From Around the World

Photos:
Before and during a sandstorm (hamsin) in Israel. Photos courtesy of my friend, Eileen.

Back on Dec. 18th (A Very Special Day), I posted a picture of an old friend, Eileen, who has lived in Haifa, Israel for many years. She sent me these pictures today and here’s what she had to say about them:

“. . . . before and during photos of "hamsin", sand storms that come out of the Arabian deserts. They're awful, very hard on one's breathing. They last two or three days each, and come far too often.”

I can’t thank her enough for sending these so I can share them with you.

More Photos from Saturday's River Walk

Photos
Dag nab it! I didn't pay attention to the order in which the pictures were posted. So I'll try to get the descriptions in the correct order. This is not the river even though there's lots of water to be seen. This is the farm road we walked as we left the river behind us.
Bottom Left: This is one of several "wet" areas we had to navigate.
Bottom Right: Click on the picture to enlarge and you will see, just below water level, some cinder blocks to be used for crossing. My sense of balance is so not what it used to be so this was of great concern to me.
Top Right: Taken from the other side after Jon and I crossed. We both made it to the this side dry. You talk about leaps of faith! You try jumping from block to block when they are submerged in flowing water!
Top Left:This is a look back on the farm road as we were getting closer to Main St. toward the end of our walk.

Not much to tell, but I did want to get these pictures posted. Most of what we walked was pretty smooth and dry. Then there were places like these.

I went to the chiropractor this morning and my body is in much better condition than when I started back in February.

Then this afternoon I got out into the yard to pick up debris that the trees have been putting down all winter. I had two large limbs and a lot of small branches and twigs. One limb was so big I had to take one end and walk it in a semi-circle using the other end as a pivot. Then go to the other end and repeat the process until I could get it onto the brush pile at the edge of the yard. It was very heavy. I’m thankful no one was around when that one fell! It was good to be out in the sun (and wind) and being active. Right now I need to take a muscle relaxer because I know from experience what I did was not too smart.

Perhaps the chiropractor appointment should have been after the yard cleanup.

This Morning’s Excitement

Photos
Top Left: If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you will see the head of the young tom just over the top of the old tom's fanned tail.
Top Right: Here's looking at ya! The old tom shows us his other side.
Bottom Left: Time to get going, girls.
Bottom Right: Scoot. I said move it!

As I was checking my email this morning, my mother started calling to me to look out into the back yard. And what to my wondering eyes should appear but 10 hen turkeys, one old tom and one young tom! Oh! My! Goodness!

The young tom strolled away from the flock, but the old tom was definitely in charge and herding the hens. They did not mind at all that I was standing in the open door with my flash camera taking as many pictures as I could, hoping to get at least a couple of good shots (perhaps “shots” was a poor choice of words when speaking about wild turkeys).

As the flock strolled across my back yard, the young tom began advancing—perhaps wanting to horn in (another poor choice of words?) on the action. At this point the old tom became agitated. He gobbled (yes, just like turkeys are supposed to do) a few times and began running after the hens.

By the time I ran upstairs to look out a side window, they were all gone.

Seeing a flock of turkeys that size makes we wonder what happened to the coyote den we had about a mile from here. The den was mentioned in a newspaper interview with the town’s animal control officer. I’ll just bet someone did something to that den and it’s occupant(s).

How Do You Know When Your Mother’s Mad At You?

Photos
All photos from yesterday's walk.
Top left: looking north from the boat launch area.
Top right: casualties of many years of flooding.
Bottom left: mushrooms climbing a dead tree.
Bottom right: anybody home?

As I flew out the door yesterday, my mother sang out the usual, “Have a good time.” The words were the usual; the tone, however, was different and I wondered if I heard verbal frost.

You already know I had a good time on my walk. There was never a doubt about any other outcome.

When I got home, I immediately went into the den where my mother was waiting for the basketball tournaments to begin.

“Hrumph! All the men’s games are on CBS. The women are pushed off onto ESPN! That’s the usual discrimination for you! Anyone who doesn’t have cable can’t watch the women. That’s not fair!” She finally came up for air.

This is how I know my mother is mad at me. She takes it out on something else with great gusto. It didn't matter that I explained to her that there are so many games no one network could not possibly air all of them. Nothing else mattered. She didn’t want to hear ESPN probably out-bid the other non-cable networks. That usually brings up a stream of consciousness about greed. Thank goodness we skipped right over that one.

