarium. Colorful fish drifted serenely around the logs and rocks in their shadowy aquarium, as dozens of glowing tetras darted about below. The fish seemed very gentle and relaxed but curious too. And the shades of yellow and blue on the Discus were just amazing! Because it was so dark in the tank, it was hard to get good pictures of the fish. But when I put the camera up to the glass, they swam over and seemed like they were looking right into the lens. It was so neat! They're all Discus fish, I don't know the varieties but I never knew there were so many different kinds of Discus.

Yellow Discus

Octopus

Ohio History

Not Your Typical Sea Creature!

 Entering the Bizarre & Beautiful area of aquariums, this octopus almost startled me. I had never seen one in real life, and my goodness, are they weird! This one must have been at least two feet in diameter, excluding the legs. See all those suction cups on its legs?  The first time we came through the octopus was just hanging from the glass by those suction cups, all squished up in the corner. But when we came back later, it was actually moving around! The octopus had two separate tanks with a glass tunnel connecting them, about a foot in diameter. The octopus proceeded to pass through that tunnel, one leg at a time, squishing and squirming like a rubber ball filled with jelly! I definitely wouldn't want to share a room with this thing.

Surf Zone Tank

Ohio History

Ocean Shallows Aquarium

My favorite tank in the Shore Gallery was called the Surf Zone. Set against a mountain backdrop, this aquarium held many colorful fish and wiggly orange anemone. A wave-maker sent a current of water periodically through the tank, creating strong waves that were interesting to watch. The featured fish were Triggerfish, Surgeonfish, and all kinds of Wrasse. Below are a few pictures of the fish.

 

It was so interesting to watch the Clownfish swim in and out of the anemone, while the other kinds of fish avoided it. I saw a larger fish going after the Clownfish a couple times, and the Clownfish quickly swam into the anemone to hide until danger was past! The Wrasse, like the one above right, were such amazing colors and patterns--it looked like someone had filled in a paint-by-number with fluorescent paint for each fish.

Sheephead Fish

Ohio History

A Sheep or a Fish?

If you thought the Four-eyes was strange, check out this fish! I think the name, the California Sheephead, fits it 100%. Except this fish is even bigger than the head of a sheep! Despite the annoying reflections in the photograph, you can see the brilliant pink stripe on its back and its pink eye. The Sheephead can live up to 50 years and eats crabs, lobsters, and sea urchins. If I remember right, this fish was living in the Shore Waters tunnel aquarium.

Below is a very pretty fish we saw in the Shore Gallery. I don't know its name but it could be an angelfish. It loved to swim around so it was very hard to get a nice picture of this one.

What Is This Cute Fish Called?

Four-Eyes Fish

Ohio History

A Fishy Fish

Okay, I know this looks like a really weird picture, but we never knew what we were going to see next in the Shore Gallery at the Aquarium! This fish is called the Largescale Four-eyes, because, technically, it really does have four eyes. You see, its eyes are divided horizontally into two halves by thin tissue. The fish swims at water level, as in the picture above, and its eyes can actually focus simultaneously above and below the water. Pretty handy, right? Except I think this ability would give me a headache pretty fast! According to the sign, Largescale Four-eyes can get up to twelve inches long, although these were only four or five inches. I'd never seen such a weird fish. They looked even worse when they dipped below water level and swam to the bottom of the tank!

Aquarium Tunnels

Ohio History

Pink Starfish

To enter each new section in the Newport Aquarium, we had to pass under a tank of fish. Yes, I mean under: there were tunnels made of clear glass (very thick glass, I hope!) which went right through a giant aquarium. The photo below is a view of the tunnel between the World Rivers and Shore Gallery sections, and was home to some of the less-than-pretty fish species. The algae-eater was directly above our heads as we passed through!

In contrast, the tunnel out of the Shore Gallery held some very pretty aquatic life, including the pink starfish in the picture above. It was actually stuck to the inside of the glass in the tunnel. I'd never seen the underside of a starfish before!

Looking Up In the Tunnel

Rio Negro Tank

Ohio History

Red Discus & Tetra Colony

This little aquarium was one of my favorite tanks in the whole museum. The Red Discus fish, pictured above, swam very peacefully around their plant-filled aquarium. Their room mates were dozens of shimmery Cardinal Tetras. We in fact have kept Cardinal Tetras when we had our own fish tank years ago, and I have always liked their neon qualities. This tank was very well lit, and my pictures here came out best of any . . . maybe that's another reason I liked the tank so much!

