HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIK!
If you don't know what a Robo Hamster is, you're likely not alone. We didn't either until just recently.
"Robo" is short for "Roborovski", which is their real name. They originate in Mongolia and parts of Northern China, but apparently have recently become very popular as pets in places like the United States.
Robo Hamsters are considered the smallest and fastest of all hamsters, so I'm pretty sure we're going to do everything we can to keep them from getting loose in the house. They average only about 4-5 centimeters in length when fully grown.
Unlike many breeds of Hamsters which need to be kept alone, Robos are a friendlier bunch and can be kept together as long as they were raised together. They can get a little territorial we're told, but typically they're very social and get along well with each other.
So far, they've been very active and a lot of fun to watch. Since they're both males, (these days, most pet stores will only sell animals like this as males, to avoid uncontrolled breeding) Erik has named them "Rob" and "Bob" and he can actually tell the difference between the two.
We left the skunk in the trap during the day and Steve plotted out a plan, with a little help from some advice from the internet. He covered himself pretty well with things that could be disposed of...just in case.
Then he worked his way over to the trap, to cover it, since skunks tend to be alarmed by the sight of things that they consider predators. When he first approached, it shifted nervously and lifted up its tail, so he backed off. Eventually though, he was able to cover the trap with the tarp and quietly open the trap door and wedge it open. There was no spraying and the skunk walked out after a few minutes. Needless to say, as soon as we're sure that the skunk is long gone, the traps are coming inside for the winter.
It was a busy and tiring day, going through company orientation and finding her way around, but I'm sure that Anne will be in the swing of things in no time.
We began with the indoor exhibits. There were some interesting displays and a few critters indoors.
Erik really got into this terrarium...really...got into it...really!
This guy was much more active than we imagined in his simulated night-like environment.
This polar bear was kind enough to pop its head out of the water and say "hello!"
One of the nature areas had a pond with a lot of bullfrogs and tadpoles.
Then there was a display with a pair of otters who were almost non-stop motion.
Yes...here's the proof! Every once in a while, Rebecca and Erik really are nice to each other.
We left the Ecotarium and headed back towards Boston, stopping in Natick at the Village Green Miniature Golf Course for another of our spirited summer matches. The course has a colonial flavor with a lot of Boston area historic buildings figuring into the decor. The guys won again, but a fun time was had by all.
Everyone had their turns paddling.
We began heading downstream, towards the historic Old North Bridge, so everyone was all smiles on the way out.
Going downstream, it didn't take too long to get to the bridge either!
As we passed under the bridge, we got a nice view of the Minute Man Statue too. These are some of the perks of recreation in a historic area.
We continued a very short distance beyond the bridge before turning around and heading upstream.
Okay...I guess we were still smiling even on the way back upstream, though it was certainly a little more work going against the current.
We got our second wind, so we actually traveled back beyond our starting point. Along the way, we'd seen lots of turtles sunning themselves on rocks and branches out of the water. Upstream a bit, we also got very close to a number of ducks.
After returning to the boat house and turning in our canoe, we went to Bickfords in Acton, MA before hitting the road towards our next stop. That stop was Smolak Farms in North Andover, MA, where we did a little peach picking.
The trees were loaded and it didn't take long to pick all of the peaches that we wanted.
We may have "sampled" a few peaches in the process. We had to make sure that they were ripe, right?
Slowly, but surely, the bin began to fill up.
After we'd gotten all of the peaches we wanted, we headed back towards the farm store, where we picked out some unusual looking gourds to display in our front yard for the fall season. (Yes...with the cooler evenings lately, fall may be just around the corner!)
We got back home early enough to do a little relaxing the rest of the day. That's what time off is for after all and since things have been rather busy lately and school begins next week, we've all got to enjoy that time off!
