Saturday, 22 August 2009
Here’s proof that the sky cleared for the (outdoor) wedding,* just as the Bride had requested.
…a lovely heartfelt ceremony that brought tears of happiness to many of us…the right couple united on a gorgeous day….
* The eldest daughter in the Hunter Gatherer family found her match in a Fisherman-Gardener who also looks terrific in a kilt….
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Crews with strong stomachs must have been busy yesterday removing the stinky feeshiness floating on Lake Clara Meer, because only a few belly-up bodies were in nooks and crannies this morning. The odor still hangs around, but is diminished.
This is a good thing for the entrepreneurs who have issued high-priced tickets for a Paul McCartney concert this coming weekend. Still, the setup crew began working this morning amidst a bit of eau d’poissons (or whatever the French is).
I studied the lake water for a bit, and there’s another algal infestation that I hadn’t noticed. I had been monitoring the bright green surface film kind, but there’s also a billowy dark green lifeforce below the surface that tints the water, although you can still see the bottom if the water’s up to almost a foot deep. Maybe that’s the culprit species. (And not the population factor I advanced yesterday, although that has to affect the situation, too, it seems to me.)
Humid, humid, humid.
Monday, 10 August 2009
This sign usually brings a smile to my face. Lake Clara Meer most often looks kinda gunky and unpleasant for swimming, although the fisherfolk seem to find it sufficiently appetizing to toss in their lines.
Now, however, the big story I read about is the fish die-off that the lollygaggers and other park visitors noted on Sunday. We didn’t walk there yesterday, so we missed it.
Not today.
Yup, the reports are correct. It’s a mess, but the windrows of belly-ups are localized. The smell, however, is not. The lake’s emitting a lovely odor reminiscent of a Third-World fish market lacking refrigeration and running water.
Sure enough, the DNR arrived in force to do whatever they do in such a situation. The die-off has been attributed to an algal bloom. We’ve been seeing worse algae that I saw today for over a month, although I’m certain low oxygen is a notable factor. What I’ve seen recently that’s new is a bunch of teeny fishies that I first saw on Saturday.
Frankly, I’m also surprised by the quantity of dead feesh, overpopulation seems an important factor here. But, I’m no lacustrine specialist.
The stunner in all this: most of the dead—and the lazy-swimming survivors—were panfish and carp and catfish (not that I know my feesh species); however, I did spot one eel—I assume an American Eel (Anguilla rostrata), those critters who do their spawning in the Atlantic.
Saturday, 8 August 2009
We stepped out to do some errands this afternoon, and discovered we had a visitor on our walkway. He (I think) must not have liked our concrete, as he was gone when we returned.
Sunday, 19 July 2009
I suspect it’s a rental unit, but still I think I’d remove this tidbit of natural history from my window….
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Time to try a night-shot again, when the flash makes the background black and sets off the foreground focus, if there’s not too much light….
Monday, 6 July 2009
I can’t remember the last time we made an early morning run to Seney to take the driving tour. We saw geese, loons, ducks, swans—the usual—plus a muskrat and a small night-heron, but we’re not sure which one.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
The Ohio River is still a major transportation artery—for commercial traffic.
Meanwhile, we’re barging northward….
Monday, 29 June 2009
Lake Clara Meer has a distinctly green cast these days, and the algae bloom is blowing bubbles. Pop! Pop!
Spooky!
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
We escaped from Atlanta’s urban clutches to explore a tiny bit of the Callaway family property around Callaway Gardens. This area is down by the the Little White House in Warm Springs, at the tail end of the Appalachians*, off a landform now known as Pine Mountain. Anyway, we enjoyed a guided tour led by our friend Dean.
Susanna was there, too, and recommended a post-hike wash-down with rubbing alcohol, in addition to a normal shower, as an anti-chigger treatment. So far, my personal affliction count is low, thanks I think to the Susanna Treatment.
Thankfully.
* But what do I know about geology? This abstract indicates that the landform is a “complex window” framed by “three ductile faults” (?) including “the polydeformed pre-thermal peak Box Ankle fault.” I include so many quote marks to remind you how little I know about this subject….