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Fish in the Shedd

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Operation Bandicoot, Day 6, July 15.

Our target for this day was the Shedd Aquarium, which is one of the better aquariums in North America. This was our second visit to this particular place, our first being from a previous trip a few years back. The Shedd is famous for some of it’s more exotic offerings, such as beluga whales, otters, and several types of penguins. They also have a few arapaima, which are favorites of Caitlin.

All kinds of fish can be seen at the Shedd.

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They also have different kinds of penguins…

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…and reptiles.

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The beluga whales are a very popular and unique attraction at this facility.

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Here is Caitlin with her favorite type of fish.

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Some creatures, like the otters and dolphins, refused to hold still long enough for me to take their picture, so this is only a sample of what the Shedd has to offer. I’ve been to several aquariums over the years, and I can honestly say that the this is one of the best. If you’re ever in Chicago, I strongly recommend paying this aquatic zoo a visit.

Next: Chicago gallery

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    Get Medieval!

    Medieval Times, Schaumberg, Illinois

    Operation Bandicoot, Day 5, July 14, continued.

    Another stop for this day was the Medieval Times dinner theater. also in Schaumberg, Illinois. Actually, Michael and I sat this one out, but Lisa and Caitlin had a great time!

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    While I stayed home for this one, I have attended this theater before, and I remember it being a load of fun. Sometimes the camp and corn factor goes through the thatch roof, but that’s half the fun. Apparently this theater has several rotating stories, so each time you attend you’ll get a different show. That was news to me, but after thinking about it, that makes perfect sense. If nothing else, the performers would get sick of doing the same show over and over again! I suspect it’s something akin to summer stock theater, at least in terms of business operations.

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    Michael doesn’t do well in dark, noisy places like movie theaters. We figured that attending a dinner theater with clashing swords and galloping horses would be asking for trouble. So, he and I stayed home and played with his new Duplos.

    Next: Fish in the Shedd

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    Everything is awesome!

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    Legoland

    Operation Bandicoot, Day 5, July 14

    Our target for this day was the Legoland discovery center in Schaumburg, Illinois. (Just outside of Chicago.) Caitlin has been to this place before, but it was new for Lisa and I. If you’re read other parts of this blog, then you know that I am a fan of building toys. Building toys, regardless of title, are excellent tools for inspiring imagination. Caitlin has a sizable collection of Lego bricks, while Michael has the younger variant, Duplo.

    Here are some photos from the Lego center:

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    The Lego representations of Chicago were very impressive and detailed. There was also a lot of humor stuck in. Such as heavy traffic and constant road construction. Also, if you look carefully, Batman can be found on the Sears (Willis) Tower.

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    Caitlin had a blast, but I’m afraid Michael became over-stimulated and hard to handle. But even so, he managed to have some fun in the play area after touring the center.

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    Next: Get Medieval!

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    Get your motor running

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    Operation Bandicoot, day 3, July 12
    This was actually a down day, and we didn’t do much of anything other than visit with the gathered family members. After all that driving, it was nice to be away from the wheel for a while.

    Day 4, July 13
    Lisa has a lot of family in the upper Midwest, especially in Wisconsin. So, we arranged to have a mini-reunion of sorts in Milwaukee, which is sort of the half way point between Chicago and the Appleton area where they live. The designated meeting spot was the Harley Davidson Museum, showcase of the last great American motorcycle!

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    Skyler, Quinn, Caitlin, Nicholas, Gabriel, and Michael, at the museum entrance.

    I actually found the museum very interesting, and I’m not a biker. If nothing else, I now have a lot of new ideas for Erector models! I took a lot of photographs of many historic motorcycles. Here are some of the ones I found interesting.

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    Here are a few that were just plain weird.

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    And here are some bikes that were featured in major motion pictures:

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    Easy Rider and Terminator 2.

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    Captain America: First Avenger.

    The museum has a section where people can pose on actual bikes. We made good use of that.

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    In all honestly, I would never want to own a motorcycle. I think they are fascinating pieces of engineering, but I don’t trust my sense of balance enough to seriously want to ride one.

    But if I did own a motorcycle, it would look like this:
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    The museum has an interactive application where you can design a custom bike using features from many classic Harley Davidson models. This image was generated from that application.

    After the museum, the batch of us went to a local pub and grill called Soblemans, where we all ate huge burgers with all kinds of fried side dishes. After this, I figured my A1C was trashed for the month.

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    Clockwise from lower left:
    Jason Fritz (cousin of Lisa), Mary Vedeckis (Lisa’s mom), Wayne Vedeckis (Lisa’s dad), Michael (partly obscured), Lisa, me, Nicholas Farley (nephew, partially obscured), Greg Farley (brother in law), Kathy Farley (Lisa’s sister), Gabriel Farley (nephew, hidden from view), Caitlin, Skyler Fritz (cousin), Quinn Fritz (cousin), Thomas Fritz (Lisa’s uncle by marriage), and Kelley Fritz (cousin). Photograph by Joline Fritz (cousin by marriage).

    After lunch, we all went our separate ways. On the way back to Crystal Lake, we took a rest stop at a small Wisconsin town with personal significance: Lake Geneva.

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    What’s important about Lake Geneva? Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, was the corporate location of the game company Tactical Strategic Rules, better known as TSR Inc. Their claim to fame (infamy?) was the original Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game system. I can safely say that from the late 1970’s and well into the 1980’s, most of my allowance money ultimately ended up in this town. In fact, I made regular contributions to this town’s economy until the company closed in the late 1990’s. In 2003, I got married and realized I no longer had time for role-playing games. At some point in the near future, my collection of TSR materials is likely to show up on ebay.

    Next: Everything is awesome!

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