Family in Torre Del Greco: A week to Remember

My Grandfather was from Torre Del Greco just outside Naples Italy and most of my family is still there.  At the end of October my Great Uncle Tony, the last of my Grandfather's siblings,  turned 85 and my Mom wanted to go to Torre Del Greco for his birthday.

Meg and I had met some of my Mom's family when we were in college studying in Rome. We had spent a whirlwind weekend in Torre Del Greco where we got to travel to Vesuvius, visit Ercolano, take a walk through Naples and most importantly meet some of the family my Mom had spoken about for years. We stayed at the apartment of her Aunt Angelina and had a party at one of her cousin's home.  My Mom had first gone to Italy when she was in her 20s and then returned a few years ago after reconnecting with her family on facebook.

Our trip was two parts. The first was a trip to Rome where I literarily forced my Mom to go to everything there is to see in Rome. Then we were off to Torre del Greco.

We took an early morning train from Rome to Naples where we met with my Mom's cousin, Michele, for the last 30 minute ride to Torre Del Greco.

Photo by Meghan Keohane

After a quick stop at Michele's apartment we went for a tour of the town. We saw the amazing black sand beach.

The effects of living in the shadow of a volcano. We filled some bottles with sand as souvenirs. Cause yes we are weird :-)




Speaking of the volcano we took pictures of it at every chance we got.

We also got to walk by the apartment building where my Grandfather was born and grew up.

Photo by Meghan Keohane

photo by Meghan Keohane

The current residents were probably wondering why people where taking pictures of their building.






We walked over to the Holy Cross Basilica in town where, as the story goes, when Vesuvius erupted all the people in the town gathered in front of the church and the lava flowed around the sides of it saving the people.

photo by Meghan Keohane

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Photo by Meghan Keohane

The bell tower on the left is from before the eruption in the baroque style. The church was rebuilt in the Neo Classical style. Meghan took this photo with her new fish eye lens which she got to play with the entire trip. She is definitely a natural at photography and it didn't take her long to adjust to the lens and get some marvelous shots.

             

Photo by Meghan Keohane

These are some pictures from outside and inside the church. From the statue of the priest holding up his hand blessing the congregation and asking God's protection, the close up of the bell tower and neo-classical columns showing the difference in architectural style, the magnificent organ, and the altar honoring San Gennaro.

Now our travel to Torre Del Greco was kind of a secret. My Mom didn't want her Uncle to find out so that she could surprise him when he came to Michele's apartment, since he was her co-conspirator. She did eventually let her other cousins in on the secret and, again with Michele and his son Antonio's help, she arranged a party for us and her cousins. It was at this party when I fully realized how lucky I was to have so many family members in Italy. 

First the place was absolutely gorgeous. But what made it even better was the amount of people who were there. My Mom's cousins and their families filled the space. It was wonderful to get introduced or reintroduced since it had been so long since we had been there. Part of the wonderful thing about facebook has been keeping up with all of our family in Italy but now I have more of a connection to them. 

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Photo by Meghan Keohane

My Mom took turns taking pictures with each of her cousin's and their families

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Then she got some news that she wasn't expecting. Michele had arranged for my Mom's Aunt and Uncle to come to the party. Originally she had wanted to surprise them at my Great Uncle's birthday but now everyone got to be surprised as he entered :-)

Photo by Meghan Keohane

We spent so long mingling and talking that the poor wait staff was getting frustrated as we were falling behind in the schedule and I am sure they were wondering if they were ever going to get out of there that night. 

We knew my Mom was having a party with her cousins but we didn't know it was going to be a birthday party for us. We had cake, received flowers, and beautiful Merano glass necklace and bracelets. 

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Then they lit giant lanterns that we got to watch sail away with the town far below them.

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Hands down one of the best birthdays I will ever have.

In Rome I had gone beyond my comfort zone when it came to food and tried some new things, all of which were great. The trend continued as we visited my Mom's cousin in Caserta. 

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Pasta flavored and colored with squid ink! The only other time I had tried to have squid was at a restaurant when I had fried calamari and as I tried to eat it my Dad kept commenting on how squishy it was and other wonderful comments that made one bite enough for me. This was absolutely delicious!

We also took a trip with Michele and Antonio to Pompei.

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Later in the day we went with Michele's whole family to Sorrento.

