Back from Chicago

Pix will be coming soon, but here's some of the natives I got a chance to get pix of:
Sturgeon (Lake I believe)
Paddlefish
Longnose Gar
Spotted Gar
Walleye
Many minnows
Almost every type of sunfish
Northern Pike

There were many more, but I didn't have time to stay and get pictures of them all.

I was just at the Aquarium of the Americas last Sunday. Looks like the albino alligator (1 of 'em anyway) made it through the flood. For those of you who don't know, the aquarium houses mainly New World fishes. Lots of NA natives. Didn't see any darters tho', and the only shiners I remember were golden. Lots of SW stuff.

Below: A view of the Amazon exhibit from the catwalk.

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Below: On the catwalk, the guy in the white cap is grasping for a piece of the action

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I think this was the Mississippi River exhibit...

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I was really more interested in photographing people than fish. Funny, I used to be just the opposite!

Here's a picture of a paddlefish. Sorry for the poor quality, but they don't stop moving, especially when there are little kids pounding on the glass.

Nice paddlefish

toddler in stroller is first to notice the scary man with camera

Yeah, it's funny - a LOT of kids seemed really interested in me. One little girl asked me if I was a cowboy (I was in street clothes except for my Tilley hat, which doesn't look like a cowboy hat), others just stared. Some other kids came up to me at different times. I don't know what attracts them to me. The adults don't pay me any attention, except for the ones who want to tell me, "Hey, do you know who you look like?" Me: "Um, Robin Williams?" Strange adult "Yeah! You look just like him. <aside> "Don't he look just like Robin Williams?"

I don't actually look like Robin Williams, but I hear that ALL the time! So, maybe kids think I'm Mrs. Doubtfire or Popeye - something like that.