She was mad at me for enjoying 2 hours of freedom and she can’t get out.
She was mad at me for enjoying 2 hours of freedom.
She was mad at me for enjoying.
She was mad at me.

Beginning of 2008 Hiking Season

Photos
Top left: This is as far as we walked south.
Top right: BIG dog. We didn't meet up with it which is just fine by me! ☺
Bottom Left: Click on picture to enlarge. There is one small island to the left of the picture and another larger one beyond that looks like the opposite bank.
Bottom right: Someone is minus a paddle boat! Take a good look at how thick the silt embankment is, and, how it is eroding.

Our walk
It's been a while since I had been able to get out and hike/walk. I had a chance to go walking today and I took it like a giddy school kid finding out school had just been called off and I wouldn’t have to take the test! ☺

My hiking buddy, Jon, and I walked from Main St. in South Windsor down Vibert Road to the little park/boat launch area on the banks of the Connecticut River. We walked south as far as we could. The river is high and has created a temporary inlet and cutback that we chose not to cross. After backtracking we headed north along the river. I had taken this same walk a couple years ago with Bonnie so I pretty much knew where we were headed.

We eventually passed a farm road on the right (that bordered a field) that looked like it went back up to Main St. We continued past the field, over the little hill to the next field. This did not look too promising so we turned back. We could not walk through the field because it was flooded in the middle which had nothing to do with the river. Bonnie and I had experienced the same wetness in this same spot but to a much lesser degree. We chose to take the road just south of this field and headed toward Main St. It eventually joined the south side of the field but here it was relatively dry.

We met a fellow walker and his dog and asked him about the road ahead—especially the section between the two ponds and swamps. He said it wasn’t too bad and we would be able to cross on the cinder blocks on the north side. Cinder blocks? Well. That sounded good. I don’t remember any cinder blocks when Bonnie and I walked there.

We approached one of the over flowed areas and I pointed out to Jon where I tried walking from bog to bog the last time I was here. I was wearing boots that time, too, and was just barely keeping the water level below the top of my boots. Bonnie decided she was going through the water. Took off her shoes and socks and started wading, creating sizable waves which immediately filled my boots. It was too funny. At that point, I said something like Oh, darn, and plunged through the rest of the water. This time I told Jon I planned to get across this overflow in a state of dry. Choosing a different route and actually balancing and jumping from cinder block to block I did manage to stay dry.

We were serenaded the whole time by song birds. The most vocal was a female cardinal at the beginning of our walk. In one of the ponds, the one to the north of the road, we spotted a lone swan way in the distance.

We reached Main St., opposite Newberry Road, and headed south to where we had parked the car between Wood Memorial Library and the old Union School. Our hike was 3 to 3.5 miles long over some uneven and very wet terrain. It felt so good to be outside in the sun and wind; walking and being free for a brief span of time.

I took a lot of pictures, but I can’t put them all up with this post. I’ll string them out over the next few days. I hope you like seeing leafless trees, water and mud! ☺

Pushing the Seasons

Photo
Old windmill on the green in Eastham, MA on Cape Cod. Last I knew, they stil use it to grind corn once a year - ceremonially I think.

The Lions of March
It has been very windy the last two days, but I thought I would hang sheets out today, anyway. That was exciting! Being wrapped in icy, wet sheets isn’t my idea of fun—but I got them hung out. Then I left to do errands. I heard on the car radio that we could have wind gusts, today, of up to 50 mph. Decided right then and there I would take the sheets in when I got home and put them in the dryer. Approaching the house I could see one of the sheets was on the ground already. Maybe next week.

My yard is so littered with debris from the trees that surround us. Two good sized limbs have come down and broke into several pieces on impact. Then there is the smaller stuff of varying sizes all over the place. The next good day (no wind and no precipitation) I’ll start picking it all up – one section at a time. My chiropractor is gonna love me. ☺

Speaking of my chiropractor, she’s expecting her second child around the end of March. I’d better take good care of my back until she’s back to work. I don’t want anyone else touching me.

The Serious Planning Begins

Photo
Looking at Brockport, NY across the Erie Canal headed east on the bike path.

Where to sleep perchance to dream
I’ve been working on the itinerary for the bike ride along the Erie Canal. I’ve done as much homework on the internet as I can and now I have to start making phone calls.

