The End of an Era and New Found Video

Over 19 years ago I walked into A Wet Pet in Apple Valley and bought my first aquarium. It's what is referred to as a '45 tall'. I had no idea then that I'd make the aquarium a part of my home for all these years since that day. Today brought an end to my fish keeping days...sadly.

With our home flooring renovations, I had to dismantle the tank to make room for the workers to do their thing. Over the past year, I've been losing enthusiasm for keeping the aquarium going so I figured that now was probably a good time to find a new owner for it. And so I did. I posted it on Craig's List a few days ago and one of the calls I got was from Chris in Belle Plaine about 35 miles southwest. He called while I was out on a ride this morning and said he was very interested in my add.

I cut my ride short as I wanted to get some video of the tank before I took it down. I also wanted to get a photo of the Clown Loach you see above. I've had him for over 15 years and had no idea when I bought him that he'd live this long. His mate died a few years ago and I probably should have gotten him another as they prefer to be in pairs but I didn't. I feel bad about that. I stressed to Craig that I was looking to find a good home for him and he assured me that he'd provide that. I kept telling myself that it's just a fish but there's this part of me that has grown attached to it and wants the best for it. Chris said that he'd send me a photo of the aquarium when he's got it all set up. That would be nice.

All that's left now is a compressed spot in the carpet where the aquarium used to be. I doubt that I'll ever find anything as tranquil or satisfying to fill the void.

While dismantling our family room Rachel discovered some VHS tapes of her which her dad had recorded in 1996-97. One of the few regrets I have in life is that I didn't get into her life sooner than I did so it's extra special for me to see these videos to get an idea of what I missed out on. I thought this little bit of footage with her father was very cute.

Tammy and Rachel are at Sonshine Festival in Willmar this weekend. Tammy had planned to stay until Sunday but I think she's heading for home tomorrow and leaving Rachel to ride the bus back with the kids from Hosanna. I figured that two days would be enough for her. I think the crowds have taken their toll and she's looking forward to home. Rachel, on the other hand, is having a blast. She was so excited this morning to tell me that she 'crowd-surfed' for the first time and that 'it was a blast!' She said she lost her flip-flops but was able to find them later and that she was doing it again tonight. I'd love to have some video of that!



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