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loon egg Wednesday, August 14 2013
location: northwest coast of Lake Edward, Fulton County, New York
The rain from yesterday continued off and on throughout today as well, though the gaps between downpours were longer and more frequent. During one such gap, Gretchen and I loaded Ramona and Eleanor into the large canoe and paddled to a landing on Lake Edward's southernmost shoreline that I remembered from last year. The landing is hidden behind a small island (which last year I named "Swampy Inlet Island") and doesn't have any boats parked at it, but there is a well-developed trail (one with pallets and other board fabrications to aid with the crossing of wetlands) leading from it. The trail doesn't go far before arriving at a mysterious building (43.113985N, 74.372115W) that I know to contain a full drunkards' bar, but walking there and back was a fun adventure for the dogs. On our paddled back across the lake to our cabin, we rounded the west side of Swampy Inlet Island and saw a large beige-colored egg on the shoreline. It was the size of my large manly fist, considerably bigger than a hen's egg. Later research confirmed that it was probably a loon egg. Loons, it turns out, prefer nesting on islands. We've been seeing and hearing noticeably more loons this year than we had last year.
This evening Gretchen would be part of a poetry reading taking place at a yoga studio in Lake Hill (back near Woodstock), and that would mean four hours of round-trip driving for her. I stayed with the dogs back at the cabin and had myself something of a personal party. I downed a recreational dose of pseudoephedrine, cracked open a big bottle of cheap Trader Joe's Boatswain Double IPA (it's not very good), and watched the latest frustrating episode of Gold Rush: South America.
Later, after I'd had even more alcohol, I took Ramona on a dusk-to-dark electric-raft cruise through the archipelago of small flat islands somewhat northeast of the center of Lake Edward. She's been enjoying the raft more since I started putting down a cushion for her to lie on.
For dinner I fired up the oven (something I don't normally do) and baked myself a Trader Joe's vegetable pizza sprinkled with fake cheese. It was a personal pizza to add to my personal private party.
Brilliant purplish-red flowers along the short trail we hiked today after landing on the south shore of Lake Edward. I thought they might be Lobelia and even tasted them to see if the flavor matched the powdered Lobelia I have at home, but it wasn't familiar.
Gretchen with Ramona and Eleanor on the short trail we hiked today after landing on the south shore of Lake Edward. Click to enlarge.
Gretchen paddles and Eleanor watches the water go by somewhat nervously.
A pair of loons we passed on our paddle home.
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