Some of the motels listed have “reviews” and the reviews are not good. Are all motels dirty, moldy, and has rude employees? Probably not, but how do you know? Even the motels/hotels in Niagara Falls have bad reviews. That makes me suspicious. I get the impression that there are people who do the bad reviews just as a joke.

Since Kathy and I will be on bikes, our ability to take our business elsewhere will be greatly limited. Wish me luck!

Poetry
I’ll be going to a poetry reading and open mic tonight in Bloomfield. It seems like forever since I was there and I’m looking forward to this evening very much. I will be reading two of my poems, A Lazy Summer Afternoon in the Meadow and Who Walks the Tower?

The Root of the Matter

Photos
This looks to be the eroded, weathered root system of a dead tree (two views). How do I know it’s dead? It’s on the ground and not moving. It looks, to me, like a cross between a bat and a fox. What does it look like to you? Don’t you think this is more believable than the dead tree that I said looked like the skeleton of a huge beast? (click on photo to enlarge)

Finis?
This is the last posting (as far as I know) having to do with my canoe trip to Terry’s Island.

I may go back in time and present my California adventure, when I went out there to go hang gliding. That was my birthday present to me when I turned 55. We’re looking at 17 years ago. I will have to scan in a bunch of photos in order to do the narrative justice. Don’t expect it any time too soon. I’ll work on it and leave you with this teaser. ☺

The Experts Reply

I emailed the Janet Novak at the CT Botanical Society, Tom Volk and Keith Dawson regarding the differences of opinion re the relationship of Indian pipes to other plants. I heard from Janet Novak of the CBS and Tom Volk. Below you can read their response to my inquiry.

(Janet’s response)
Thanks for letting me know about your posting. Just a quick note on what Indian pipes is related to. I think everyone agrees that pinesap and Indian pipes are related species. The controversy is what plant family they both belong to. The traditional view is that they are in the blueberry family (also known as the heath family; formally known as Ericaceae). Some scientists now believe that these plants deserve their own family -- the Indian pipes family (formally, Monotropaceae). I chose to use this information on the Connecticut Botanical Society web site because I believe it is the best information currently available. On the other hand, it is always possble that new evidence will come to light, and Indian pipes will be put back into the blueberry family.

Rhododendron is another plant in the blueberry family, so Keith Dawson has valid reasons for saying that Indian pipes is related to Rhododendron. Assuming evergreen laurel is the same as mountain laurel, that is also in the blueberry family. On dogwood, however, he is simply wrong -- dogwood belongs to a totally different family.

A good source for information on plant relationships is the US Department of Agriculture's PLANTS database. If you go to the page for Indian pipes, look about halfway down the page under the heading "Related Taxa". It gives you the option of seeing the plant's closest relatives ("view 2 species in Monotropa") and everything in the same family ("view 8 genera in Monotropaceae").
Regards, Janet

(Tom’s response)
Hi Beverly. Your blog is fun.

The only one that’s amiss in there is dogwood, which is in another family. Rhododendron, pinesap, blueberry, cranberry etc are all in the Ericaceae.

Hope this helps
---tom

********************************************
Tom Volk
Professor of Biology
3024 Cowley Hall
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601 USA
volk.thom@uwlax.edu
http://TomVolkFungi.net

You notice I left in the part where he says my blog is fun? I have absolutely no shame! And darn proud of it! ☺☺

As for Keith Dawson, he is elusive. Every email address for Keith that I have been able to find is no longer a good address. They keep coming back to me. I have put one more inquiry out on him (at twitter.com) and if I ever get a response I’ll let you know. He seems to be a computer/webpage builder guru; thinks highly of himself and moves around a lot. However, I fear by the time I do hear from him, I will have forgotten what it was I wanted him for. He was quoting from someone else, though, and may not know the answer to the Indian pipe relationship (Most of the information… is taken from Hedgemaids and Fairy Candles, a 1993 book by Jack Sanders.). If you follow that link it takes you, ultimately, to http://acorn-online.com/index.htm. I think I’ve followed this as far as I care to.

Indian Pipes and Pipsissawa

Photos
Indian Pipes (left) and Pipsissawa (right). Click on photo to enlarge.

INDIAN PIPES
The CT Botanical Society says the Indian pipes are related to pinesap (which is a very pretty flower).
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/monotropaunif.html

Tom Volk’s on-line column says Indian pipes is a flowering plant in the blueberry family.
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/oct2002.html
and

Keith Dawson says “It's a flowering plant related to the dogwood, evergreen laurel, and rhododendron.”
http://dawson.nu/indian-pipes.html

When I started the search for authorities on Indian Pipes, I didn’t think I would find 3 diverse descriptions. So I tried another site.

