Manasquan

Never before had we ever found sand dollars at the Jersey shore. The regulars at Manasquan all agreed. The tides, quite literally, have changed. Riptides are more frequent and more powerful than they were when we were growing up. Unfortunately, that's what happens when you try to change the "landscape" of the sea.

Little clams that had washed ashore that I revived in water before releasing.

A little girl caught an interesting fish and showed it to us.

Sand crab!

We used to body surf. Not any more! --LKR

Duckling Feeding Fish

I Can See Clearly, Now

It was long overdue. Not from a fish's perspective, perhaps, as fish benefit from plant overgrowth. Aquatic greenery adds oxygen, as well as stabilizes mulm--fish waste, plant debris, and other organic stuff that's not totally decomposed that eventually falls down to the bottom.

This equates to getting away with less cleanings, and not having to replace the oxygenating filter system's motor that burned out after a power outage. Yes, you got me on this one--the evaporated water was not replenished as often as it should have been, either!

But it had irked my hubby that he could no longer see any of the fish in our tank. "What's the point in having a fish tank if you can't see the fish?" was his question to me.

Okay, even our huge, lemon-yellow Angelfish? Well, "Angel" (as the kids remember naming him, three and a half years ago) did like to hide among the jungle and tangle of leaves in the back of his abode. But, hubby was correct, it was time to totally empty and clean the aquarium, gravel and all. And, yes--thin out the aquatic vegetation so we could actually see all the fish, not just the "Big Lemon", my name for Angel!

If you've ever done a thorough cleaning of even a small tank, I'm sure you're already cringing. Ours isn't huge by any means, but I find that even lifting an empty 29 gallon aquarium is not only awkward but heavy!!! Lifting and carrying it 16 feet was not really my choice.

It was hubby who decided to rearrange our living room, and for a good reason, I might add. He 'd be bringing home the beautiful solid maple desk he made years ago in shop at Mosinee High School from his Mom's. It would take it's position of prominence in our place of dwelling.

So, this would be a two-fold project, and the effort would be well worth it!


I think Angel's happier, now, even though he can't hide as well. He can see me, better, and has been begging for food more often! Angel has an enormous appetite! Thanks to him, we've never had an infestation of snails!

Oh. Did I mention that our Neon Cardinal and Zebra Danio are missing??? --LKR

Bettas and African Frogs

One little African frog.

Another little froggy. Unfortunately, neither of them lived that long.

This is Passion, one of our bettas, named after the purple passion plant. Passion really is more purple than he looks, here. We just lost him two days ago.

This is Pate II. We had another wonderful Pate when we lived in IL that protected our platy fry (babies). He wouldn't let any other fish near the netted breeder they were in! --LKR

First Family Camping Trip

My hubby and I had bought a tent at Venture's going-out-of-business sale over a decade ago, vowing to some day "rough it" in the "wilderness" with our children when they were older. We both enjoyed tent camping while growing up, but trying to find a happy medium of where to actually pound our pegs looked dubious. That is, until we visited Hok-Si-La in Lake City, MN.

"I like what I see!" said my hubby. I agreed. "Really? Do you really think this is doable for you? We can get you an air mattress, and a warmer sleeping bag. You really like this?" This doubt comes from a decade of declines partly due to my chronic (myofascial) pain, allergies, and fibromyalgia (all well managed, now), but more because of over-crowded, noisy campsites we had looked at in the past. In my opinion, when you're trying to get away to relax and unwind, you need more nature and less civilization.

A week later, we were back at this beautiful park. The time had come! It was to be the first tent camping experience for our family of five, and we were all excited! Fido came along with us and was on cloud nine--he'd never gone anywhere with us, except to the vet's--oh, and to puppy lessons (to train the kids more than the dog, mind you!).

We had a beautiful view overlooking Lake Pepin (aka the Mississippi River). Gulls, bald eagles, and fishing herons entertained us while we ate at our campsite. There were lots of frogs, too, and fish were active and visible, as you can see in the top left photo.

The weather was warm, and even hot, in spite of it being overcast the first two days. The predicted thunderstorms were nothing more than a few distant rumbles accompanied by a light shower that lasted maybe an hour. The third day was absolutely gorgeous, and none of us wanted to leave. We can't wait to go back! --LKR