Now my Mom told us that when we got to Sorrento we had to see the lemons. Apparently my Grandfather had always talked about the lemons from Sorrento and compared every lemon he saw to Sorrento. And they all failed in comparison. According to him the lemons were as large as melons, unlike the puny lemons we find in American grocery stores. My Mom had never believed him until she visit and saw one for herself. Now there was a lot of build up about these lemons and they did not disappoint. 

Feast your eyes on the King of the Lemons!

That's right the lemon is so large it barely fits in my hand. 

Two days later it was the day of my Great Uncle's birthday.

Photo by Meghan Keohane

Now before we had left for Italy my Uncle Greg, who had gone to Italy a few years ago with my Mom but could not come this time, recorded a video toasting his Uncle and wishing him a very Happy Birthday and many returns. So at the party my cousin Antonio, a very talented Opera singer, and my Great Uncle Tony recorded a duet for me to bring back to my Uncle and this was by far one of the greatest moments of my life. The feeling in the room was just one of over encompassing love. And watching the video over brings me right back to that night.

I have so much more to say about this wonderful trip from the castle we saw in Caserta and it Merano glass chandeliers, to the splendor of the Neapolitan Nativity, our trips to Pompei and Ercolano, Naples, and more about Sorrento. More posts will come about those. But on this Easter Sunday I wanted to think back and give thanks for my family in Italy and some truly magnificent moments in my life!

Happy Easter to my friends and family and in particular my family in Italy!

Buona Pasqua ai miei amici e parenti e in particolare la mia famiglia in Italia!

Road Trip South

Well it's been a long winter and I had really been hoping to take a road trip into Pennsylvania a few weeks ago but unnaturally cold weather and snow had prevented me from going. We thought that this week (the 28th) would finally warm up for spring and allow the trip, however, the winter fought away spring once again. Early in the week my Mom told me it was supposed to snow to the west and north of Long Island and I thought she was going to say we should skip this weekend for a road trip. But she didn't! She did say "so we need to go south".  Let me just say now. .. this is just one of the many reasons I love my Mom. It takes a special kind of person to agree to hop into a car and literarily drive in a 650 mile circle with no real goal other than looking around.

So I went home that day and looked at the current weather maps and decided that is we were going to go anywhere it would be Delaware and Maryland.  So I started to look up points of interest, roadside attractions, and things to do in those states. I wasn't looking for anything that we would have to spend hours, so no museums, I just wanted something that would be interesting to see and move on from to the next destination.

It took a couple of days of searching and using google maps to make sure I was going in the most time efficient manner (when you are doing 11-12 hours of driving you don't want to take the long way). But eventually I managed to figure out a trip that would bring us to five destinations. The stats were 11:23 driving time and 650 miles.

Trip to Maryland and Delaware

The trip out of NY had us take the Throggs Neck Bridge to the George Washington Bridge where we joined up with the Jersey Turnpike and took it south all the way through New Jersey. I didn't have any interesting points for Jersey so we were really just driving and talking. At some point "Fly Over States" by Jason Aldean came over the radio and after singing along with it my Mom commented that we were going to be moving to one of those 'fly over states'.  I said I know and that I wanted to see all of them. My Mom agreed. She said she wanted to see Amarillo, one of the places mentioned in the song, and Montana's big sky. I said I wanted to drive the Badlands and see the 'amber waves of grain' we sing about every summer.  It was a perfect song to catch our mood and our love of exploring new places.  Meg had also told me she was excited for when the two of us finally joined her in TN. Then we could use her C-Max hybrid for road trips and Schultzy would be able to come with us.

Also as we were driving on the turnpike and hitting/trying to avoid pot holes I commented to my Mom that when I get my tax returns I should really take Tramp, my Ford Sporttrac, for a tune up. You know a basic check of brakes, brake pads, shocks, tire rotation and balancing, and other things I don't know the name of but are important. I am not sure when I last had some of those things done but I love my Sporttrac and want to make sure it lasts for a very long time. This conversation will be important in a few paragraphs :-)

Our first stop on the trip was Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore MD. This stop was a late addition but had to be first because unlike the roadside attractions the cemetery had specific hours of operation. By chance while double checking the address of my original Baltimore stop a box popped up that said "nearby points of interest" and advertised the grave of Elijah Jefferson Bond aka the creator of the Ouija Board.

