subsea Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Tuesday afternoon was a warm spring like day. I decided that a canoe ride to enjoy the sunset was in order. My canoe stays moored at Abe's on the Lake which makes me popular with the staff as they use it when I am not there. Arriving after two, I enjoyed some grilled asparagus and tea. As there was no boat traffic, I decided to go across the river into the cove surrounded by a Green Zone reserved for the Public Water Department. As you leave the upscale apartment complexies on the water, the hillsides come together and become walls on each side. Almost tropical type vegatation covers the walls as moss and vines. In this backwater I came up on an otter. In my 60 years of canoeing, I have only seen otters five times. I marveled at this in the city limits of Austin. On another occassion last winter, I was fishing in the reeds opposite the Hula Hut at Tom Miller Dam. The sun had been set about 30 minutes with pink skys on the horizon. As I enjoyed the tranquility of twilight, the waters around me echoed with Wood Ducks landing within 5' of me. I could see the hi-rise office buildings near the capital building and yet I experienced what hunters and wildlife enthusiast travel hundreds of miles to see. Austin City Limits, what a rush. As I pushed off from the dock, I noted an idling police boat in the middle of the river. For me, that is good news, as people tend to be polite with their boat wakes. I headed straight across instead of going round about near the dam. Getting toward the open lake, I recognized a police friend in the boat and waved them over. After a brief pleasant exchange, I shoved off to continue my crossing. A fish swirled close by and I turned abrutely, with the canoe rolling over perfectly as if I had practiced it. For a brief moment, the rush of the cold water was excilirating. However, when I started to tred water, my steel toe boots were a big problem and the recognition to danger took over. I requested a life buyo from the police boat. Once I got ahold of flotation, the danger passed but the cold water was still very real. With one policeman securing my canoe, the other policeman was pulling me in the boat complaining "Your too **** heavy". Half in/half out of the boat, I retorted "Your too **** fat". You guess which officier was my friend. http://www.google.com/search?q=wood+duck&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=rjArT8XUGcOJsgL56cW-Dg&sqi=2&ved=0CD4QsAQ&biw=1389&bih=648 In my opinion, this is absolutely the most gorgeous duck in the Americas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Thanks for sharing the story, the laugh, and a beautiful duck. Maybe you should be writing for a living in your "retirement". Keep em coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Woods Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Patrick, I always enjoy what you write. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Thanks for sharing the story, the laugh, and a beautiful duck. Maybe you should be writing for a living in your "retirement". Keep em coming. In my dreams, I have entertained writing. Not so much for a living, but as an expression of who I am. It makes me feel good to put words together. Anthony Calfo, asked me to write an article about my seaweed farming business. I sent him some rough stuff which he did not publish. Unfortunately for me and him, he is going thru some problems and he dropped off of the rador. At first, because I had to guess, I thought my stuff was all bad. Six months later, we talked and I realized "It was not about me". In those quiet times, when we are alone, we can be our worse enemy. I remember reading a book, "The Enemy Within". "Oh, what a complicated web we weave, when we first seek to deceive". Because I went to a private all boys Catholic School, we were required to take literature. Teenage boys do not read Shakspear, we go out and leap tall buildings. My knowledge of Shakspear was Julius Caesar and McBeth. I had no idea that he wrote comedy. When my two daughters were fresman and senior in high school, we all went on a Spring Break Tour of desirable universities. While traveling thru Houston, we overnighted at a hotel close to Rice University. My oldest was surveying her school options. As a National Merit Scholar, she had many choises and this was our first stop in our tour of collegas in Texas. As we strolled from the hotel we went from the musem district into the park. A natural amphitheater presented itself with comfortable grass and a rolling hill rising away from the stage. There was some activity on the stage. People moving props into place, then moving them again and again as they would stop and survey their work. Being curious, I walked closer and discovered that a Shaekspear play, "Mids Summer Night Dream" was to be performed that very night. Cheryl and I decided that culture would be the order of the night. I had no idea that this play was a randy walk on the wildside, with nypmps, satyrs and livacious woods children. When we started raising our children we had no set criteria except that we tried to shield them from bad things. Early into the play, I realized that the material was meant for a mature audiance, At that time, I was a prude and did not allow them to be exposed to worldly things. I could not stop my laughter from the humor of the play and gave into, "if it feels good, do it". Everyone enjoyed the play. Time to end this journey into my past. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Grog Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 In this backwater I came up on an otter. In my 60 years of canoeing, I have only seen otters five times. It is always cool to run across unusual critters in urban settings. I saw a mountain lion crossing under a fence near Lake Decker a few months ago. Totally unexpected and made my day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted February 8, 2012 Author Share Posted February 8, 2012 In this backwater I came up on an otter. In my 60 years of canoeing, I have only seen otters five times. It is always cool to run across unusual critters in urban settings. I saw a mountain lion crossing under a fence near Lake Decker a few months ago. Totally unexpected and made my day. Grog, I have never seen a cougar in the wild, but I have heard them at night in the distance. It is an erie sound and it is meant to say, "I am the baddest mama jama around". Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innate1 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Patrick you should start a blog. I love reading your musings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bannerfish Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I didn't know there were places like that in the city, wish I could spend some time out there...so peaceful. You do have a way with words, if also be interested in a blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa1tx Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 +1 on a blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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