Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Lake Cochituate's North Pond

Today's trash patrol of Cochituate's North Pond had quite the summerlike feel.  Air temperatures were in the 80's and an afternoon breeze was building out of the southwest.   Arriving at the DCR's Cartop Boat Launching Area I found things quiet and peaceful.   Just as I began to think I wouldn't have my usual  encounter with the 'denizen of the local woods' I heard his voice emanate from the trees along the shore.  I turned around to see him standing on the bank from where I had just launched.  Acting in his quasi-official capacity he asked if I would help confirm that a large white object on the pond's west side was the broken-off stern section of a day-sailboat.  At the same time he brought me up to date with other relevant local news... Cochituate had just been stocked with trout and a lucky fisherman had recently caught a 28" Atlantic salmon.  At length I agreed to reconnoiter the large white object and paddled to the other side of the pond.  Sure enough, just as he said, it was the broken stern section of a "Snark" day-sailboat.  This became the single largest piece of trash I've recovered to date after it was freed from the shrubbery and pushed (by my boat's prow) back to the landing.  The 'denizen' and I pulled it ashore as can be seen in this photo...  

I then re-launched and began trash patrolling the shoreline of the North Pond.  The newest weapon in my arsenal, the "Come Hither" proved ideal for reaching further onto the shore and snagging previously unreachable trash.  It worked like a "dream come true"!  Paddling along the shoreline I noted a pair of swans, a few Canada geese, a few ducks, and a few small fishing boats.  The music most enjoyed today was James Keelaghan's song Cold Missouri Waters.  Give it a listen at this link.  Play song at upper right. 
Lake Cochituate made for a most idyllic spot to wile away the day.  Brings to mind the line from Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows..."There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." 
At the conclusion of my patrol, the day's catch was removed from my boat and posed for a photo under the watchful eye of 'Come Hither'. 


The count for the day was 77 pieces.  There were 44 recyclables (26 redeemable) and 33 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, styrofoam cups, and an "Old Navy" frisbee.  My YTD total stands at 1410.

1 comment:

Dixit et Fecit said...

Your Mom was known, a good part of her life, as Gramma gadget. The utilitarian use of your 'Come Hither" establishes, in my mind, that genetics always prove something.