The website said that once you entered the gate you could stop by the office and pick up a map that would show where all the famous graves were located. Elijah Bond's wasn't marked on the map, though they are going to add it to the next map, but the caretaker pointed it out to me. I wasn't sure who else was buried there but as I walked back to the parked car I scanned the list of notable residents and saw John Wilkes Booth: actor and assassin listed. Bonus!

So I got back into the drivers seat and turned the car on to drive to Elijah Bond's grave. I grabbed the gear shift and went to pull it back out of park and it refused to move. I tried to pull it again and again it would not move out of park. I removed my foot from the brake and then reapplied pressure to no avail. I turned the car on and off and tried again (I don't know what I thought that might help) but once again it did not budge. We got out the owners manual and there was actual a line about if the car wouldn't move out of park. It instructed us to remove a small access panel from the front cup holder so we could push down on the shifter and then move it to neutral. I tried to do as it said but I didn't have a real screwdriver and I couldn't reach far enough to push the lever down. The manual also said that the problem was usually either a blown fuse or malfunctioning brake lamp. Once we exhausted all options I called AAA. I got the rep on the phone and told her that we were in Green Mount Cemetery and that I had pulled in and put my car in park and now it wouldn't get out of park so my car had died in the cemetery. She laughed and told me that the tow truck driver would be there within an hour and that if he couldn't fix it there was a repair shop 7 miles away that he could bring us too.

Then since we had an hour we got out of the car and walked towards John Wilkes Booth's grave which was close to the entrance.

The family plot was marked off with a tower that said in memory of the children of Junius Brutus and Mary Ann Booth. John Wilkes was the first name listed. The surrounding small headstones had initials etched in to them except for one in the corner with no writing on it and a collection of Lincoln pennies on top of it.









As we returned back to the car I took a picture of the chapel on the hill above some old grave stones and a remarkable head stone with an angel holding a cross.

Old gravestones are amazing with their large statues and ornate decoration.










When we got back to the car I left my Mom with it and went to walk to Elijah Bond's grave. I figured I had at least 30 minutes before the tow truck driver would get there and he was going to call my cell phone when he was on his way.

On the front of the grave was his name and "patentee of the ouija board". On the back it has a ouija board. It was pretty cool to see and a little creepy.




As I was walking back to the car I saw a gravestone with an awesome etching of a ship on it and the name Commodore Thomas Rawlings. I took out my phone to take a picture to show Meghan, because I thought she would really appreciate the etching, and it wouldn't turn on. I pushed the button on the top and the circle in the front but it didn't light up. Then I held the button down and the no battery symbol came up. Well anyone who is superstitious about ghosts will know that it is believed that ghosts drain electronic equipment batteries. So, um yeah,  it had been up at 95% when I had left the car. So I ran back to the car. I got there out of breath and my Mom asked me what happened. I explained what happened as I tried to turn my phone back on. She said "Oh I thought something happened." I replied "I'm taking pictures of the ouija board guy's grave. I stop to take another picture and my phone battery is dead. We are in a cemetery. Something did happen!!" Then I looked at my phone and it had turned back on showing 87% battery.

The tow truck driver arrived just about that time but had to drive around to find an entrance that his huge truck would fit through. When he arrived he started going through the same things we had tried. Then he crawled under the steering wheel to check the fuses which were fine and walked around to check the brake lights which were also ok. He was about to give up and tow me to the service station when he gave the shift one more try. He pulled back hard and pulled it out of park. In shock I exclaimed "how did you do that." He then realized that it was probably a safety feature. I was parked on a hill and my car probably rocked back and locked itself in park. I was glad to learn about the safety feature and that my car wasn't actually broke. So with much thanks to James, the tow truck driver, we were on our way to the next roadside attraction with a roughly two hour delay.

This one was actually about ten blocks away from Green Mount on N Charles Street. It is an office supply store called Dawn's Office Supply, named after the owner's German Shepard. It also has a giant pencil sticking out of the building over the sidewalk.

As you can see in the photo we had surprise snow showers on and off throughout out the day.


Our next location would take us out of Baltimore but we did get to see one more beautiful sight as we left the city.

A short drive out of the city brought us to Germantown Maryland and the world's largest cider bucket, actually it is a road side stand in the shape of a cider barrel.

