Neither of us knew much about hippocampi and starting asking our Facebook fans and Twitter followers for words of advice. They helped pick a name for him, recommended food, and suggested types of suitable hippocampus habitats. And after we had learned that a mermaid must take ownership of hippocampi before they reach adulthood, we received a lot of great advice on how to deal with the merfolk of Lake Michigan. In other words, Phineas wouldn't be around today without their help.
On Saturday, Cherie and I made the trek back to Lake Michigan with a nearly full-grown Phineas. This required the help of close family and friends, plus a truck with an XL bed. After a short drive to the lake, we waited until the area was deserted and placed Phineas in the water. Within moments, his mermaid caretaker emerged. She accepted Cherie's thank you gift of an emerald and fishing net necklace, looped a harness around Phineas' neck, and disappeared into the water.
Before they left, Cherie was able to get a quick image of them as a reminder of our not-so-little Phineas.
Available for sale in the Mystic Moon Media ArtFire and Etsy shoppes later this week.
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You are probably wondering about the secret contest. This was such a secret contest that none of our followers even knew about it!
Whenever someone would comment about Phineas, we made two lists. One list was for Phineas suggestions that Cherie could work into the art piece. Essentially, all of the people that played along with us helped to create this image.
The second list was a list of names of the people that remarked on Phineas' progress. Those very same people unknowingly had a chance to win a free Phineas print. One name was randomly selected from the list and that person will be receiving their print within the next few weeks.
Here's the neat part - we have decided to continue this no-longer-a-secret contest. All you have to do to enter is participate in our Facebook and Twitter story each month. Not only are you entering to win a free print, but you help influence the art! *Each person only gets one entry, even if they make 183 comments on the story during the month.*
Another story will begin in February and we hope you'll join us on our new mythical creature adventure by following us on Facebook and Twitter.
