A Weekday Adventure: NOAA's Turtle Barn in Galveston

Last week, we all headed down to Galveston to take a tour of NOAA's turtle barn. We had been trying to get (free) tickets for a tour for over a year, but the tour times book up months in advance and are only offered on Thursdays, so they are hard to come by. Gene was able to take the day off work, and we were so glad he could join us for the turtle adventure!

We arrived in Galveston just in time for lunch. We chose the Rainforest Cafe for this visit, even though it's incredibly kitschy and commercialized. The boys loved it and the food was actually pretty good too!  

The Turtle Tour starts at the NOAA Fisheries main campus with a 30 minute turtle talk. We already know quite a lot about turtles because of Henry's fascination with them, but we found the talk informative nevertheless. 

There are two turtle barns at the NOAA facility. One houses injured turtles, and the other is used for research. Loggerheads are raised and then released in Florida where they help test TEDs (turtle excluder devices). All sea turtles are endangered and fishing lines have been a big problem for the reptiles. TEDs are specialized devices that allow sea turtles to escape from a fishing net.  

The boys got to test out a TED. 

Inside the barn we saw one- and two-year old turtles. 

One-year-olds

Two-year-old loggerheads are the same size as full-grown Kemp's Ridleys, so they are the perfect size to test TEDs.

This boy was in heaven.

We ended our time in Galveston at LaKing's, for ice cream and taffy, as usual.

Visiting the turtle barn was a remarkable experience and we are so glad we finally were able to schedule a tour.

Summer Break: Week Four

The dog days of summer are upon us, and we have been enjoying sleeping in, spending time at the pool, lounging around the house reading, and hanging out with friends. Here's a quick peek at our fourth week of summer break.   

Father's Day 2016

We got Gene a couple Bill Bryson books,

but really all he wanted to do was spend the day grilling ribs, hanging with the boys and his dog, and baking!

Father's Day dinner 

The boys and I visited the Health Museum to see the new "Zoo in You" exhibit, which is all about microbes. 

 

 We are always busy in the kitchen -- making pickles with Henry

and apple muffins with Will.

We spend lots and lots of time playing with the pup. Ruby believes she is a 50-pound lap dog!

We visited the science museum again. Highlights were the Butterfly Center (we went for the "Friday Feeding Frenzy" and watched a python swallow a mouse);

and the Cabinet of Curiosities, an exhibit fashioned after private collections that became popular during the Renaissance and into the Victorian era.

Leatherback turtle

Meteorologist Henry

We also visited the National Park Photography exhibit and saw the National Parks Adventure in the theater. There are so many parks we want to visit!

For a Friday dinner out, we ventured to Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant off the Southwest Freeway. Ever since reading Cutting for Stone several years ago, I have wanted to try Ethiopian cuisine and luckily, Houston is home to several Ethiopian restaurants. We shared two appetizers and then dug into two large platters, one full of vegetarian goodies and the other full of meat dishes. We scooped everything up with injere, which is a spongy bread made from teff, and it was all amazingly delicious. The boys were fans too!

Ethiopian coffee after

 We can't wait to explore more ethnic restaurants in our city!

Summer Break: Week Three

Last week was another full week! Gene was traveling for work, it was really hot in Houston, and the boys had morning camp at the Arboretum. 

Here's a peek at some of what we were up to during our third week of summer break.

Outdoor Adventures Camp at the Arboretum: the boys kayaked, hiked, and went geocaching. It was a fun-filled week, despite the heat.

This pup was so excited to see the boys after camp. 

It's kind of crazy how smitten all four of us with Ruby. We went from not being dog people at all to loving having a dog in the house!

We had to try out our water guns before the annual Cub Scout Water Squirt Melee, and it turns out Ruby loves catching the water in her mouth. Fun for the boys and Ruby on a hot summer day.

 

Another way to beat the heat: S'well water bottles! We just discovered these and they keep drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12. We can leave them in the hot car and our waters are still icy cold hour later. 

The Cub Scout Water Squirt Melee is always a hit. 

Water fun + friends + ice cream = summer perfection

The Montrose Library had a turtle presentation as part of their summer reading program, so of course we were there. 

 Here are some of our eats this week: 

Summer Peach and Hazelnut Salad

Mediterranean Bulgur Bowl

Curried Carrot Soup

And Gene is finally back home! We treated ourselves to dinner at The Melting Pot on Friday night for some fondue. The boys loved it! 

How are you beating the heat this summer?