Cloquet, MN - September 15-21

Monday, September 15: Happy birthday to me! One more year down the drain and another looming ahead. Thankfully, I’m healthy and doing what I love, with the man in my life who brings me such happiness and makes me laugh. Onward…

This week we were able to spend time with family and friends.

Monday was a beautiful day, although it was really cool in the morning: 39° at 7 a.m. The sun was shining and the temps did warm up to the low 70s, so we were able to bring Mom out into the garden that afternoon. We want to take advantage of as many nice days as possible with her in the garden. It’s so peaceful there; you can even hear the bees buzzing among the flowers if you listen carefully.

While we were there the resident green parrot, Taco, was in the reception area, so we introduced Mom to him, and fed him crackers when he asked for them. He's quite the ham, and very entertaining. Everyone really enjoys him. ("Taco's a pretty boy." "Taco wants a cracker.") Here's a link to his antics.

Red Lobster beckoned on Tuesday, as we joined 11 family members for the fall birthday lunch, celebrating my aunt Fern’s birthday, and mine. Six relatives drove down from Grand Marais, 3 came up from the Minneapolis area, 2 from Duluth, and Dick and me. (Mom is unable to attend, but I know she'd be there if she could.) We always have such fun when we get together, laughing, sharing stories, and talking. We never run out of things to say...ha!

L to R: My uncles David and Erland, Uncle Don and Aunt Ruth

L to R: Cousin Kim, Aunt Fern, Uncle Kenny, me, Aunt Glenna,
Uncles David, Erland and Don, and Aunts Ruth and Bernice

L to R: Uncles David, Erland, Don, Aunt Jan, Cousins Beverly
and Kim, Aunt Fern and Uncle Kenny

Before we headed back to Cloquet, we did another touristy thing: we visited the Great Lakes Aquarium, the largest fresh water aquarium in North America—in Duluth—who knew? What a wonderful attraction, down by the harbor in Duluth. The back side overlooks the Duluth-Superior Harbor, where huge freighters pass by daily.

Opened in 2000, the aquarium features animals and habitats found within the Great Lakes basin and other freshwater ecosystems, including the Amazon River. The aquarium houses over 205 different species of fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Since 2008 it has come under new management, and from what we've learned, has improved dramatically since then.

The Water Wall in the lobby of the aquarium

The Water Wall with a huge catfish hanging above

Above and below: video displays of what to
expect as you tour the aquarium. Really cool!

We were quite impressed with the 2-story,  85,000 gallon fresh water tank which houses all fresh water species found in the Great Lakes: trout (lake, rainbow, brown and brook), lake sturgeon, perch, and walleye.

The photo above and 2 below are of the 85,000 gallon fresh
water aquarium, home to fish found in the Great Lakes.

Lake Sturgeon found in the Great Lakes that can grow to 6 feet in length and
weigh in at over 200 pounds!

One of the main attractions is the new “Shipwrecks Alive!” exhibit, which opened in the spring of 2014, featuring how sea life makes their home in shipwrecks, specifically wrecks in the Great Lakes and the SS America which wrecked in 1918 near Isle Royal in Lake Superior. Strong winds and waves have caused most of the 350 shipwrecks on Lake Superior. The lake's average temperature of 40° doesn't allow for many lives to be saved, as hypothermia sets in quickly. Up to 95% of Lake Superior can freeze over in the winter. Occasionally the entire lake surface will freeze over.

One of the stairways from the SS America, with
some of the china found in the wreckage.

Part of the hull of the SS America

In addition to these two exhibits, there is an aviary, otter house, exhibits of fresh water tropical fish as found in the Amazon, a Great Lakes water table with an example of how the locks of the Great Lakes operates, an interactive wave display, and much more.

An example of the terrain at Baptism River on the
north shore of Lake Superior

A part of the aviary at the aquarium, housing about a dozen
different birds, along with turtles

Above and below: the water display of the locks of
the Great Lakes. It's interactive for kids "of all ages" to enjoy.

The Otter Cove, with 2 otters (not on display when we were there)

An interactive "wave generator" showing how waves form

We were also impressed with the vast array of fresh water amphibians, reptiles and fish.

A very rare albino bull frog, which can grow up to 10"
in length, not including the length of their legs.

Here's a video of some of the tropical fish we saw. Amazing!

And, one of the sharks and stingrays. Cool!

Amazon Pufferfish

Freshwater Anemone

Annularis Angelfish

One of the exhibits at the aquarium

Bonded Leporinus

Goldfish

Marble Angelfish

Red Head Tapajos

Pot-bellied Sea Horse

Red-eared Slider Turtle

Here's a link to the red-eared slider turtle. The longer we watched him, the funnier it seemed!

Red-bellied Piranhas

Round Goby, an invasive species

Can't figure out what this is so if anyone knows let us know!

Above and below: one of the aquariums housing
fresh water tropical fish from the Amazon. Beautiful!

One of the cool exhibits is the National Forest, located on the 2nd floor of the aquarium. There's huge tree, into which kids can enter and climb around to learn about the forest, its creatures, and preservation efforts.

