Monday, July 29, 2013

Discovery Road Trip, Moody Gardens- Galveston Tx.

First -- a kitchen gadget note. I bought a Zak Designs Ice Cream Tub. For some unfathomable reason our freezer will turn chicken, beef, fish, veggies in to solid frozen blocks.... however ice cream gets mushy and melts. On our shopping trip with the kids I found this container - Ice Cream Tubby are popular because they’re innovative, durable and they have a unique and fresh look. Take your ice cream with you and keep it cold, with this portable insulated container. It has a freezable gel lid so it’ll keep your ice cream cold while you’re out-and-about or just bringing your favorite pint home from the grocery store.

I put the whole Tubby in the freezer to get cold. I bought a pint of Ice Cream, because of the heat it was a little soft by the time I made it to the boat. I put the container in the Tubby and put in freezer. Next day after dinner I got it out. While we did not have ice cream soup the stuff was soft, thick milk shake soft.  Next time I will empty the contents in the Tubby and see if that helps.  More to follow 

After several days of rain, Tom and I decided on a road trip. A friend of ours suggested http://thedaytripper.com/daytrips/ to peak our interest. We decided on Moody Gardens and the Rainforest Pyramid in Galveston Texas. -  

Moody Gardens features three main pyramid attractions. There is the Rainforest, an Aquarium and a Discovery Pyramid, dinosaurs, and science-oriented exhibits. This photo is actually from their web cam.  

Deinonychu
This clear pyramid reaches the height of 10 stories. After Hurricane Ike, a $25 million enhancement project brought nature closer to visitors. The multi-level Rainforests of the World project focuses on education, conservation and possible future breeding with new rare and endangered animals. Giant Amazon river otters, saki monkeys, ocelots, and a wide range of other animals, birds, reptiles make up more than 1,000 species of exotic plants showcased the diversity of the rainforest environment.
The rainforests of Asia, Africa, and the Americas are featured through the popular bat caves, crashing waterfalls, and Mayan Ruins. The warm, humid interior simulates the climate of rainforests on warm days.
The grounds are beautifully landscaped, everything in bloom
This was a plant at the entrance
Plumeria (common name Frangipani) is a genus of flowering plants in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae.[1] It contains seven or eight species of mainly deciduous shrubs and small trees. They are native to Central AmericaMexico, the Caribbean, and South America as far south as Brazil [2] but can be grown in tropical and sub-tropical regions. 
There are bromeliads scattered through out the rainforest.

Ipe Tree
The durable wood of this tree is resistant to fire, pests and mildew
The Forestry Stewardship Council certifies sustainable ipe
harvesting. Boardwalks in Atlantic City and Coney Island are made from
the wood

The garden has an extensive collection of Orchids, their
fragrance filling the misty air.

A side note here --- recently one of these bloomed
WASHINGTON, July 29, 2013 — After six years of anticipation, that rock star of plants — a rainforest giant known as the corpse flower for its putrid odor — has bloomed here, and is the subject of a new video by the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society. It is available athttp://www.bytesizescience.com.
one of the few plants not in bloom... African Violets
view from in back of a water fall

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