Seahorse Wednesday!

Today was a wonderful day.  We began our morning relaxing by the pool but we were only there for about 45 minutes.  It was really hot and Nolan is not a fan of the water and would not go into the pool.  So, it was short but nice.

Our plan for the day was to head to the Natural Energy Lab and visit a Seahorse farm.  We would have to drive just 20 minutes north of where we are staying to get there.  It was such an interesting drive; looking to my right (east), toward the mountains, were very low gray clouds from which I could tell precipitation was falling.  Then, looking to my left (west), toward the ocean, the sky was crystal clear.  It was just another reminder, as Monday was, that there are constant variations in the weather all over the island.  Once we arrived at the Natural Energy lab, the Seahorse farm was about 1.5 miles into the facility.  We had some time to spare before our tour so we explored the lava rock beach along the shore.  We saw many little fish and crabs, and some beautiful lava rock and coral.

Once our tour began, we learned so much about seahorses.  Seahorses are the only organism in which the male carries the babies.  It was quite an amazing story to hear about the habits of seahorses.  We were able to see hundreds of seahorses, from one male, that were born just hours prior.  No pictures were allowed because they were so fragile.  We also learned a great deal about ocean conservation and why seahorses, among other species, are endangered.  My favorite part of the tour was getting to hold a seahorse.  I loved feeling its little tail wrapped tightly around the "coral reef" that I constructed with my hands.  After holding the seahorse, we observed many of the species at the conservatory as well as see other aquatic organisms.  We also met Rosie, a pale pink parrot who put on quite a show in order to get some attention.

I have added many more pictures to my "Exploring the Island" album so please feel free to check the pictures out.

We ended our day listening to the pouring rain from our balcony.  We enjoyed another sushi dinner; we were able to find the local sushi takeout which had some of the best sushi I have ever had.  Each roll was about double the size of what we get in Michigan at almost half the price.  I think I know where we'll get our dinner from both tomorrow and Friday!

The little seahorse had his tail wrapped tightly around my finger.