Aquarium of the Pacific Visit

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read1.6K views

This Afternoon we visited the largest Aquarium in Southern California, the Aquarium of the Pacific. It is a public aquarium on a 5-acre site on Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, California which displays over 11,000 animals in more than 50 exhibits that represent the diversity of the Pacific Ocean.

The visit was a pre-birthday gift for my Son who turns seven tomorrow. The expressions on their faces upon arrival at the sight was priceless. Surprisingly they were patient and well behaved, which made our first visit at the Aquarium pleasant.

Family Cartoon Of Us.
Family Cartoon Of Us.

The kids learned so much about Aquatic Life and they were thrilled as we made our way through the different exhibits. It was a wonderful way to experience the Aquarium and see some of its amazing Marine Creatures. At the end of the day, we had a very talented gentle man draw a Family cartoon of us.

I hope you enjoy the slideshow below.


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Cottontail Rabbit Hunt

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read621 views

As Summer heat hit its peak, critters and other living things alike come out in search for food and shelter. Sometimes they are lucky and sometimes they find an unfortunate fate.

For almost a month now, some of my plants in the front yard have been decimated by a Cottontail Rabbit, which made itself at home every evening to feast. Most of my Gaura Lindheimeri young plants are either halfway gone or a total loss. Those cute little animals are a menace as they can be very destructive to unfenced gardens.

Young Cottontail Rabbit.

As you can see on the above picture, the young Cottontail Rabbit remained hidden underneath the Gaura Lindheimeri plant and didn’t budge when my husband got his Pellet Gun ready and opened the door. The first shot missed the Rabbit which still didn’t move. The second shot got it in the ear and that was the end.

I will move on to revive the rest of the damaged plants and secure my front yard fencing.

One Interesting Afternoon

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read690 views

I have kept busy finishing a few backyard projects and tending to my Gardens.

We finally caught one of the many Pocket Gophers which have been digging holes and leaving mounds of dirt all over my front yard. What a relief! I found a couple of holes at the far end of my backyard and we will be setting another trap.

Trapped Pocket Gopher.
Trapped Pocket Gopher.

I found an adult female Black Widow Spider by my front porch and squashed it with my shoe.

According to Wikipedia, female spiders are often 20 times the mass of the males of the same species and produce much more venom than the other sex. Only females are of medical concern, as the shorter, weaker jaws of the males cannot penetrate mammalian skin. The neurotoxin of these spiders is, by volume, considered among the most toxic produced in nature, and by volume is more toxic than most snake venom. It is 15 times more virulent than that of the prairie rattlesnake.

Adult Female Black Widow Spider.
Adult Female Black Widow Spider.

We spent an interesting afternoon at the Mojave Narrows Regional Park. It was our first time there and the kids enjoyed the peaceful sight as we walked around.

While walking around the fishing lake, we saw a fisherman directing a snake away from him. As I freaked out, he told us it was a Gopher Snake and explained that the reptile only goes after rodents, but will bite humans if threatened. I didn’t care about the non venomous bite lecture, I was out of there. He cautioned us to be watchful around the park as the reptiles are out and about around burrows and on trees in search of prey.

Pacific Gopher Snake.
Pacific Gopher Snake.

Wishing you a beautiful start to your weekend.