Friday, December 26, 2014

Santa Under the Sea


Another fun adventure in Kentucky was visiting the Aquarium. 


 
Dear Kentucky,
       Please consider putting some thought into naming.  After being in your state for no more than a hot minute, we were considering a rest stop at a nearby park, Rabbit Hash Park, to be specific, but the name conjured up images of slaughter bunnies.  So, we drove right along, right down Graves Road, and arrived at your state park-- Big Bone Lick
Sincerely,
Eyebrow Raised Tourists


The weather was nice enough for a day at the park.

 
The Aquarium sits right on the river bank.

 

That's the Ohio River!

 

The city of Newport is hilly; something us northern Indiana folks find charming.


At the top of this particular hill stands a very tall Christmas tree!


The stores, and Aquarium are tight in the square around the tree.



Troy figured Santa was viewing the fish at the Aquarium, cause his sled was parked out front!


 

We walked over to the river-walk to see if we could spot any of Santa's reindeer getting a drink.  At first, Troy thought he seen a reindeer swimming, but it turned out to be a branch.

 

 Santa Shark greeted us as we entered the Aquarium.
 

After an escalator ride to the basement, the fish tour began!


This is a puppy shark-- awww:


This little Foureyes cracked me up; she swims with her eyes above the water, like me when I forget my swim goggles:


It reminded me of a song I heard on SpongeBob-- Santa's got his Jolly Little Eyes on YOU!


So, that song was stuck in my head the entire day.  I think I was even singing it while petting a sea urchin.


Oh, speaking of SpongeBob, I got to pet a real Patrick Star too.


We were hot on Santa's trail, when we parked it to view the Sharks!


SANTA dived right in with the sharks!  Santa's elves stood guard, just in case any of the sharks decided to be naughty and tried to make a meal out of the plump Santa in a bright red suit.  The elves were armed with shower curtain rods to give the fish a good thump back on to the nice list if need be.


Water tunnels throughout the museum made the fish viewing really cool. 


These little Meeps were shy, but when they poked out of the sand I got their photo:


Mr. Crab wasn't shy, but he wasn't about to smile for the camera while he ate his lunch.


Glittery Paranas sparkled in the light.  Did you know Arkansas has Paranas in the river down there? 


How amazing is an Electric Eel?  She seems friendly.  :)


A sun bathing baby:


Go ahead, sit there-- I'm only thinking how I could swallow you whole.


This little girl is an albino gator, named SnowBall:


Troy got to try crossing a busy street as a frog.  Remind me to be sure and hold his hand if a vehicle is in sight.  SPLAT!


Is anyone come scratch my back around here?


Yay, people!  Wait.... for.... me....


Both the big tortoise and this little tortoise got back rubs.


The huge alligator snapper was on his own for a back rub.  The poor turtle's back was full of algae. I wonder if he used to be my pet that escaped from his turtle bowl 20 years ago.


Welcome to tranquility!  Jellyfish!!!


Yeah, it's an animal!


These moon jellies played tag!


A unicorn fish:


Ok, I got a joke for ya:
    Santa-- What do you want for Christmas?
    Me-- I'd like a unicorn.
    Santa-- Be Realistic!
    Me-- Ok fine, I'd like 20 minutes of peace in the morning to drink my coffee and take a shower 
    without the kids interrupting.
    Santa-- What color unicorn do you want?


Bah  Ha!


Stingray belly:


Oh, Santa's reindeer are snorkeling!


All those itty bitty orange specks are itty bitty baby jellyfish!


I remember jellyfish beds like this one, from when I used to snorkel and swim in Perdido Key in Florida:


Here are some glowing jellyfish getting ready to Attack Gladys:  ;)


Naw, she is fearless and petted the sharks!


Troy didn't.


The penguins drew a huge crowd from their fun antics.



What a good day, full of amazing creatures!


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