Web of Species, Biodiversity at Wellesley College and in New England produced a few more nicknames but no relationship to other plants. http://www.wellesley.edu/Biology/Web/Species/pindianpipe.html
and, last but not least,

WikipediA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotropa_uniflora

All the above web sites have much prettier pictures than I have, so by all means check them out.

PIPSISSAWA
I couldn’t find any web sites with pictures so you will have to contend with the one I have posted. It seems Pipsissawa is an herbal, medical remedy for certain bladder problems. I will not list websites here because there is no way I want to give out alleged medical advice. If you, the reader, wish to pursue this you are on your own.

Mushroom Identification Part II

Photos
These are the 04 series. Similar looking to the 03, but the expert spots a difference. As usual, you can click on the photos to enlarge.

From: MushroomExpert Com
The 04 series mushrooms appear to be terrestrial, but they are undoubtedly actually growing from the root system we can see in the photo. I can't identify that tree from the bark on its roots, but I don't see any conifer duff on the forest floor along with the hardwood leaves, so I'm assuming it's a hardwood--which would indicate G. ludicum.

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/ganoderma_lucidum.html http://www.mushroomexpert.com/polyporales.html

I hope you have enjoyed the mushrooms. I have some forest floor flowers to show you next time.

Mushroom Identification Part I

Photos
Mushrooms photographed on Terry's Island. These are the ones I named using 03 for identification.

This is the first of two postings of similar looking mushrooms we found on Terry’s Island.

I went to a mushroom expert for identification. Michael refers to the photos I sent him as the “03 series” which is how I had named them. Just know that what he says in this excerpt from his email refers to these three photos in today’s posting. I like to think they look like an elephant’s ears and trunk. You might see something else and that’s up to you! ☺

From: MushroomExpert Com
Those look like polypores to me--specifically, species of Ganoderma. There are two very similar species, Ganoderma tsugae and Ganoderma lucidum, that more or less qualify as matches for your mushrooms. G. tsugae grows on the wood of conifers, and in the 03 series photos, the mushroom is clearly growing on a conifer log (the log's dead branches come out in whorled intervals, like a Christmas tree's branches, indicating conifer).
http://www.mushroomexpert.com/ganoderma_tsugae.html http://www.mushroomexpert.com/polyporales.html
Best wishes, Michael

Ok. That takes care of the 03 photos. I will do another post of the 04 photos, excerpting from Michael's email so you can have his expert identification.

Connecticut River Island Adventure #4

Photos
Top left: Our trusty canoe is waiting to take us home.
Top right: Wide open landscape makes for easy hiking. Notice the tree on the ground. I thought the dead branches sticking up made it look like skeletal remains of a large beast. (Yes, I do have a very active imagination.)
Bottom left: Looking east toward Enfield from the southern tip of the island.
Bottom right: Stone circle. If this is supposed to be a campfire, it shows no signs of being used. What else might it be?

Making sure we return to the right place.
At the beginning of our adventure, we rendezvoused with Bill on a road parallel and close to the river. Bill placed a very visible marker close to the water’s edge to guide us back. We left my car there and proceeded to the Enfield Boat Launch in Bill’s truck.

Leaving the island.
As mentioned before, after lunch we hiked the island north to south and took more pictures. Our canoe was waiting for us, and, after donning our life jackets, we were once again on the river. This time we aimed for a point on the east bank. It was an easy paddle, letting the current carry us south and east toward Bill’s marker. I was grateful for another opportunity to enjoy the river’s majesty and beauty from this new point of view.

We made landing and pulled the canoe part way out of the water. Bonnie stayed with the canoe and I took Bill back to the boat launch to get his truck.

I would like to comment (scream is more like it) on the trash that is all along the riverbank. It saddens me to know there are uncaring, thoughtless, people who treat the river and its embankments as their personal trash heap and toilet. We have such a beautiful waterway, and to see it defiled in this way makes my blood boil.

I’m looking forward to the account of the island’s history and geology Bonnie and Bill are collaborating on. As soon as I hear it has been published I’ll let you know. Unfortunately there is no website to which I can link. Bummer!

