Aluminum Flashing is the Worst Material In the World

Seriously. Today was probably the most work intensive day I've had on the island, so this post is going to be a short one. All we really did today was break down an old experiment featuring lots and lots of pens. Each pen was set up as a square, with aluminum flashing as the sides and a 2x4 at each corner. Breaking it down required pulling it out of a foot of marsh mud by the 2x4. Basically had to wiggle each corner loose.

It didn't come out super cleanly, though, and the flashing is super sharp, so myself and my 3 undergrad comrades (one of whom sadly had to leave today, but she's getting to go down to another UF research site) are basically coated in tiny, super fine but shallow micro-cuts from handling the stuff.

And then it was all marched across the marsh for about 1/4 of a mile to the truck. For 60+ cages. In the heat, and the movement hindering muck.

Oof. I am sore in many, many places, and quite tired, but it's a good tired. At least we got it (mostly) done. Still more to do tomorrow though. And I need to think more on my own project, which I'm supposed to have mostly figured out by the end of the week. Very busy, but it's still been a great summer so far. Just need to figure out how to get myself to Jenn for a bit, or vice versa. I misses her.

Sidenote, they may be obnoxiously common,

Each of those specks is a crab.

but I still absolutely adore the fiddler crabs around here.