Two weeks back my Uncle Randy and Aunt Diane came to visit! It was very exciting because it was their first visit with us.
It was also the first time we’ve hosted a doggie! This is Pooh. She’s an itty bitty Yorkie that is very sweet–unlike my beasts, who promptly ganged up on poor Pooh! We had to keep them separated. Oh, well, maybe the beasts will be nicer next time!

Uncle Randy brought a spectacular gift for Dale–a HUGE ASS FISH! It’s a long story but Dale has long wanted a Blue Marlin, preferably about 7 feet long. It turns out that having a taxidermist in the family is very useful if this if your dream! Uncle Randy surprised us with it. And Dale LOVES it. He hung it the first night they arrived and we have marveled at it ever since. It’s BIG, let me tell you.

Saturday we went to the Field Museum. I like the Field but I know it’s not for everybody. I was very happy that they enjoyed it so much.

It turns out that Aunt Diane is a major nerd for dinosaur bones! She loved it.

She also enjoyed seeing the Man Eating Lions of Tsavo–the movie The Ghost and the Darkness is based on them. They were in the midst of a huge section of taxidermied animals, many roughly 100 years old.

Dale liked this one best of all!

Not entirely surprising, Uncle Randy really enjoyed the taxidermy–he spent some time pointing out the stitches to Dale. It was pretty interesting to see it all from his perspective.

Finally, we took a drive to find a few famous gangster spots. This was Al Capone’s house back in the 30s and 40s–Uncle Randy is pretending to shoot his finger gun. Heh.

And this is the Biograph Theater where John Dillinger was gunned down right out front!

We tried to go to Al Capone’s grave but the cemetery was closed–however, Dale and I made it back there on Memorial Day–I have a pic I meant to post on Memorial Day but will have to add it later.