Well, that’s it folks. This is the last of the series regarding the adventure itself. I will be posting a few more times, but that will be just pictures. I’d love to go out to the island again in order to spend more time. I know it has a lot of stories to tell. I’d like to sit quietly and see if one of them comes to me, asking to be written.

Kathy has a canoe. Maybe she and I can go out there this summer.

Note: Unless otherwise credited, all photos were taken by me.

(to be continued)

Connecticut River Island Adventure #3

Photos
Top left: Bonnie Enes took this picture from the canoe as we approached our landing at the southern end. Are these walls shale or sandstone?
Top right: Click to enlarge picture and you will see through the trees where Stony Brook enters the Connecticut River. Just above the two dark holes that indicate the channels of Stony Brook you will barely see the canal path.
Bottom left: Gives new meaning to "eager beaver".
Bottom right: Fern meadow. I know it's dark, but if you click on it you can see the vast area covered by low ferns.

Exploration
The island itself is high above the river at the north end showing mostly sheer shale or sandstone cliffs (I’m not sure which – could be both). As one proceeds south, the island is reduced in height and ends in a sandy point.

Our hike from south to north is very easy. There are paths worn probably by fishermen. I would imagine when the Shad are running it gets crowded out there. Our line of sight is very open. There is very little in the way of underbrush to inhibit the hiker. From our landing spot, I was able to get a clear picture of the east bank of the river; from the other side, looking west, you can barely see where Stony Brook enters the river. The canal, when it was built, 1827-1829, was an engineering marvel because it was built over Stony Brook. The Erie Canal (“Clinton’s Ditch”) was built, 1817 – 1825.

We were mostly interested in finding the old foundations of two houses and some out buildings that were supposed to be on the island. We did find one house foundation and what looked to be either a barn or animal shelter of some kind. Only foundations are left. Close to the house foundation we found a large circle of stones with a depression in the middle. Our best guess was this used to be the cistern, or well, used by the household and served the animals also.

Our hike ended at the northern headland of the island, high above the waterline. Here we ate our lunch. Mine was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and bottled water. It was a pleasant place to rest. We saw no evidence of the island being used by nesting eagles, although I know there are eagles in the area during the winter. The canal bike path is closed to all users during the winter to protect nesting wildlife. I never could figure that one out because eagles nest from February through July and there are no nests along the canal or on the island that I’ve ever seen.

We hiked back to our canoe taking great interest in the flora and other interesting photo ops the island presented. In a future posting I will put up pictures of the plants and mushrooms with an explanation of what they are.

The island has an interesting and rich history. Check with the libraries in Suffield, Enfield, East Windsor and Windsor Locks, Warehouse Point, CT to see what books they might have. If you Google “Terry’s Island, Suffield, CT”, you will find a couple of items, but not really very much. A new accounting series of its history entitled, “Terry's Isle”, written by Bonnie Enes and Bill Fournier, will appear in The Suffield Observer. Enes, formerly of South Windsor, is currently residing in Bloomfield, CT and Fournier (who owns the canoe and was our guide) is from Windsor Locks. Bill is writing about the geology of the island. I guess this is where I’ll find out if the cliffs are shale or sandstone or both. ☺

(to be continued)

Bits and Pieces

Photo
Lock 29 in Palmyra, NY on the Erie Canal. I'm getting anxious to get back on my bike to start training for the grueling 9 days in the saddle when Kathy and I ride the entire length of the Erie Canal in September. We will see this sight at the end of Day 3.

Let’s catch up with Mom’s situation
Mom was discharged from the hospital on Wed., February 27th. The catheter was removed and I really was apprehensive about her plumbing’s ability to work on its own. It didn’t. The next afternoon it was another trip to the ER (that’s 3 so far) to have the “tank” drained and a catheter put in – to remain until she could see a urologist.

Urologist seen and catheter removed. Plumbing seems to be working so far. The visiting nurses come every day to check up on her and her plumbing. She also has a Home Health Aide who comes in twice a week to help her shower. Today we are expecting a physical therapist who will come to evaluate her ability to move about the house and her safety in the home – you know, rugs, hand holds in the bathroom and that sort of stuff. Nothing has changed since the last therapist was here a couple years ago.

Sports
Last night at the Big East Conference banquet, Maya Moore, freshman UConn player, made history. She is the first Big East freshman ever, men or women, to be named PLAYER OF THE YEAR! Her demeanor on and off the court is nothing but poised. She quietly goes about her business, doing what she need to do and does best. A lot of hoop-la around the young woman, but you’ll get no hoop-la from her.

