Meeting a Ray

My husband and I were able to visit the aquarium yesterday evening. A few times a year they have days that are free admission, so we decided to take advantage of that, donate a little to their new building, and enjoy a lovely mermaid date at the aquarium. First off, I have to say that I'm hoping they let me come a volunteer as my mermaid self. That would be a dream come true. I felt like a five-year-old meeting all of her fishy-friends for a play date. My husband thought it was a little bizarre. Not that I was acting like a five-year-old, he's used to that part of me, but because the fish behaved strangely. He joked that they must know that I'm a real mermaid, and that I must be one at heart, because every time I put my hand up to the tank, or came close, the fish came to investigate me. I didn't think anything of it at the time, mostly because I was having too much fun playing with them, and watching them swim. But Hubby noticed that they didn't really behave that way with the other patrons there. I felt like Madison, from Splash, bouncing around the aquarium, amazed at all the beautiful aquatic things. I felt right at home there....minus the hoards of people.

 
Some cute Lionfish that came to say hello!


Yours Truly, with legs, hanging out with an octopus. Look, I actually have toes sometimes!


One darling little guy in particular captured my heart. He was a darling little Bat Ray in the petting pool. Of course, this mermaid, HAD to go play with the sharks, rays, starfish, and anemone's that lived in that pool! They had a couple of baby sharks, and a tiger shark. It was neat because a lot of the fish actually felt like my tail. Who knew that silicone so closely mimicked their skin? Anyway, back to my new friend. So this darling little ray swam up to me. Right to me. And as he was swimming he did a cute little flip for me. He hovered in the water just a few inches above the surface (the pool was about 2 feet deep), and waited for me. I got to pet his little "wings" and he then crawled the side of the pool up to me, and put his little "nose" above the water to greet me. He swam around my hand a little and let me pet him again before I went to check out the other exhibits. Hubby thought the behavior was a little strange. Sure most of the fish were used to humans, but they swam around the pool, and didn't really go to anyone in particular. Most people had to quickly touch them before they swam away. But this little guy seemed to like me. I decided that I wanted to come back to see him one last time (and to test a theory, I thought that maybe it was just a fluke). I stood in a different spot across the pool. The moment my hand hit the water, the darling little thing came right to me, AGAIN! This time he flipped, and quickly surfaced to greet me. Of course, I had to pet him. And then he went back under the water and hung out for a bit to let me play with him. When I lifted my hand from the pool, he swam away. I watched for a few more minutes, and he spend his time, like the other fish, swimming around the pool, not paying attention to anyone in particular. Hubby mentioned at dinner after, that he wouldn't have believed that experience happened, except for the fact that he saw it himself. Unfortunately, the area was too dark to capture any good pictures, and they don't like flash photography, so we didn't get any of him. I'm hoping to go back and sneak a picture really soon. And of course, see my new friend again! In honor of the entire situation, Hubby bought me a stuffed Sting Ray. Although it's a little different (and bigger!) it's the same family, and looks about the same. Now I get to snuggle my ray friend all night long. I named him Guppy.

My new friend Guppy. Isn't he cute?