Octopus in a bucket
The notes are from Facebook writings at the time:
Sandra Dodd
October 16, 2012 at 8:00am ·
Holly and I were in the water, out a way, and found two big shells. I carried them back and put them in our bucket. My shoes were in there, too. Girly Crocs, toes down. All dry.
We came out of the water and there was a little octopus sticking his legs over the edge of my shoe. He had glommed himself on where my heel would have gone.
We went and got water in the bucket and pried him off gently with a shell and a feather.
We brought him up to show people, and will take him back later. He was out of water for at least half an hour, probably more, but he's alive. I figure we can let people look at him today, and take him back out after 6:00. He looks better now than he did when we first brought him up here.
We had a conch shell, too, about three inches long. It seemed to have a crab in it, when we saw the octopus, so we let that back into the water. Two dark things were sticking out, so I figured someone else needed it more than I did. We didn't have the camera with us at the beach. Later, in the conference, room, though...
Kids kept coming to look, and at one point I moved the shell so a group of girls could see him. He had had enough, he inked, and jumped to the edge, and started down onto the carpet.
Here are Holly's photos:
Click on any of the thumbnails to see a bigger image.
Here's the rest of that facebook conversation from October 16. I don't trust facebook to keep it for me.
Laura Flynn Endres: that is so cool! I hope you post some photos.
Deb Lewis: Have you held him? They feel amazing! What a great story, an octopus borrowed your shoes!
Sandra Dodd: We didn't have a camera down at the beach, but I've added photos of him in the bucket. I did hold him, when we thought he wouldn't live. When I took photos of him, he was stronger, and holding on to the bottom of the bucket, so I wouldn't be able to pick him up easily now.
Jill Parmer: I like the part "pried him off gently with a shell and a feather" Very cool and lucky you got to hold an octopus.
Lisa Russell: croc topus
Kristen Kramer:
They can fit through the tiniest of spaces. The one at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ, has a tendency to try to escape his tank, and go for a walk when he does. Such fascinating creatures.
BetteAnne Camagna: my little girls and i found a baby octopus washed up on St. Pete Beach 3 years ago! We loved it! It was so cute! We lovingly examined it and then brought it back to the sea live and get bigger!
They must be relatively common in The Gulf of Mexico.
Elsa Taliard: WOW!!!
Sandra Dodd: Holly and I figured it might be a common occurrence, too, so we asked locals and they said they'd never seen one outside an aquarium. It was pretty exciting, and I wish we could've kept him the whole day, but the people who said "take him back" were right.
BetteAnne Camagna: oh wow! Then we were both Blessed to of witnessed a live Octopus! St. Pete's is just a little south of Treasure Island. We have a stay there in Treasure Island this winter. Can't wait! :o)
The one we held was about 4-5 Inches long. A beautiful creature. We will never forget that. My girls wanted to keep it, but I said it wouldn't live very long if we did.
~ it was just really a cool experience...... they still talk about!
have fun in Florida!! My favorite place on earth!
Mary Bess Whidden: There's wonder in an octopus.
Sandra Dodd: I got to touch it. I saw the ink. It was stunning. I took him back a few hours earlier than I planned to because he got cranky, inked the bucket, and climbed out onto the carpet. He was ready to go home.
Jennifer Hills Weed: That is so awesome. I remember reading how intelligent they are.
Rodema Ashby: One climbed out of its tank at an aquarium, fished out the shrimp exhibit, then went back to its tank: how the shrimp were going missing was a mystery for sometime before a camera caught the culprit in the act. I love the lightshow/camouflage stuff...thanks for sharing your adventures;-)
There were more notes on the facebook group for the conference. And I had a link to the notes above, with this.
An octopus was in our bucket after we collected shells. He was in my shoe (but I didn't put it on; I saw him). We put water in the bucket and have brought him back for show & tell. I'll have him in Ballroom B, in case anyone wants to see him today. Then we'll take him back after 6:00. Erin Adams: i can't wait to see it!!
Shelley Harris Hawkinson: Can't wait either! We'll be there after 1pm. Hope he'll still be there!!
Sandra Dodd: I was persuaded to take the octopus back early. I'm sorry, for those who didn't get to see him. I irritated him, opening the shell a bit so some kids could see him. He hid under it again. I picked it up, and he made a rising, rising swim motion, coming up in the water. Then he INKED, and left a bunch of purple in the bucket, and then he jumped to the side, climbed to the edge, and down onto the carpet.
Knowing he was that cranky, and that he could get out, it seemed best to take him back.
I walked out waist-deep with the bucket, him, the shell, and lowered the bucket into the water and then when it was halfway to the bottom, tipped it gently and saw the shell go to the sand, pretty gently. I made sure he wasn't in the bucket, and came on back.
Sandra Dodd: There are photos of him getting out. Video would've been fun, but it would've included a bunch of us yelling about it. It was exciting, and I'm glad I got to see him, and I was sad to let him go.
Mary Mcneely: very cool!
There is my documentation. That was probably the most exciting thing that happened to me in 2013. Very, very memorable.
2 comments:
It looks like the carpet design might have been inspired by ocean life...
When we lived in Alaska, we went to a visitor's center in Cordova. They had an octopus in a fish tank. They'd had it for about 4 years. The people there said that the Octopus (Ophelia) had a brain similar to a kitten. It would watch us and follow us around. The lady who feeds it would lay her hand on the rim of the tank, and Ophelia would take one of her long arms and gently rest it on the lady's hand. Like holding hands!! It was all very sweet! And I had no idea that they were smart like that!
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