Entrance to the "National Forest" exhibit

One of the invasive species introduced into the Great Lakes as early as the 1800s through man-made locks and shipping canals is the lamprey. By the 1940s lamprey had invaded all of the great lakes doing great damage to the fish and fishing industry. Lamprey attach themselves to fish with their "sucking disk" and sharp teeth, rasping through scales and skin to feed on the fish's bodily fluids and flesh, often causing the fish to die. During its parasitic lifetime of about 6 years, lamprey can kill 40+ pounds of fish. As an example of their destruction, the catch of fish in Lake Superior dropped from about 4.5 million pounds of fish to 368,000 pounds in 1961.They are so ugly!

There were 9 lamprey on display in this aquarium. Yuck!

Later that afternoon we attended another of MacKenzie’s soccer games. Playing against a JV team from Hibbing, MN, her team won 9:0. We were so excited when MacKenzie scored a goal on her corner kick! Woot-woot!!

That evening, my birthday celebration continued at Appleby’s, where we had dinner with my brother Rich, his wife Karen, and our niece MacKenzie. It was a special time and we enjoyed our time with family.

Wednesday, Dick attended to some maintenance on the 5^th wheel and truck: finishing the slide awning that we reinstalled last week, installing a new rear jack switch, and installing a hose clamp on the truck. He also fixed the windshield mount on the motorcycle…one busy guy!

We were excited Thursday to see MacKenzie after she had her braces removed, after 2 years. Beautiful! (We'll really miss her when we leave...)

That afternoon we once again visited Mom for about an hour. The weather was really cold at about 48°, so we opted to stay inside to visit her. Then we attended another soccer game, this time in Duluth, at Proctor. Never thought we’d be wearing winter jackets, ear muffs, gloves and hats at this time in September, but we had to, or we’d freeze! We even huddled under a heavy blanket to stave off the cold. Even amid the cold wind off Lake Superior and a bruiser of a team, MacKenzie’s JV team won 5:0. Woot-woot!

We wore our winter garb, huddled under heavy blankets, while the girls
were toughing it out in their shorts and jersey t-shirts. BRRRRR!!!

We’re continuing to clean out some of the stuff that has accumulated at Mom’s, so on Friday we took 4 boxes of books to the Cloquet Library for one of their book sales. We also dropped off a few bags of clothes and shoes to Goodwill. All this means we have just a few things less to deal with when it comes time to put the house on the market.

That evening we joined friends for dinner in Duluth, at Red Lobster. I knew Cindy from years ago in Grand Marais, where we both grew up; I had met her husband Ray later in Duluth, through Youth For Christ in which we were both involved. What a wonderful evening catching up on years gone by, updates on family, and future plans. They purchased a Class C motor home earlier this year and are enjoying their treks through the U.S. They plan to be in Bayfield, WI later this week, when we will be in that area after leaving Cloquet on the 24^th, so hopefully we’ll see them again there.

Friends Ray and Cindy; they look as I remember from years ago.

My brother Ron arrived from Roseau, MN on Saturday for a quick overnight trip. We attended another soccer game that afternoon. Fortunately, the weather was beautiful at about 68° and sunny; unfortunately, the outcome was not in MacKenzie’s team’s favor, as they lost 1:0 due to a miscalled penalty kick. 

Cloquet's JV girls' team

After the game we went to visit Mom again, spending time with her in the garden. The weather was sunny and warm, with temperatures in the mid-60s. Because the garden is surrounded on 4 sides by the care center building, it’s pretty protected from winds that might otherwise spoil the outing.

My brother, Dr. Ron

Ron, Mom and me in the garden, as I read to them

After pizza at home, we watched the movie, “God's Not Dead.” For those who haven’t seen the movie, it’s the story of a present-day college freshman and devout Christian, Josh, who finds his faith challenged by an argumentative Philosophy professor, who begins class by informing students that they will need to disavow, in writing, the existence of God on that first day of class, or face a failing grade. Josh refuses, and thus is assigned the task of proving God’s existence, and ultimately facing his professor in a head-to-head debate. All through the semester Josh is faced with the knowledge that if he fails to convince his classmates of God’s existence, he will not only fail the class, but will also put his academic goals in jeopardy. This is an excellent movie that will challenge you to explore what you really believe about God. Oh, and there are special appearances by “Duck Dynasty’s” Willie and Korie Robertson, and by the Christian super-band, Newsboys. We challenge you to see the movie and decide what you believe.

Sunday after church and lunch, Ron, Dick, Rich and I visited Mom for a while before Ron headed back to Roseau, about 5½ hours away. The weather was perfect, allowing us to spend time in the garden again.

Brother Rich with Mom

Mom with Rich (L), Ron (R) and me.

This was our last full week in Cloquet, before we leave Wednesday the 24^th for the Bayfield, WI area for a few days, as we start our trek south to Texas. It’ll be difficult to leave Mom, knowing we won’t see her again ‘til we return in the spring, but she’s where she needs to be, receiving the care she needs.

Hope this finds you well. We look forward to seeing you down the road.

Love ‘n’ hugs,

RJ and Gail