Got a call from a cell number I didn't recognize, but it was local, so I answered. Turned out to be a local photographer asking permission to take pictures from my parents yard. She is very interested in the Herron nests, and also the swan nest. I used to canoe back there, so I knew about them, but didn't think anyone else did. She's been back a few times, and the number of nests and types of birds is more than I remember seeing before. This tree was surrounded by grass and brush when I was a kid, the beaver have raised the pond level a few feet A flock of birds swings by for a look These are mute swans, they chase the nesting pair of Canada geese around the pond, but ignore the ducks, beaver, herons, and egrets that nest and roost here. This is how close their nest is to my parents yard
It seems with less beaver being trapped, they are flooding lowlands and causing forests to die off. The trees are turning into good nesting sites for the herons. I drove by Kenoza yesterday and saw two loons. I don't believe they nest here, but we passing through. They fly over the house on occassion.
I've see I've seen two pairs on Kenoza, one nests near the water treatment plant. From what I've seen in the Adirondacks, they really don't try for any real security for their nests, other than having them a few inches above open water so the parent can get away if a predator comes
Took my younger two for a ride on the recently paved Methuen rail trail, since off road riding is above their ability. The Lawrence section isn't paved, but does have a nice playground. And a waterfall on the Spicket river. We rode to the NH line where the pavement ends, they thought it was funny to stand in two states at once. Approaching the bridges for Rt 213 an old timber bridge that was used on the MSPCA farm in Methuen. I remember seeing trains on these tracks back when I was a kid. harvesting honey beside the trail Methuen fire station tower, once used to dry hoses and watch for fire bridges over the Spicket river
Friday I headed to Newark, then took a rental car to PA. My family was there for the week, and my wife doesn't like to drive long distance. The 727 is at the Lycoming airport, not far from the Lycoming factory, which was interesting for me since lycoming engines power over 70% of the piston engine aircraft in the world. Then we stopped by Pennsylvania's grand canyon, the Leonard Harrison state park. the views are great, but they just make me want to paddle the creek and ride the rail trail through the gorge
Just a couple hours and I have my racks almost full again, gonna need a couple more racks to hold the backlog after I split it.
passed this on my way to work yesterday, somebody rear endedthe police car doing the construction detail on Rt 495 North, ripped the wheel right off and pushedthe Ford explorer into the guard rail. The crazy part is the car that hit it was a compact car. A short ride on the eastern trail just north of the Kennebunk rest area on the Maine turnpike. Cut short because the aluminum frame tubes that hold the rear wheel cracked, gonna have to get it welded...
That terrifying moment when a loved one goes under the knife... I built these as 8 foot sawfish kayaks a few years ago, and the kids enjoyed them. However, 8 foot long kayaks are terribly slow, and when the kids get tired, towing one is like dragging an anchor. However, unlike a plastic boat, where you have to buy a bigger one, foam kayaks are kind of like Lego, you just take it apart and rebuild it. One of my friends calls my foam kayaks the Boston whalerett, I was tempted to see how these halves would float, like the old Boston whaler ads (they'd cut a motorboat in thirds with a chainsaw to show it was unsinkable) adding a six foot stretch to make it into a 14 foot tandem Gravity clamps, my name for bricks. I use them to press the layers together, and bamboo skewers to pin things in place. Gorilla glue is the best glue for stock foam together. look at all those muscles from moving firewood fitting the stern onto the plug. more gravity clamps to help the two haves press together. I have packing tape under the joint to contain the glue and hold it together
going, going, gone Part of my backlog gone probably another cord stacked between the racks, ready to refill the racks again when we start burning, hopefully next season, but you never know with this "spring" the remaining backlog
my wife had training for the day, and the kids were begging to go for a bike ride, so we took a ride around the lower Charles river
since I'm not scrambling like mad to come up with firewood like every year before, we can actually take advantage of the great early spring weather, we had a rare 80 degree day, and he's some fun showing off the kayaks for the local fishermen. My son built the orange and blue one himself when he was 12, he loves telling people that. We were testing it out since he is heavier and taller now, so the seating position needs to be adjusted. Another sawfish foam kayak happy builder sending me pictures of his new kayak, possibly only the second tandem built that I know of. One of my friends from high school builds real solid wood boats, he built this a couple years ago, it's an oversized dory with a full deck, he copied it off the original dory that was the first to cross the ocean single handed, the original was named centennial because it was the US Centennial year when the crossing happened. My friend sails it all over the marshes behind Plum Island, sleeping on board year round.
I'd call your friends boat "the greenhead" if he is plying the marshes in the summertime. What a great adventure for him and some fantastic sunsets.
I was looking at all the sailboats on the river and that would be quite challenging to be sailing there.
video of my friend launching his dory on the 4th of July a few years ago. The granddaughter of the guy who sailed the original Centennial across the Atlantic Ocean was there. The original Centennial is in the Peabody Essex Museum
not only do my parents have swans and Herron nesting behind their house, my brother in law and I were fixing bicycles in the driveway and this duck wandered out of somewhere and started "talking " to us, walking back and forth on the front yard. It finally headed for the pond behind their house. The Herron babies have all hatched, but the swans are still setting, caught them doing a shift change. Bike riding on the rail trail in Newburyport and Salisbury. 13 bikes is like having our own parade. a large group of Egrets also roost in the trees behind my parents house, they drift in at sun down Boats for 11 for a memorial day family paddle. I built all of these except for the green plastic one My big 16 foot sawfish tandem kayak My nephew in Sawfish, the original foam kayak I built. Stretching our legs before heading back heading back My daughter racing by in the kayak she built herself as I taught her. She waiteduntil we all started back , then passed us all The latest sawfish foam kayak picture sent in by another happy builder
I think the real kayak manufactures have finally noticed my Sawfish foam kayak! They used a kayak shaped object as a prop in an AD by perception kayaks Notice they didn't actually show it in use, it might give people ideas! LOL
paddling on Canobie lake A 747 visits Manchester airport Converting my supply of empty barrels into more firewood rack covers, replacing delamimated plywood
The plastic doesn't want to flatten out, so I stood on it and screwed it to a board Coming up with a better way to mount the oil tank halves to the wood racks Covered the gap between the halves with some steel, then fied th