The stand was opened in 1926 by Andrew Baker to sell cider from the nearby apple orchards during the prohibition era. Now it is closed but I think the idea is so cool. I added this to my "if I ever hit the lotto list". I would buy it and re-open it in a heartbeat.






At this point it was getting late and we hadn't eaten since we grabbed coffee at Dunkin' Donuts when we left home. Since we were in Maryland I googled some place to get crab cakes and the Dogfish Head Brewery came up as only 11 minutes away. I have seen their beers in the craft beer section of supermarkets but had never tried them before. We drove over and were seated quickly. Once I got there the temptation to order a burger, my go to item, started to take over but I resisted and ordered the Crab cakes . . . and man am I glad I did! I have always been a fan of the Crab Cakes at Gossman's Dock in Montauk but I think they met their match. These crab cakes were so tasty, filled with crab, and deliciously moist.

And it wasn't just the crab cakes that were unbelievably delicious. The crab cakes came with fries and perfectly roasted asparagus. I paired it with their Indian Brown Ale. And then followed it with a piece of cheese cake with strawberries and coffee. 

At this point we had driven south and west now we were going to turn and head east and then north. East would take us over the amazing and scary Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The bridge is one of the longest over water crossings in the world and it's heigh and narrow structure also make it susceptible to high winds. Saturday wasn't even that windy and I could still feel it pull at my car. It also took us past Kent Island, apparently the oldest English settlement in Maryland dating back to 1631. And then we continued across the Delmarva Peninsula to Lewes, Delaware. 

Why? You might ask. Well here is a little secret. Ponce de leon was never going to find the fountain of youth in Florida because it is actually in Delaware. 

See!

It says so right here!

Ok so actually this was a little underwhelming. However the fact that we were running about two hours late didn't help and the fact that my gps had me take three lefts in a row and I was pretty sure that it was screwing with me (it wasn't) had me frustrated. At this point instead of seeing the ocean behind the fountain it was pitch dark. However I did get one question answered. When I had originally looked this up the website I saw it on said there was a sign next door that said "Private Property of D.A.R" but the site didn't know what that stood for. I wish I had book marked it because I could go back and let them know that it stands for Daughters of the American Revolution. 

Finally we were ready to head back north towards home. We just had one more stop in Newark Delaware. In front of a medical center right off the highway is a giant medical bag, like the kind doctors used to carry door to door, and stethoscope.

Then we were heading north and home. We crossed back across the Delaware Memorial Bridge which stuck out in my mind because of the way it raised at the center to allow for large ships underneath it. Then continued almost the entire length of the New Jersey Turnpike to the Lincoln Tunnel, I was all bridged out so we went home via the tunnels. And at around 130am we were home.

Now I am planning my next road trip!

The Nutella star!

Sooooooooo this wonderful looking Nutella star pie had been making the rounds on social media a month or so ago. Well Friday I was at the store and I thought "Maybe I could try this!" I mean I can't bake and I have really never done anything with dough but how hard could it be? Pizza dough . . . and Nutella what could go wrong.

I started by spreading some flour on the counter and cutting my dough into four even sized pieces. Now I'm not sure what I did wrong but spreading the dough out into a thin circle was no where near as easy as it looked in the video. I mean part of the problem may have been my use of a can of cranberry sauce as a rolling pin but you got to make do, right?

It did take a while but eventually I got it rolled out and flattened enough to cut a circle and add a layer of Nutella.

Now in order to make the Nutella softer and easy to spread the video suggested putting it in a bowl of hot water. I also placed it in a plastic bag to keep the jar nice and dry.

Then I rolled out the other pieces and layered each one with Nutella until I got to the last layer.

Then I really got into it and forgot to take pictures for the next few steps, but it was going so well why would I break up my rhythm. From the picture above I put a glass at the center and cut it into quarters. Then I cut each of the quarters into halves, and then halved those so that I ended up with 16 pieces that were kind of even sized.

Next I picked up each little piece and twisted it once. You are supposed to twist it twice but my battle with the dough did not go as well as I thought and it wasn't as wide as the original pictures so I couldn't twist it around twice. But that's ok, next time will be better. Also I remembered to take a picture after I twisted each piece once.

I was really happy at this point because despite me realizing it was too short to twist twice once I stepped back and looked at it clearly was coming along nicely. The next step was to take each pair and fold the ends together giving the star eight points.

