Winter's Intermission

Sensing that winter's intermission may be nearing an end prompted me to get out on the Assabet River and enjoy what felt and looked like an early March day.  I launched from the Calf Pasture across from Egg Rock (opening photo) in Concord, MA.  The thaw of late has melted all the snow and most of the ice.  It's hard to believe this area was completely iced-over just 10 days ago.   The combination of melting and recent rain events has resulted in higher river levels than we've seen in awhile.  Real estate on Willow Island is at a premium...

 

 

Further upriver a bottle of Whale's Tale pale ale was seemingly quenching this tree's thirst...

 

 

Seeing where it was brewed brought to mind those old jokes..."There once was an ale from Nantucket..."

 

I went upriver to just above the Nashoba Brook confluence and noted that a good percentage of the Assabet's flow was coming from that source.  The trip back to Egg Rock was a swift one.

 

Wildlife seen today consisted of a mink, mallards, a merganser, Muscovy ducks, and Canada geese.

 

I made it back before they started flashing the houselights, and my trash haul spilled forth...

There were 46 recyclable containers (12 redeemable) and 48 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as Styrofoam, nip bottles, and 2 old life jackets.  YTD = 174