National Aquarium Highlights

Today I want to give you a special treat. You are going to see something you may not have seen before. I hope there is something original in the content for you. You won't find Nemo, so don't even look for him, but if you follow closely, toward the middle, you will see his forgetful friend, Dory. She's blue.

It took me a few hours to finish this project because I actually made three versions to find out which one I liked best. This one made the cut.

I decided against filling the video with profound quotes, as was my original intent. I wanted to bring attention to the fact that life on this planet is a gift, and that if we don't heed the warnings from conservationists and ecologists regarding the disappearing Rain Forest, and the pollution of our rivers and seas, we will lose that gift. Gradually, animal and plant species will leave us forever, and possibly the only place you will see such abundance of color and life will be in man-made reserves, zoos, and aquariums. Not the ideal living environment.

I imagine it would be like you and I having to live out our days in a glass-walled condo, with the doors locked so we could never go outside into the real world. Or possibly to live in a man-made biosphere that confined us to our immediate neighborhood. We'd look like we were living a normal life, but we would lose our connections with the greater environment, and we'd lose our relationship with the world.

The music I chose for this video has a haunting, dramatic sound to it... I like the sense of expectancy the music lends to the video.

So, without spoiling it for you, I think you will like the last few seconds... it's about the Green Sea Turtle that lives permanently in the aquarium. It was a popular exhibit... <smile>

I hope you feel a sense of hope than of dread as you watch and listen. The hope is in you. The hope is that you will become aware of environmental concerns in your area, and find out how you can help. Be part of a group that cleans the river, that picks up the litter on the street. Talk about recycling, get involved in community recycling projects. Contribute to a group that takes care of animals until they are well enough to return to their habitats, or to a group that is fighting to protect a habitat or environment. Don't think someone else is going to do it. Usually a handful of people will step up to do the footwork, but they need the support (financial and labor) of other caring citizens like you.

That's what I was thinking while I admired man's effort to help preserve God's creation, and to help educate the public on the value of life beneath the sea.

I really enjoyed the stroll through the National Aquarium with my son and husband... it was very calming despite the number of families there for a day with their dads. There was a show in the Immersion Theater, a 4-D experience ... quite startling, but lots of fun.  We had to wear those 3-D glasses, but rather than spoil the surprises of a 4-D experience, I will just say, you get wet, bubbles float down from the ceiling, and you feel like you are underwater with the sea critters. Also, the dolphin show was entertaining and educational as well. You just gotta love those dolphins leaping high into the air... they love to play!

I quickly filled my 2Gb digital camera memory chip, and wished I'd had another. Next time I'll take two memory cards with me. I like to take pictures when we're on vacation, but even more, I love to take the video clips so I can make a movie with them later on.

I hope you enjoy this five minute peek into the National Aquarium, located at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland. And finally, thank you to our son who bought our tickets as a Mother's/Father's Day treat... we enjoyed every minute of it! And I plan on coming back, Steven, before school begins in August.

Next time, I want to check out that Body Worlds show at the Maryland Science Museum. Oh, and the American Visionary Art Museum... I really want to check that out next time!

 

Tags: National Aquarium, Baltimore, Green Sea Turtle,