You can see the imprint from the glass that I put in the center. I think in retrospect I should have pushed down with the bottom of the glass to make a deeper indent because then at the end I could have put Nutella in the center for dipping the extra pieces of dough that I cut off when I made the circle layers.

Now in the instructions it said to brush on egg white and then bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. So I tried to separate the egg white from the yolk but I just ended up breaking the yolk and ruining it. So I used my lifeline and called my sister, since she actually knows how to bake, to ask her if I could use butter instead because I thought the point of it was just to give a golden color once baked. She told me no and that what I could do was just scramble the egg and use the whole egg. So that is what I did. And here is the finished product!!

Nutella Star Pie

So I baked it for longer than 15 minutes because it wasn't getting golden but maybe that was because I used the whole egg and not just egg white, I don't really know. Like I said before I think pressing down with the cup to make a bowl at the center might be a cool idea. Also my Mom and I were talking about making little Nutella pockets like small calzone or ravioli shaped pizza dough with Nutella filling. This would make it easier for serving in a large group cause you could just grab one (or five). Also warming it up and serving it with a little vanilla ice cream sounds totally perfect. Either way this will be made again and again and again because it is delicious. And really simple! Plus despite messing up a couple of times it still came out looking good and tasting great. So baking adventure one was a success.

Here is the video that was my inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxaDxiqTiT0

An open letter to all politicians

Dear Politicians,

I'm the person you represent. I voted for you (or didn't vote for you) and you are in the position you are in to act on my behalf. You are supposed to be voting, legislating, judging, debating, balancing, forming policy, speaking, and acting in my best interest. When you sit in your office taking phone calls and having meetings you should be asking yourself 'is this what my constituents sent me here to do?'

That's right, your constituents! Not your party or your special interest group but me, us, them, those people, or the ones back home. We are all different and you need to find a way to represent all of us. It's not easy but it is the job you signed up for knowingly.

Who am I? I'm a Republican Conservative Democrat with Libertarian tendencies. I'm middle . . .middle class, middle income, middle of the road, middle America, and somewhere near the middle politically. I'm a fiscal conservative but a social democrat.

I don't know where I stand on all the issues but I know where I stand on many. I'm willing to listen and learn about the ones were I am undecided. And you know what? I am willing to change my mind. That's right. Over time my political, economic, and social opinions change. Maybe you should try that. . . you know being open to listening. Maybe then something can get done.

I'm tired. I'm tired of the blaming, demonizing, speaking down to, and talking badly. Which, by the way, seems to be all politicians do these days. Because when you start insulting nothing gets done. People just stop listening. When you trash the people who disagree with you I hope you realize you are trashing the people you represent. No one agrees on every issue. If you can't handle difference maturely and in a productive manner then you don't belong in politics. (Side note: that means most of you don't belong in politics).

I don't want to be told what I should think, or what's best for me. I don't want to be demonized for disagreeing or made to feel like I am a mean uncaring person. I'm not, I just disagree on the means to get to an end.

I don't want to be judged by the worst of those who identify with my group (whatever group that may be take your pick). No one wants that. So don't paint a broad picture by saying everyone in that group must be like the worst. That is negative stereo typing. Whatever little box you want to paint me in because of my views, opinions, beliefs, hobbies, education, or work don't bother. I don't fit in your box. I am sure of that much.

I don't want politicians to continue behaving badly and use 'well the others started it' or 'it's what has always been done' or ' they did it to us.' as an excuse.

I want respect. I respect the fact that there are many people who like things I don't, believe things I don't, and enjoy things I don't. That's fine. That's America. Our differences make us a unique country. But then let's make that mutual. Don't disparage me for liking things you don't, believing things you don't, and enjoying things you don't. Differences don't have to mean we can't get along. It means we are different.

I want to believe that things are going to get better. I haven't seen that. I feel like I am in a hole that is getting dug around me and under me and it is getting bigger and bigger.

I was at the mall yesterday and saw a news stand (so called). It had no magazines or newspapers. It only sold lotto and candy. I laughed at it. And questioned why it even called itself a news stand. But you know what? It is very fitting. Today we have all these 24 hour news channels but all they are is candy, sweet and sour. There is no more real news and facts on those channels than there were at that stand. Just a lot of distraction.

