Category: Animals

On vacation

Posted on

I’m so happy to be on vacation! Yes, it’s only 5 days away from work, but those are 5 desperately needed days. I was *this close* to ripping someone’s head off today. But now I’m at home feeling much better after our walk.

Although we were almost attacked by two very pissed off robins. A baby robin was hopping along the sidewalk and apparently we got too close because suddenly two adult robins were chirping up a storm and flying past our heads. Even as we continued away from the baby robin they kept hopping through the trees following us and chirping loudly. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I have no doubt had we actually touched the baby robin, we’d be dead with our eyes pecked out. Those were some fiercely protective parents, let me tell you.

So back to the relaxing. The house is super clean thanks to the hubby who has all this week off. Yesterday he cleaned the bathrooms, washed the floors, did a bunch of laundry (he even washed all our linens), and went to the store. I haven’t had to lift a finger. I came home tonight to chicken with potatoes in the crock pot. It was good too. I love and appreciate my hubby every day, but he gets mega points for all that.

Tomorrow is our 4th of July BBQ, although it might be an indoor one the way the weather forecast is looking. Then Thursday we’re off to Indianapolis to visit the Indy Zoo and some other sites that are still undetermined. I am so excited to visit the zoo’s dolphin dome, you don’t even know! I also can’t wait to see all the butterflies in the gardens nearby. I better go clear my memory cards and charge some batteries while I’m thinking about it.

Elusive critters

Posted on

Nature is out in full force right now. I saw two different animals in the past 24 hours that I can’t recall spotting in quite a long time.

Yesterday it was a fawn walking by the side of the road when we were on the way back from the movie theatre. It was so small and cute! And hopefully not future roadkill.

This morning it was a coyote crossing the street on the way into work.

I wish I could have gotten pictures of both, but I didn’t have my camera on me. Plus who had time? I was lucky to see either one at all!

Our “pet” squirrel

Posted on1 Comment

She’s our unofficial pet. One that doesn’t make a mess, but provides entertainment. As soon as she sees us, she runs up to the door. She was raiding the bird-feeder this afternoon when she saw me and then jumped up on the screen! Then when I opened the door to toss her some unsalted peanuts, she tried to come inside. She’s very daring. After snacking, she decided to eat lying down. What a character!

Squirrel on screen
Lazy

Shedd Aquarium

Posted on2 Comments

We did it! We finally made it to the Shedd Aquarium and I’m glad we waited as long as we did because it was a gorgeous day! Getting there was a bit tricky however since most streets connecting Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Dr. were blocked, and the museum campus can be confusing. I can’t imagine how the poor tourists handle it when us Chi-town natives get turned around! But eventually we made it and best yet, we secured free parking by the Adler Planetarium which is walking distance from both the Shedd and the Museum of Natural History. Usually you have to feed the meters, but not on Sundays.

Chicago skyline

When we got to the aquarium there was no line whatsoever. They ask for your zip code when you’re buying tickets and we always give my parents’ (not sure why), which unbeknown to us got us a 25% discount. Score! I guess they should check I.D. or something. We got the All-Access pass which included a 3D SpongeBob Squarepants movie but we skipped that because it’s the same exact movie we saw three years ago at King’s Island in Ohio.

We spent most of our visit on the lower-level of the Oceanarium watching the beluga whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, and penguins. Those penguins are hilarious! I could sit and watch them for hours. We also saw the infamous Komodo Dragon as well as a bunch of lizards which are easy to photograph since they barely move.

Beluga Whale @ The Shedd

Eventually we made it through the entire aquarium in about three hours. We even took our time, but the place isn’t that big. It wasn’t too crowded, though, which was very nice. There were hardly any incidents where someone got in the way while I was trying to take a picture.

As we left, there was line out the door and down the stairs. It was incredible! I guess that’s what you get when you arrive late. I always like to get to museums when they open to avoid that craziness.

Shedd Aquarium

We were going to have lunch in the aquarium but I couldn’t stomach the thought of paying $7 for a hot dog, so we walked over to a concession stand outside and got food there. We just relaxed for a bit and enjoyed the people and seagull watching.

After lunch we walked around the lakefront getting photos of the skyline and the other museums nearby. We also got ice cream before we left. In all, a fantastic day.

I think our next trip to the city will be to visit the Adler Planetarium. I haven’t been there since before Joe and I got together and Joe hasn’t been there since he was a kid.

Adler Planetarium

More photos from our day can be viewed here.