Featured Photo for Fish Tale post

A Fish Tail… OOPS… Tale!

[st_row gradient_color=”0% #FFFFFF,100% #000000″ gradient_direction=”vertical” img_repeat=”full” 1=”video_url_mp4″ autoplay=”yes” child_of=”none” div_padding_top=”10″ div_padding_bottom=”10″ div_padding_right=”10″ div_padding_left=”10″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054f9d6e81″ ][st_column span=”span12″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054f9d2068″ ][st_spacer el_title=”32px” id_wrapper=”elm_594054f9cd256″ ][/st_spacer][/st_column][/st_row][st_row gradient_color=”0% #FFFFFF,100% #000000″ gradient_direction=”vertical” img_repeat=”full” 1=”video_url_mp4″ autoplay=”yes” child_of=”none” div_padding_top=”10″ div_padding_bottom=”10″ div_padding_right=”10″ div_padding_left=”10″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fa2bf89″ ][st_column span=”span8″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fa09cef” ][st_text el_title=”Cleaning pond blub” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054fa04edb” ]Way back in 2014, Kirsten and Mike Kraljevic volunteered to get the Koi Pond in our Founders Garden cleaned and cleared. In October they spent a weekend completing the installation of a new pump and skimmer system. Dr Jack DiPalma and his wife Ann funded the much needed components to make it all work. The result was a stunning waterfall, and a healthy pond![/st_text][/st_column][st_column span=”span4″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fa27176″ ][st_text el_title=”Kirsten herding fish photo with caption” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054fa22363″ ]

Herding goldfish in 2014
Herding goldfish in 2014
[/st_text][/st_column][/st_row][st_row gradient_color=”0% #FFFFFF,100% #000000″ gradient_direction=”vertical” img_repeat=”full” 1=”video_url_mp4″ autoplay=”yes” child_of=”none” div_padding_top=”10″ div_padding_bottom=”10″ div_padding_right=”10″ div_padding_left=”10″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fa8b50c” ][st_column span=”span4″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fa50bf6″ ][st_text el_title=”Kirsten cleaning pond photo with caption” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054fa4bddc” ]
Kirsten cleaning the koi pond in 2014
Kirsten cleaning the koi pond in 2014
[/st_text][/st_column][st_column span=”span4″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fa6e087″ ][st_text el_title=”Kirsten knee deep photo with caption” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054fa6925e” ]
Kirsten knee deep in the Koi Pond 2014
Kirsten knee deep in the Koi Pond 2014
[/st_text][/st_column][st_column span=”span4″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fa88a65″ ][st_text el_title=”Clean pond photo with caption” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054fa83f52″ ]
Clean pond, working waterfall, and Big Mama in 2014
Clean pond, working waterfall, and Big Mama in 2014
[/st_text][/st_column][/st_row][st_row gradient_color=”0% #FFFFFF,100% #000000″ gradient_direction=”vertical” img_repeat=”full” 1=”video_url_mp4″ autoplay=”yes” child_of=”none” div_padding_top=”10″ div_padding_bottom=”10″ div_padding_right=”10″ div_padding_left=”10″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054facfa32″ ][st_column span=”span4″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054faad793″ ][st_text el_title=”Photo of Big Mama with caption” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054faaacfb” ]
Lonely Big Mama March 2015
Lonely Big Mama
[/st_text][/st_column][st_column span=”span8″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054facac17″ ][st_text el_title=”Big Mama Lonely blurb” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054fac5e07″ ]And Big Mama! Our only and lonely Koi! Well, she had some small fry for companions, and was happy chasing them around the pond occasionally, but she was not just the Biggest Koi in the Pond – she was the only one!

As the story goes, Kirsten was working on, or more probably IN the Koi Pond, and got talking to a couple visiting the Gardens from out of town – Paul and Penny Kahkola from Tennessee. And it turns out that Paul’s brother and sister-in-law raise Koi.[/st_text][/st_column][/st_row][st_row gradient_color=”0% #FFFFFF,100% #000000″ gradient_direction=”vertical” img_repeat=”full” 1=”video_url_mp4″ autoplay=”yes” child_of=”none” div_padding_top=”10″ div_padding_bottom=”10″ div_padding_right=”10″ div_padding_left=”10″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fb33576″ ][st_column span=”span8″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fb028a5″ ][st_text el_title=”Donation of Koi blurb” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054faf1ccd” ]So, in the weeks following, Paul and Penny in Greenback, Tennessee ask Sonja and Ken in Dunellon, Florida to donate koi to Big Mama’s Lonely Koi Pond in Mobile Alabama and Sonja and Ken generously agreed to donate SIX koi and sent us advance photos! Now, that’s fishnet-working at its best!

They arrived on Thursday afternoon (March 26th) and after a while floating around in travelling bags to get acclimated to the new water temperature, they were released to their new home!

Big Mama is overjoyed! Big Mama is no longer lonely! And the new Koi are ready to make a big splash with our visitors!

Our heartfelt thanks to Sonja and Ken Kahkola for the very generous donation and transportation of the Koi, and to Paul and Penny Kahkola for going out of their way to remember a chance meeting at the Mobile Botanical Gardens and make it all possible![/st_text][/st_column][st_column span=”span4″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fb2e781″ ][st_text el_title=”Bagged Koi Photo with caption” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054fb1af0b” ]

Bagged koi for donation post
Travelling Bagged Koi
[/st_text][st_text el_title=”Letting the Koi out of the bag photo with caption” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054fb29951″ ]
Letting the Koi out of the BAgs!
Letting the Koi out of the Bags!
[/st_text][/st_column][/st_row][st_row gradient_color=”0% #FFFFFF,100% #000000″ gradient_direction=”vertical” img_repeat=”full” 1=”video_url_mp4″ autoplay=”yes” child_of=”none” div_padding_top=”10″ div_padding_bottom=”10″ div_padding_right=”10″ div_padding_left=”10″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fb94d27″ ][st_column span=”span4″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fb57e9d” ][st_text el_title=”Happy Koi photo with caption” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054fb5308b” ]
Happy  Koi for dnation post
Happy Koi!
[/st_text][/st_column][st_column span=”span4″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fb7501b” ][st_text el_title=”Happy Big Mama with caption” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054fb70207″ ]
Happy Big Mama for donation post
Happy Big Mama!
[/st_text][/st_column][st_column span=”span4″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054fb8ff1d” ][st_text el_title=”Koi Spawning photo with caption” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054fb8b108″ ]
Very Happy Fish - not bubble bath - Koi spawning May 22!
Very Happy Fish – not bubble bath – Koi spawning May 22!
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