Traveler, the Caribbean Hermit Crab

Lori J. Hasselfeldt was born in Bloomington, Minnesota and spent her early years in Minnesota and Kansas City, Kansas. She currently resides in the Caribbean on a sailboat, and part time in the British Virgin Islands. She is a graduate of Golden Valley Lutheran College and Dakota County Technical School, both located in Minneapolis. She started her career in the travel industry, traveling throughout the world experiencing wonderful and exotic cultures. Working over twelve years in this field gave her plenty of inspiration for her next journey. She started her own business becoming a hobby farmer, selling produce at the local farmers markets. In addition to farming, she became a Master Gardener from the University of Minnesota, as well as a Master Preservationist from the University of Minnesota. She has been the chair person for her Master Gardener group, and has given back to the community for over fifteen years by teaching young children, adults and the elderly the world of plants, insects, and gardening. She has received numerous recognition awards through the Master Gardeners of Carver/Scott County for her services. Lori's love of nature led her to paint botanical art and to attend the Minnesota School of Botanical Art. Her botanical art has been shown at the Bakken Museum of Minnesota. After having moved to Tortola, British Virgin Islands, the beauty and splendor of the Caribbean inspired her to create an alphabet book using watercolors as her medium, along with fine detail painting. Children are able to see the beauty of the ocean and it's creatures. She has continued to be inspired by the sea, sailing the Caribbean, seeing new islands and snorkeling along the ocean reefs.