River Adventure
I have #3 in my Connecticut River Island Adventure series ready to go, but I’m waiting for permission to use certain information. I don’t like to identify people in my blog unless I get their OK. First names are fine, but full identification requires permission as far as I’m concerned. Also, Bonnie spotted an error in my identification of the rock wall. I said it was man-made. It is not. It is nature’s own and I thank Bonnie for pointing that out to me. I had to enlarge the photo and take another close look. My memory is not good to begin with, and I'm trying to remember what happened 8 months ago. ☺

Connecticut River Island Adventure #2

Photos
Top left: Bonnie Enes took this picture as we headed out from the launch area.
Top right: The railroad bridge south of Terry's Island.
Bottom left: Bonnie is happy with our landing spot and contemplates our next move.
Bottom right: Stone wall (originally identified as man-made but Bonnie has asked me to look closer and it is, indeed nature's own). I am always open to correction.
Click on any photo to enlarge.

Leaving dry land behind
I had not paddled a canoe in years. This time, with a cooperative paddling partner behind me, it was very easy.

I was awestruck by the enormity of the river. Being on it is so much different than being beside it. It is much wider than I realized. Conversely, the current didn’t seem as swift once I was in it—keep in mind we are in the middle of the rapids. From the riverbank, specifically the bike path, it looks a lot faster. Bill tells us it is a lot more dangerous than it looks.

We struck out from the Enfield boat launch area and paddled straight toward the west bank. I hit rocks a couple times with my paddle because I took too deep a bite. The bottom was not visible due to the angle of the mid-morning sunlight, and it wasn’t until we got out into the middle of the west channel and turned south that the rocks right under us became visible.

From this vantage point the width of the river made me feel so small. As I gazed from right to left then straight ahead, I had a new respect for her. About a half mile south of the island is the railroad bridge that crosses over the river (and the bike path) from Enfield to Windsor Locks. How do I know the Connecticut River is a she? It just feels right.

Terry’s Island is one mile long and we paddled the length of it coming ashore at the southern tip. Under Bill’s guidance I managed to hold our position with my paddle while he made whatever corrections were necessary to get us safely landed. As we neared the island, the rocks were closer to the surface and the current stronger. We landed on a narrow, sandy strip wide enough to accommodate the canoe. Our sneakers barely got wet as we clambered out.

After Bill secured the canoe, our adventure of exploration began by climbing onto the rock wall then scampering up a rather steep but short sandy path through the long grass.

(to be continued)

Connecticut River Island Adventure #1

Photos
Top left, looking west from the Enfield boat launch. In the foreground is the east channel with a small island and Terry's Island in the background.
Top right, looking west to the opposite bank. If you click on the photo to enlarge, you will see a light line just above the water line. That is the canal bike/pedestrian trail.
Right: That's me outfitted in a life jacket, ready to get into the canoe. Photo by Bonnie Enes.

The Adventure Begins
I have lived in proximity of the Connecticut River all my life, and have known of Terry’s Island (aka King’s Island) for as long as I can remember. Bike rides along both sides the river from Enfield/Suffield to Hartford/East Hartford; Wethersfield/Rocky Hill to Glastonbury/; and the most grueling, from Hammonasset State Park to Moodus during the MS charity bike ride in 2003.

The river cannot be fully appreciated until you are on it.

Last July (2007) Bonnie and I went out to Terry’s Island with our guide, Bill. Bill has lived on the Connecticut River all his life and knows every nuance and trick she has. All waterways are living beings, and this one, Bill knows as well as he knows himself.

We met at the Enfield boat launch one morning in mid-July. Bill had been watching the weather forecasts and the river height. From the boat launch you can see the east channel of the river and how it has a small island in the middle. The big island, Terry’s, blocks the view of the channel that runs between the island and the west bank of the river. The Canal bike path is clearly visible through the trees on the west bank.

After we helped Bill unload his canoe, we donned life jackets; thus began our journey—Bill paddling in the stern, me paddling in the bow, and Bonnie sitting as still as possible in the middle. (Please forgive me if my ability to speak nautically is lacking) The water was relatively smooth when you consider we were in the rapids. Bill assured us the water was a good 18 inches above the rocks. I did hit them a couple of times when I dug my paddle in too deep. Had any one of us fallen out of the canoe, the current would have swept us away.

As we began our adventure, I was in awe of this new view of the river.

(to be continued)