The next week we started doing adult observations. Much of the funding for our project comes from the Illinois tollway. 5 years ago they built a bridge through known Hines Emerald habitat, so once a summer they close down a lane of the bridge for 2 weeks (1 week in each direction) and we stand both on top of and below the bridge looking for dragonflies. We end up spending about 4 hours a day doing this, which is hot and sometimes scary work! But overall it's been pretty fun. I got to wear a yellow vest and hard hat like a construction worker and I've collected quite a few beeps ;-)
Last Saturday we decided to tak
e a day trip to Chicago, as it's a 40 minute train ride away. Bristol, Jesse, Amy and I took the train in, then got a water taxi to go down and visit Navy Pier. They are currently filming parts of transformers 3 in downtown Chicago and have the main road blocked off so we actually took the water taxi underneath of part of the set! We got to see fake debris and a car half hanging off of the draw bridge for Michigan Ave. We walked around Navy Pier and ate lunch their, then walked to the Field Museum. After that we walked to Grant park and got our pictures taken in front of the fountain with the skyline in the background and caught the train home. Overall it was a very touristy experience!!Sunday we just chilled and recovered from the blistery heat of Saturday. I'm afraid I may have gotten heat exhaustion walking around. Then Monday we did bridge observations again. It turns out that one of the many quirks of the Hines Emerald Dragonfly is that they don't like to fly when it is too hot, raining, or overcast. So on Tuesday it was too cloudy to do observations and Amy let us go into Chicago to see the aquarium. This time Tom, Jesse, and I went and made a day of it. It was crazy! There was an hour long line to get in and it was a freaking Tuesday! It was totally worth it though because we saw tons of beautiful fish, frogs, penguins, and a seal. I will eventually post some of those pictures on facebook as well when I get a chance. Then we stopped on the way home and got a proper deep dish Chicago pizza, which I never want to eat again. The thing weighed as much as a small child...
Yesterday was more bridge observations and today was mostly cleaning and inventory. Tonight is the last night we will all be together then we will split up amongst Door County, a trip the Upper Peninsula of MI, and here in Lemont. I will be staying in Lemont because next week is my last week working here :0( I will be home for the first week of August to present at ESA, then to Miami to visit Marquis!!!!! for a week, then out to Indy to chill with my rock star niece and nephew. Phew what a crazy and awesome summer.
<3
