While impeachment and Australia are burning, if you need something good, something beautiful, consider the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

This weekend, we visited this fabulous institution for the first time in way-too-long, and it couldn’t have been better. No crowds, clear skies, and Monterey itself.

The attractions at the Aquarium are many, but none provides more entertainment than the three-story kelp forest, observable at every level.

But there are also the penguins and the sea otters and short films and interactive exhibits and daily feedings and incredible jellyfish with “gorgeous glowing gonads” and moray eels and anchovies by the thousands.

Helpful, knowledgable staff explained everything from how they controlled the algae in the tanks to how to indentify individual sharks: by the notches in their dorsal fins.

Go on the Aquarium’s website and check out their fantastic array of live cams:

coral reef cam … shark cam … sea otter cam … kelp forest cam … moon jelly cam … sea nettle cam … open sea cam … penguin cam … Monterey Bay cam

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org

Get hypnotized for a while.

Almost every display, every tank in the Aquarium is interesting … and beautiful. As you can see, I couldn’t stop taking pictures.

So many bad things are happening on land these days, and the seas themselves are in danger. But there are many good people who are working to keep our oceans healthy. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is at the forefront of efforts to preserve our oceans and educate the public.

The only thing that was missing was my grandson who would have been beside himself with pleasure.

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