My family went to Chicago and Madison, WI for summer vacation. We visited the Brookfield Zoo and the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. And YES — we were there for the rally and parade of the Blackhawk’s Stanley Cup win.

I learned a few facts at the aquarium,  like penguins can actually be pretty ferocious fighters with one another. Once they catch hold of each other they do not let go! I also learned that a starfish can be cut in half and then that missing half will totally regenerate. I don’t suggest you cut a starfish in two to check this out, though. Let’s just trust what the experts told us! IMG_1412IMG_1409

I also learned that there are less than 3,000 California sea otters left in the wild. They started dying off as a result of the Exonn Valdez spill many years ago. It’s good to know that there are places like Shedd Aquarium trying to take care of them and bring back their numbers.IMG_1392

JoeBites Auction

Don’t forget to bid at my auction starting Monday, July 8 at 8 a.m. (CT). All proceeds go to my pet projects, the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge and the Center for Animal Research & education (Big Cat CARE). You can link to each organization’s websites from my blog.

I try to raise money money for them and this is my big fundraiser for the year, so I hope you will join in the fun.

It will be real easy to do: starting July 8, place your bid in the “comment” box under each item posted on this blog. In your first “comment” bid (in case you are the highest bidder) please indicate if you would like your money to help the Fort Worth Nature Center, Big Cat CARE, or split evenly between both organizations. You only have to make this specification one time in your first bid. You may come back to this post and add incremental bids in a new “comment” box under this post as many times as you wish.

THANKS!