Nice paddle today on Lake Lila with the dogs. Also took a jaunt up Shingle Shanty Brook where there was lots of beaver activity. This is a great place for a wilderness paddle just outside of Tupper Lake.

Carcasses of shrimp-like animals are floating alongside my kayak. What are they? Fresh water shrimp?

A steady breeze blows from the west. I paddle along the shoreline and wedge my kayak among the Scirpus stems. I want to stop paddling and just sit. Strands of what look like pale violet intestines float within arm's reach, tangled in dead stems. I lean over for a closer look. There are dark spots--eggs--sprinkled within the strands. Whose eggs? Snail?

There had been a dry spell in the North Country, and a warm one at that, perfect for celebrating the end of a long and snowy spring semester with some "studying" at St. Lawrence University. The growers all around are worried about their parched veggies as they run around with sloshing buckets and hissing hoses. The students are worried about their papers, their exams, their departing friends as they lay out in the fresh sunlight or take procrastination trips to the ice cream stand. It's all very delightful in that teeth grinding way for everyone accept me, the visiting alumni.

An early morning out with the crew team on the St. Lawrence gave me the opportunity to snap this guy as he came in, flying low along the water. Yet another sign of spring!

Her strength is undeniable
Feb 11 2013
Stone Valley Trail, Colton, NY
Hardwood Forest
Landscape
The Stone Valley trail is a very gorgeous and the provides some wonderful scenery for all you photographers out there. One interesting thing about the river is that it flows against the "grain" of the bedrock which has created holes in the rocks. It is surrounded by deciduous and coniferous trees. Most people kayak on this river because of the strong currents provided by the water.