My husband and I decided to take a cruise out of New Orleans and came in one day before the departure to enjoy some time in the French Quarter. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate.

The only place I could safely pull out my camera was in doorways of courtyards.

Occasionally the rain would slacken enough for me to use my hood to protect the camera, as I did here along the Mississippi river.

We decided to go to the New Orleans aquarium -- as did a thousand or more other folks.

It was fascinating to watch the divers cleaning the tanks and checking the coral and fish.

Colorful fish were very difficult to capture without a tripod, but I did my best to steady the camera against the edge of the tank or a nearby post. I would LOVE to have a saltwater aquarium again.

Such lovely tanks and fish.

I'll definitely put a large aquarium on my list of things to buy when I hit the lottery!