Cross-Section Look at Glass (and Fish)

 Isn't it uncanny how the skinny Discus fish can bend? I guess that's where they got their name. On the left side in this picture, where the front of the tank meets the side, you can see just how thick the aquarium glass is. You sure can't tell looking in from the front! Besides the obvious benefit of avoiding accidents and fractures in the tanks, I'd guess this thick glass keeps it quieter for the fish, protecting from small hands tapping on the glass. That's one thing our aquarium manuals always said, don't tap on the glass or you'll scare the fish!

African Tank

Ohio History

Cichlid Whirlpool

This large, open-topped tank caught my eye as soon as we walked into the World Rivers room. Countless colorful cichlids swam round and round the perimeter of the circular aquarium. The tank replicated a little slice of Lake Malawi in Mozambique, where cichlids and catfish thrive. Below is either another beautiful cichlid specimen, or a longear sunfish, I'm not sure, which we saw in another African tank. Whatever the name, doesn't it look like a thoughtful, deliberate, almost smart, fish?

Cichlid or Sunfish?

Newport Aquarium

Ohio History

Fish of Every Size

Even though we live miles from any ocean shore here in Ohio, we need not travel far to enjoy gorgeous underwater life! At the Newport Aquarium in Cincinnati, Ohio, you can take a dive in the underwater world. Each aquarium takes a peek into a different tidal pool, river, or ocean somewhere on the planet. They hold literally thousands of fish in all different types, colors, and sizes. After you visit the Newport Aquarium, you'll feel like you've just gone scuba diving in ten different bodies of water all over the planet!

The beautiful picture above is from the Congo River tank. It held all kinds of tetras and cichlids, as well as the Sixbar Distichodus (can you pronounce that name?) in the front of this picture. I loved watching these colorful fish swim around.

Almond Snowdrifts

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Wintry Treat

When the snow flakes are coming down fast and you know it's going to be a long winter day indoors, what's the perfect cake to make? How about whipping up some of your very own snowdrifts? Whatever the weather, you are sure to love this creamy yet light cake with a creative touch. Just please don't try to go sledding in the icing!

Whipping up this easy cake is simple. First, beat with a hand mixer:

1/2 c. softened butter                     1/2 c. raw honey                    2 eggs

Add:                      1/2 c. flour                                 1 t. baking soda

                    1 c. sour cream                                      1 t. vanilla

In a separate bowl, combine:

2 t. cinnamon                                 1/4 c. flour                            1 egg

2 T. honey                              1/4 c. pecans or walnuts, chopped

Pour half of the batter into a greased 9" round cake pan. Drizzle half of the nut mixture on top. Repeat with second half of batter and nuts.

Bake cake in a 350 oven for 35-40 minutes, til lightly browned. Cool and turn onto a plate.

For the icing, whip 1/2 c. cold cream with 2 T. honey and 2-3 t. vanilla til soft peaks form. Gently pile onto top of cake with a rubber spatula, making peaks and valleys like ocean waves. Carefully place toasted slivered almonds on top. Now you have footprints in your snowdrifts!

Puzzle's New Flock

Backyard Poultry

Chicken Rainbow

Here is Puzzle's new, beautiful flock, including Rhode Island Reds, Brown Leghorns, Araucanas, and Buff Orpingtons. You might wonder what happened, they were all so peacefully walking around in the last picture. Well, as soon as we dumped the wood shavings out of Puzzle's carrying box, all the hens ran over and began fighting over them!! I don't know if it was the scratch or wood shavings they were after (chickens do eat wood chips, you know). They were all such beautiful and friendly hens. Their owner is a farmer, and lets them free-range in a movable pen during the summer. We had actually visited his farm and bought seed garlic from him several years back, so it was wonderful to know Puzzle was going to a good home!

Well, Puzzle, What Do You Say?

A New Home

Backyard Poultry

How Do You Like It, Puzzle?

 The 20-minute drive to our the farm seemed to take forever. All I could do was keep wondering what Puzzle's new life was going to be like. Well, there was no reason to worry! As you can see in the picture, our farmer friend had a wonderful full-size greenhouse and a beautiful flock of 30-some hens. Compared to the snowy, cold day outside, stepping into this greenhouse seemed like the land of luxury! We lugged in the rooster in the cardboard box and opened it up; Puzzle came strutting right out, not phased a bit by the new surroundings. Surveying its new flock, the rooster right away began to announce to them, "I'm the new boss here!"