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Great afternoon visiting the Shedd Aquarium. Always one of my favorite places in Chicago.

Visitors gather around a large circular aquarium tank beneath an ornate domed skylight at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Spiny lobster with long antennae standing on a gravel bottom in an aquarium tank with rocky coral formations behind it. Dozens of brook trout with white-spotted olive backs and vivid red-orange fins swimming in a dense school at an aquarium exhibit. Visitors stand before a massive floor-to-ceiling aquarium tank filled with sharks, tropical fish, and coral reef at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

The iPhone 13 Pro wide-angle lens is really nice for shooting aquarium scenes.

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In Chicago so need to have some Chicago-style deep dish! Stop at Lou Malnati’s in Schaumburg for lunch! Chicago Classic (half just cheese). Yum!

Family of four smiling in front of Lou Malnatis Pizzeria sign outside the Schaumburg location Chicago-style deep dish pizza slices in a dark pan with thick tomato sauce, plus a served slice on a white plate dusted with Parmesan
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Tomorrow morning we take off for our MEA 2021 Road Trip. We are stopping in Chicago, Louisville, and Indianapolis! 🛣

Google Maps route from Minneapolis to Louisville via Chicago and Indianapolis, 1417 miles, 21 hours 58 minutes driving time.
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POAP 2159624 at Early Issuers.

Circular purple badge reading Early Issuer 2021 and WAGMI with a gold key and scalloped POAP seal in the center
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My book club enjoyed a delightful walk in Wood-Rill SNA tonight discussing Nature & Walking by Emerson and Thoreau.

Narrow wooden boardwalk trail winding through a lush autumn forest with yellow, orange, and green foliage at Wood-Rill SNAForest edge at Wood-Rill SNA in peak autumn color, with red and orange maple trees lining a dry meadow under a cloudy sky.Tall deciduous trees with green and yellow autumn foliage in Wood-Rill SNA, a fallen log on the forest floor belowNarrow leaf-covered trail winding through a dense Minnesota forest with trees showing early autumn color changes

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Mazie did some parking lot driving for the first time tonight! We found an empty parking lot and did start / stop, figured out some basic turning, and a little backing up. She did really great!

Three people giving thumbs up inside a car, celebrating a first parking lot driving lesson.
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Tyler introduced the family to Machi Koro tonight and we had a great time playing it. Easy to learn, fast to play, and fun strategy options.

Machi Koro 5th Anniversary Edition board game box on a table with cards, coins, and game components spread out mid-play.
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Mazie doing homework.
Mazie: Dad, do you know what a polyatomic ion is?
Me: Ahhhh, no.
Me now reading Wikipedia.

Officially entered into that stage where your kids homework is too hard for me.

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We had a nice campfire tonight and then decided to watch a DVD in the camper. We picked The Great Outdoors. Some good laughs, but a lot of pretty bad movie in between. 🤣😬

Movie poster for The Great Outdoors featuring two men on a dock, one in fishing gear tangled in a line, a raccoon nearby.
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We visited Willow River State Park in Wisconsin for the first time today. We all were impressed with the falls. I even got to watch some trout working their way upstream.

Multi-tiered waterfall cascading over limestone rock shelves at Willow River State Park in Wisconsin, surrounded by autumn treesTiered waterfall cascading over layered limestone ledges in a rocky gorge at Willow River State Park Wisconsin with visitors on the banksTrout leaping up a rushing waterfall at Willow River State Park, surrounded by white churning water and rocky ledges.