Birch Aquarium at Scripps

The official title should be Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute of Oceanography

Jake has little time or patience these days for photos, so it was Karen & Erik beside a little two-man sub. Maybe it was just me; he did pose with Erik for Karen.

Erik wanted to wander on his own, so we let him while we took turns keeping an eye on Jake.

I mean, what kind of trouble could Erik get into anyhow?

These remind me of the Monterey Aquarium, though this is much smaller.

Just missed the Octopus when it was near the window. They are strange-looking creatures.

But then, so many sea creatures are on the strange side. I guess if they were more commonly seen we wouldn't think of them as being very odd.

Even Jellyfish have a wide variety of appearances, though these two aren't so terribly different. Click on this link to see how vastly different Jellies really are.

Seahorses are pretty cool looking.

Ever hear of Seadragons? 

Kind of wonder what they might look like (or do) if they grew to any kind of whalish sizes!

Imagine the stories sailors would tell!

Lots of this kind of stuff seems to wash up on the beaches, but it is essential for life in the ocean. This is the kelp garden - a huge tank with all kinds of fish and (smaller) sharks.

*click* on picture to see the Kelp Cam live!

One tank with a myriad of colorful fish.

Funny how things are sometimes. As we were leaving, it was Jake who was willing to pose and not Erik. Go figure.