Bratasaurus

Little brothers are supposed to be little. They’re not allowed to turn into charmingly freckled, incredibly tall guys are they? Who authorized this? When he turned up on our doorstep for a week, he’d grows an alarming amount! He looks… almost sophisticated really. Much more mature than his 16 years, almost a grown… errrr…

Ok, not quite yet. Look at this expression would ya? This is what took over the house. The redheaded monster. Bratasaurus.

Together the bratasaurus and me made our very first bowl of ice cream. Standing on tiptoes (me, not him), we watched in amazement as the creamy ingredients churned their way to actual ice creamy goodness! Raspberry Sour Cream Ice Cream was that week’s TWD, and it didn’t last the evening before it was devoured.

Then he wanted to learn to bake something! Grabbing the country white bread recipe I know works every time, we tackled his first loaf of bread. It rose a little bit more than expected, which I’m blaming on him for distracting me.

Please pretend this picture ain’t here. It’s better for all of us, really.

Who knew sharks could be cute? Batasaurus and me headed to the local marine aquarium, a small one that focuses on marine rescue instead of shows. The animals were the best, but the real attraction for us was one dolphin named…

Winter! This gorgeous girl is Winter, known the world over for surviving all odds and learning to live without a tail. When she was young, her tail became tangled in a crap trap, and it was so badly damaged it fell off.

She’s learned to swim side to side like a shark, but while effective they worry that she’ll develop spinal problems from moving in a way her body wasn’t made for. Her very own prosthetic tail is being worked on right now, and soon she’ll be swimming like any other dolphin!

Celebrity dolphins aside, there were other stars as well. This is Cooper, a river otter who’s back legs don’t work after being struck by a car several years ago. He gets around just fine, dragging his back end on land and swimming like any other otter in the water.

Speaking of wild animals…

This is Nicholas! The white marks you see on his back are scars from third degree burns, as a baby he was beached and suffered intense burning from the sun. He’s healthy and happy now, and puts on a great performance!

Panama really won my heart. She’s an older dolphin, who’s teeth were too worn own to catch prey, and she became a begger dolphin. They swim by boats and beg for hand outs from people, which ends up being very bad for them when people feed them all sorts of junk food. Winter and Panama are friends, and chatted away at us as we leaned in over their tank. It’s a very small aquarium, and you can get right up close and personal with the girls (which they proved by cheerfully spraying me down).

What’s a day with the animals without souvenirs?

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