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 Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 5:59 pm
The Marine Center is a building whose main floor consists of 6 rooms.
The first room is the reception area and gift shop run by a young woman named Marie.
The second room is the reptile room. There is a Rat snake tank, a Sea Snake tank, an Alligator tank, and two tanks with a box turtle and red eared turtles.
The third room consists of a touch tank. There is a sign above a bucket that says, "Please rinse off your hands in this saltwater bucket before you handle the animals." In the tank are two small horseshoe crabs, quite a few hermit crabs, two welks, a Conch, and three starfish.
The fourth room consists of the Coral room. There are huge tanks on every wall with coral colonies displayed with vivid color.
The fifth room is the tropical fish room. There are brightly colored tropical fish darting around including clowfish, tetras, and saltwater chiclids.
The last room is the shark room. There are large tanks built into the walls with baby sharks. One take holds hammerheads, another holds great whites, and the last one holds nurse sharks.
The second floor is an interactive science lab, with four different stations.
The first one has huge buckets of seaweed and microscopes.
The second one is a touch station, where you stick your hand in a box and try to figure out what animal the skin belongs to.
The first is rough like sandpaperShark
The second is pebblyIguana/lizard
The third is smooth and slickSnake
The fourth is smooth but with raised bumps as well. Alligator
The third station has buckets of fresh seawater and microscopes.
And the last station is a quiz on your knowledge of the ocean.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 10:10 pm
I wandered into the front room of the Marine center and smiled at the lady at the cash register, "Hello there. Is there any admission?"
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 10:12 pm
 "Admission is Free. Just follow the signs and buy something on your way out." She returned to her textbook.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 10:29 pm
I smiled and headed into the first room, looking at all of the reptiles around me. I kneeled at the tank with the baby alligators in it and let out a small squeal, "They are so cute..." I murmured to myself. After a few minutes of sitting there I head into the next room, bypassing the snakes and turtles.
I look up at the sign and then dip my hands into the bucket. After rinsing them in the cold seawater I look at the creatures in the tank. I smile and gently pick up one of the starfish. The bright red one with little yellow bumps and set him in my hand, giggling at the touch of his tiny feet on my hand. I smiled and set him gently back down into the tank. I looked down and then began turning all the hermit crabs back where they could scuttle along, if they had been turned on their back. I look longingly at the touch pool and then remind myself, You can come back. before heading into the next room.
Once I entered the coral room I stared in awe at the shimmereing flourescent colors shining from the beautiful creatures. "This is amazing." I murmur, awestruck. I stand there mesmerised by the coral for about ten minutes, and then shake it off and head into the next room.
The next room takes my breath away just as surely as the corals did, and I stand around for longer, staring at the beautiful darting forms of the fish.
Shanking off my daze I enter the shark room. I squeal in delight over the baby sharks and then sigh and head back to the lobby.
"Isn't there an upstairs?" I ask the lady.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 10:31 pm
She looked up from her textbook. "Yes there is an upstairs, the stairs are to your left. There are four different science stations so have fun."
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 10:48 pm
I flash her a smile in gratitude and then traipse upstairs. At the first station I grab a chunk of seaweed and see this: I grin happily at it and then move on to the next station. I stick my hand in the first box and smile, "Shark." I lift up the lid to see the answer. I was right. I move onto the next box, "It's some kindeof lizard...pebbly...argh." I lift up the lid, "Iguana..." I mive onto the next box, "Snaaaake." I lift the lid and grin, "Right again." I move onto the last box and frown again, "...Reptile...maaaaaybe...Gator?" I lift up the lid and grin, "Huzzah! Right again." At the next station, I carefully prepare a seawater slide and gasp at the view: After staring in awe, I get up and move to take the online test. After a few minutes looking through the quiz and answering questions, I hit the "See answers" button. I look through and compair my answeres and grin. "Whoohoo, only two wrong." I look around again and troop back downstairs. Once down I look at the souviniers and decide on a pretty necklace with a polished piece of coral as the pendant. I pull a wad of money out of my pocket and hand her some. "Keep the change." I said, and walked out with my purchase.
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Darkqueen13_7 Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:25 pm
Dark walked in with Z, still holding his hand.
"Z, have you ever been to one of these places before?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:29 pm
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Darkqueen13_7 Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:45 pm
"Dark peeked into one of the room, the first thing she saw being a large snake in a tank of water, she let go of Z's hand and walked closer to the tank, looking at the snake curiously.
"Hey Z, lookit this little guy..."
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:47 pm
"Hm, can I eat it?" He asked as he walked over.
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Darkqueen13_7 Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:52 pm
"Eh.... I'd think not..."
Dark laughed and shook her head.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:55 pm
"Aw, come on." He smiled.
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Darkqueen13_7 Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:00 pm
Dark looked in the tank again, the snake, probably understanding what Z had said had went and hid in some of the plants in the tank.
"See, he doesn't want to get eaten."
She turned and looked at Z a moment, and gave him a hug.
"It's been a while since we've been able to go somewhere, hasn't it?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:07 pm
"Yeah...I was worried about you..." He looked down at her and gave her a kiss.
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Darkqueen13_7 Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:26 pm
Dark kissed him back.
"I'm sorry..."
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