When I got to Aquarena Center, the wetlands and the Spring Lake were covered by mist. It was a mystical sight. From the mist, I heard rhythmical motor sounds. I saw the Aqua Harvester working on the lake, and in the background of the Aqua Harvester, the hill was blackish or smeared by the mist. It was a three dimensional moment.
Mr. Heard and another diver were about to dive at the kayak dock. They were heading to clear the Algae, which grows on the bottom of the lake with a red and white blade-like tool which is called a “machete.” After the Algae was cut loose from the lake bottom and floated up to the surface, Mr. Wallendorf scooped up the Algae with the Aqua Harvester. The Aqua Harvester even went the mouth of the river to pick up the floating Algae.
After Mr. Wallendorf scooped up Algae from the lake, he docked the Aqua Harvester at the Aqua Harvester dock, which is located on the right side of the boardwalk entrance. I was curious how he unloads all the collected Algae from the Aqua Harvester, so I stood beside the dock to watch. The Aqua Harvester dock is very narrow, but he skillfully docked that huge machine easily. He pointed to the bank beside the machine and said that there was a snake called the Water Moccasin; he added that it was not the poisonous type. His sharp eyes did not miss anything on his way.
Mr. Wallendorf parked the Aqua Harvester in the head-in position, and attached the conveyer belt of the Aqua Harvester with the long conveyer belt which stayed at the dock permanently. Then, he drove the truck under the land conveyer belt to catch the unloading Algae.
He shifted and reversing the movement of the Aqua Harvester conveyer belt toward the land conveyer belt. It was fun to watch piling of Algae traveling the both conveyer belts, and at the end of the land conveyer, Algae dropping onto the waiting truck. Mr. Wallendorf said that Rick, the landscaper, would add these collected Algae to the compost for nourishing the trees, flowers, and grasses on the university grounds, and he drove away the truck to the processing facility. Estimated annual Algae that collected by the Aqua Harvester were about 400 tons. It is wonderful to see that everything is recycled.
A juvenile Yellow-Crowned-Night Heron was on the concrete path and following a squirrel toward a small hexagonal structure in front of the Swiss Sky Ride. The squirrel was acting up, and climbing trees and running around busily. It was cute to watch that the squirrel and the young bird staying nearby each other beside the small hexagonal structure for a while.
Three students from the Center for Archaeological Studies, Texas State University, led by Mrs. Leezer, were resuming the excavation beside of the Aquarena Center Office near the Aquarium. There was thunder storm in the early evening yesterday. The air was a little cooler, and the soil had been softened by the rain this morning.
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