Hey all, it’s been a while and I’ve got a bit more free time on my hands, so you can expect some updates coming soon. I thought I’d start with a trip to the Georgia Aquarium this summer.

My husband had the week off and we decided to explore the city a bit and then watch the olympics at home. We haven’t been to the Aquarium together in more than two years. I’ve been separately as part of classes that I’ve been teaching, but most of that was spent watching children and making sure they didn’t bring fishing line or gum in their backpacks or get eaten by the sharks!

Anyway, we masked up and took off under the sea.

Some things have changed like the addition of a new shark exhibit. My husband was fascinated by the sharks and I couldn’t take my eyes off all the little fish in the tank constantly trying to avoid the sharks gliding through their midst. It was like a dance and we watched the masters for a good long time.

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There is a baby beluga whale at the Aquarium. We watched it, trying to chase its mom around the tank, wanting constant attention. We giggled when momma plastered her copious fat rolls against the front glass. It’s impressive the insulating ability of blubber, and even more impressive is the amount of blubber a grown beluga whale has.

The leafy sea dragons and the river otters are a traditional long stop on any visit to the aquarium. Leafy sea dragons are other-worldly and propel themselves using small little fins that make it look like they are just floating along. The river otters are always hit or miss. They could be fast asleep curled up in each other, or tangled in the long pieces of felt they use to play. They could also be racing around chasing each other over land and through the water, always with a playful spirit.

One of the whale sharks had just died, but the others in the largest tank were still impressive. We stood by the large window and watched the green sea turtle munch on lettuce while other little fish cleaned up what the turtle missed. Groups of cownose rays sailed past while a guitarfish settled into the sand. Morey Eels and Electric Eels stuck their noses out of hidey-holes.

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The Aquarium required masks and had signs telling people to socially distance. Tickets were timed, presumably to limit the number of entrants. Despite those measures, the Aquarium didn’t feel any less crowded than it has in the past. Maybe a little less pressure from people leaning in to get a good look at the tanks, but still just as many people. So we kept our masks on and found a deserted corner to eat our chicken fingers and salad. All in all, we had a pretty good time, but had enough covid anxiety to keep us away from museums for a while.