by Noella Noelophile®
(Royalty-free image by CrispSpaces from Pixabay.)
Happy New Year! May 2021 be a much better year, for everyone.
With that said, you do realize, it’s still Christmas. At least until January 6th, Twelfth Night.
Normally, this blog would include places to go to keep the Christmas spirit going. With the pandemic, let’s focus on virtual, instead.
Here are some virtual activities you might like to keep in mind.
Aquarium of the Pacific have just started their “Tropical Pacific Gallery Virtual Tour”. These allow guests to explore the Aquarium’s newest exhibit, “Coral Reefs: Nature’s Underwater Cities”. According to the Aquarium’s website, the tour includes presentations from animal experts, with Q and A sessions.
In addition, you’ll get to see Sula, the Aquarium’s red-footed booby, take a short flight through the Aquarium’s Tropical Tunnel.
Aquarium virtual tours are $10 per person, and last for 45 minutes. This weekend’s happens on Sunday, January 3 at 12:45. Here’s the link for information.
And you’ll recall that the Aquarium started virtual tours of the Northern Pacific Gallery in December.
I promptly fell in love with “Groot”, a young Giant Pacific Octopus. Northern Pacific Gallery tours continue today, Saturday, January 2, at 1:30 pm, and you can book future tours next Saturday, January 9th, or the following weekend, January 16th, at this link. Again, the cost is $10 per person, and the proceeds help to support the Aquarium. Tours last for 45 minutes.
(Royalty-free image by Lubos Houska from Pixabay.)
Now, would you like something amazing to read? I thought I did a lot of fun reading, but Long Beach community activist/Chief Inspiration Officer Justin Rudd takes top honors here. His Facebook page names his “Top 80 books of 2020” and I’m just going to have to get busy! (I can personally recommend “All the Light We Cannot See” and “Cane River” but a lot of the others have me tempted!)
(Royalty-free image by congerdesign from Pixabay.)
On the subject of Justin’s activities, his nonprofit Community Action Team is currently conducting a “Sock It to ‘Em” sock drive for the homeless. If you’re in a position to donate, they’d welcome your support. The goal: 14,000 pairs of socks to give to the homeless by January 31.
(Royalty-free image by yabadene belkacem from Pixabay.)
And finally–wish I’d known about this before the Christmas season, but you can bet I’m checking it out now! Anaheim has something magical in the making: a “Museum of Make Believe“!
Their website says they’re “dedicated to preserving the art of storytelling”. They’re also all about creative magic: their blog showcases the work of some very gifted artists. I especially love the magical video, “The Enchanted Forest by Kelsey Irvin (brings back lots of great memories of capturing fireflies in a jar on summer evenings back East, ‘way back when!), and Geoff Mitchell’s enchanting 1/7th scale miniature room, The Hourglass.
And here’s one more Christmas present! The Museum of Make Believe’s Instagram page features their “Christmas Fairytales” virtual storytelling performance, featuring original late-1800’s handpainted glass slides!
Museum of Make Believe’s site says, “The story begins soon”, and I’ll hope to bring you updates as we come out of this pandemic and can safely gather again!