June 27, 2017

Movin The Bench, Again.


Chocolate is askin, "where did it go?"
We were present when the Riverfront volunteers moved the bench - Again.  On the point here we have lost an amazing amount of island.  Maybe like 30 yards or so, I have no idea.  I remember when this point went out at least half a football field ( a unit of measure I am confident in, I was in the Marching Band, one of the joys of my life ). Used to be a huge logjam here which the dogs loved, you could walk on it, and a great swimming hole behind it for playing fetch the ball in the water.  No more, the water is raging past. I will look for pictures of it.
The year of "The Oil Spill" this bench actually went into the drink, was not to be seen again until the water went down, in maybe late July or August. After they dredged it out the put it WAY back here, not far enough obviously.
Norm's Island is being chewed away pretty aggressively on the south side, the river side.  I do not remember it being so fiercely attacked the first 10 years or so I walked at Norm's, even in years where the Island flooded, not so much land area was lost.  Sigh.

June 19, 2017

British Dog Photographer of the Year

http://www.dogphotographeroftheyear.org.uk/

Entries from all over the world.  It sets the bar pretty high, there are some good photos here.

June 18, 2017

Norm's Report


Chocolate Blanca and I put on our brave suit, actually it was only me, and ventured out to Norm's this morning.  It was sixty degrees, overcast and no wind.  Perfect mosquito weather.  We kept moving and had no problems with the little pests.  The few times we stopped, they found us.  So it was not bad mosquito wise.
The water is down quite a bit.  I was able to never get my feet wet.  The east end of the island still has water across the path, and there is one place on the cross path where one would have to wade ankle deep to go that way. We went back. We went to Dog Beach then went left and then left again into the interior where the Cheatgrass is taking over.  Then back out to the river.  So we got in about 7500 steps without getting our feet wet.
I did not take my cameras as I did not think we were going to be able to walk.
We sat for about 20 minutes on the banks of the river, the slight breeze keeping us mosquito free.  It was a pleasant time, even if we were sprinting most of the time.

June 8, 2017

Norm Schoenthal Island; Water is High


Blanca says "I will wait here while you decide what we are going to do" We walked west, away from this flooding.  It is flooded everywhere.  You can take a nice walk and get only wet up to your ankles, but if you wanna go all the way around you are gonna get your knees wet.
The bigger problem now is that since there has been ground water seeping up for at least a week, the mosquitoes have had time to hatch a brood.  The are abundant now.


These thees will probably go soon.  We have lost a good 6-10 feet in some places on the south side of the Island.


Oh well, change is inevitable.


But not all is lost.  The grasses this year have been magnificent.  I guess it is all the moisture we have been getting.  I have no idea about the names for these grasses, except the cheatgrass.  But they are great.  




Choco met some new friends.  We have been seeing them occasionally. They are all young, compared to Chocolates 8 years, so he is a little nippy with them.



Then we have, what did Tim call them? The Branch Managers? Good one. Elsa, Phillip and Moxie.


Copy is supposed to be under the pictures.  Sorry, I got confused ;-)



Cheatgrass


Norm Schoenthal Island. Cheatgrass.
Just a few years ago there was one small spot in the middle of Norm Schoenthal Island where this time of year you would find the beautiful red growth of cheatgrass. Now it is everywhere in the center of the island and in some places on the outside path. 

Yesterday I spent a good part of the afternoon picking Cheatgrass Awns off of my boy Chocolate. It is dangerous stuff. Beautiful but dangerous. In the photo it is the reddish brown stuff in the middle. I need a closeup. No no, it needs a closeup.