So before you give your next speech filled with insults at the other party, or sarcastic comments, or attempts at humanizing yourself and identifying with me- stop. Your actions could do a lot more than a speech. Don't come to a debate with your mind made up. You need to negotiate. You need to be ready to listen to each side's view and willing to consider if one side sees unintended consequences of action they need to be considered not just ignored. Don't just say how wrong or evil the other party's plan is. Tell me what your plan is. Tell me how it is different and tell me why. I want to hear your policy and your plan; not how it isn't the other sides policy and plan, not why the other side is wrong, and not why you are right. I want the facts. Give me comparison of means and ends when you talk about your plan versus a different plan. Give me something that is concrete. How can I support or not support something when you won't even give me the details of what I am supposed to be choosing.

And now, dear politicians, I have something else to say. If you are reading this and thinking that I am only talking about the politicians on the other side of the aisle from you then you missed the point. I'm talking about all of you. Both sides of the aisle and all parties.

Sincerely,                          

Your Constituent.             

Mystic Aquarium

I realized at New Years that I had a bunch of blog posts I started and never finished. I think it is because I am frustrated at not having moved yet but why pout. I have a few adventures to share :-) 

This is from a late summer trip.

After seeing this video on the news of a Beluga whale playing with some kids at the Mystic Aquarium my Mom and I decided we were due for a road trip.

As far as road trips go this was a short one at only 2.5 hours. We left the house early so that we would get to the Aquarium around 10:30-11. The drive was easy since it was basically take 95 north and two left turns.  We entered and came to the Beluga whale enclosure first. At that time though the whales were eating so we decided to continue to the other exhibits and return to the whales.

The first stop was my personal favorite: Penguins, African Penguins to be specific. And these little fellows did not disappoint.

Now little known fact not only are these penguins adorable but they are also artists. The trainers apply a non-toxic paint to the feet of the penguins and allow them to wander on canvas leaving behind adorable little foot prints. They use several different paint combinations for the paintings to layer foot prints. Each one is obviously unique because the birds are just wandering at their own will.

Photos from MysticAquarium website.

And the artist at work.  :-)

The prints are framed and available for sale on the website or at the aquarium for $199.00.

Right now I am planning where I would put one in my house. Once I am settled I will certainly get one. $199 sounds like a lot for a 16x20 but the uniqueness and fact that it goes to conservation efforts I think makes it worth the price.

If anyone sees this and is interested here is a link to the website with more information about the paintings and the aquarium's many conservation programs.  http://www.mysticaquarium.org/visit/penguin-paintings

From there we went past some seals and sea lions and a special exhibit of adorable little birds who tried to climb into the pocket of my cargo shorts. Then we reached the fish area which I usually went through very quickly when I was younger at the Coney Island Aquarium but this time we took our time and looked around. I think the fact that this was a smaller Aquarium allowed us to be more relaxed since it wasn't so overwhelming about having to see everything. Anyway, we saw the amazing jelly fish in all kinds of brilliant colors. They are very peaceful to watch swimming around.

Then we moved on to a tank that had perhaps the cutest little fish I have ever seen. It is called a Scooter Benny or synchiropus ocellatus. I mean his face when he floated up and looked straight at us was adorable.

We stayed a while at the sea horses, another underwater creature I could watch for hours. I mean watching them makes me really think it would be worth all the expense and work to have a salt water tank. Then I could always just look over and watch them, from the way they flap their tiny little fins to the way they wrap their tails around the sea grass to hold themselves steady. Just watching them makes me smile.

Actually the way they flap their fins makes me think of them as the Hummingbird of the sea. It's so fast and adorable.

Then we moved on to the Beluga whale tank. They had three different viewing areas of the tank and we settled in the middle area. Juno the whale was in full form, he swam back and forth between the three areas. Juno was definitely in a playful mood. My first video of him shows him swimming by the middle section to the right. You will see his body jerk at the end because he scared some little kids. He really is pretty funny and definitely took a few passes first to find his favorite audience.

Here is Juno after another few passes stopping to say hi to some kids to my right. Two thing are clear he is very smart and playful. I love the reaction of the kids and adults watching him. They really are amazing to watch. 

He put on a nice show of his skills as he flipped and swam upside down past the crowd. I had been there for a while and he had scanned several times so I appreciated his nice little show. I really do think he looks for cameras and children.