So we are back in Minneapolis. We finished our posters and papers. I can’t wait to go back to Puerto Rico.

The pics are from our visit to the Port Wing Boreal Forest with the teachers participating in the Rivers2Lake program.

One of the activities of the camp was to learn to craft bawa’iganaak (knockers), used for harvesting manoomin. It was a unique experience for me. Completed one knocker and the other is a work in progess.

These past days we have been helping Erika in the Journey Garden at Fond du Lac. It has been really nice spending time with her harvesting fruits, vegetables and herbs. We also help her with weeding. It’s incredible how been under the sun and ripping that weed out feels good, its relaxing.

This past week has been really busy with compiling data, taking and prepping samples at the same time. But this is part of the job and the learning process. For fun this weekend, we went water rafting. I did not fell out of the raft, so I am proud of myself. Did not know I could do it. 

The visit to Fond du Lac’s Resource Management Office from Monday to Wednesday was extraordinary. We went stream fish electroshocking!!! It was hard work specially cause we used wetsuits. Fell like 10 times, got my feet stuck between rocks and got stuck again in mud hahaha. They also introduced us to the Air Quality Staff. It is amazing the amount a job they do with so little personnel. Everybody is wonderful, responsible and organized. Can’t wait to go again.

Today LeAnn and I visit the aquarium and really enjoyed watching the vast diversity of freshwater fish. We saw and touch sturgeons (big fish), horseshoe crabs and jellyfishes. In addition, we encounter ourselves randomly with a mini fair and finally ate at Grandma’s Saloon and Grill. I drank a Huckleberry Mojito and it was really really good..

We went to Perch Lake and North Bay to collect mud and it was fun. At first the stink and the look of the mud was disgusting (as you can see in my facial expression) but after a while a got the hang of it. End it up covered all in mud hahahaha. I also got in my first canoe too. 

Before coming to Minnesota I already wanted to go to the Garden Rose in Duluth. Today we found it and it was wonderful. There were not so many roses because they’re experiencing problems but still it is a beautiful place. We encountered a wedding photo shoot at the place also.

So today LeAnn and I decided to take a drive to see the lake and encountared ourselves with this really interesting festival. I did not know what rhubarb was and I saw some big big rhubarb hahaha 

With the human sized rhubarb

I really enjoyed the four days I spent on the park. It was something totally new for me. Looking forward to what’s left of our time now in Duluth.