AND A NEW BEAVER APPEARED

At first glance I thought I was looking at a muskrat, he was so small.  His eyes were very alert and clear, much different than those of an adult beaver.  

He was really moving fast, much faster than I'd ever seen a beaver swim.  That is one reason I thought it was a muskrat.  Muskrats swim very fast stopping for nothing while in the water.

His fur was of a red tint and stiff guard hairs could be seen along his back.  All the fat beavers I have observed in the past sported dark brown fur.  I was looking at an adolescent beaver.  This guy was only a teenager by human standards.  He was wasting no time and it was clear he had a destination in mind.

 This fellow was much thinner than his adult counterparts and he appeared to be lithe and more streamlined in form which accounts for his fast speed.

Even though I knew he was a beaver, I questioned my own identification ability to be sure of him.  I never saw a beaver swim so swiftly, but then again, I've never witnessed a young animal on the river.

Beavers, unlike otters, swim with a greater portion of their bodies, their backs, above the surface of the water.  An otter will swim with only his head above the surface with the tail occasionally breaking through the surface as he uses it to help guide his progress.  Otters do on occasion porpoise over the surface of the water and appear as a sea serpent would in a science fiction movie.
The swimming beaver's tail remains submerged when underway.  He still looks allot like a muskrat.

The little fellow dove under some logs and came up behind an island made of dead river grass and moss.  Some mud sediment had collected in that mess and tiny ferns and green mosses grew out of the brew.  He crawled upon that perilous surface and commenced to eat the tender, dark green mosses growing there.

The above shot is the only time he slowed or hesitated during his entire swim to this spot.   He then climbed out of the water.

My big white boat drifted downstream and directly across from him and he turned to look my way.  The above shots indicate his awareness of me.

I was so focused on this beaver that I failed to see the two otters slip quietly out of the river bank behind this island and swim downstream against the bank.  What luck!  I only had time to take a fast picture and the moment was lost.  At least I know the otters are still safe.  The picture below is the only shot I could get of one of the otters.  They disappeared as quickly as they appeared.  You have to look closely to see him.  His head and tail are showing out of water.

I felt good about the luck finding the beaver and bad at the same time for blowing it with the otter.  I'll get em.  I cranked up the engine and moved on downstream.  The river is beautiful this time of year.

I'm thinking of returning here tomorrow with the canoe.  The water is in too good of shape to pass up a canoe paddle trip.  I'd like to park the canoe below that beaver island and just sit there and wait the otters and beavers out.  I can read a book on my new Kindle I just received as a present from a dear friend in Pennsylvania.

Some days are just perfect and this is one of them.

 Foxy Squirrel is out foraging on the river bank.  Very cute.

The fox and gray squirrels are so funny as they scream out their discontent with each other over territorial disputes.  It's a never ending hollering contest when the two species come in close proximity of each other.

I had to check on the eagles before I left the lake.  They were not on the mountain.  It's been awhile since I saw them.  Then all of a sudden one of the bald eagles appeared flying high over the mountain.  He was very, very far away and very high.  I took a chance and tried a few pictures.  Notice in the picture directly below - the eagle is carrying a branch in his talons.  You can see the sticks protruding out behind him.  They are definitely carrying sticks to their nest to reinforce it for Winter and Spring when the babies will arrive.  They're "early birds."

This has been a magnificent day!  I really needed this one as the traffic and the area in general was getting to me this week end.  I'm OK when I can get to some secluded spot but, I hate cars and traffic and I despise the towns of Jefferson City and Morristown -  both useless and sorry excuses for any form of culture at all. Traffic through ways are about all either is worth.

I'm off tomorrow and I'll see how the wind is in the morning.  If it's calm I'll be paddling the canoe.

JUST SHADE AND ME

I noticed Shade limping last week after an outing with all the dogs.  She didn't limp until we got back home.  I figured it was just a sprain but, one can't be too sure.  She was making loud licking sounds after we all went to bed every night since I noticed the limp.  It was so loud last night that I got up and inspected her knee where she was licking.  I felt all around her knee and could find no swelling so I'm sure it's a sprain.  She seems to feel pain at the end of the day after the outings and also when going down stairs.  I've been leaving her home so she doesn't have to make that high jump up onto the front seat of the 4 wheel drive Chevy truck and, also the very high jump necessary to get her to the deck of the boat when it's beached.  So, today I thought I'd take just her with me to the Wildlife Management Area.  This way she would "walk" with me instead of tearing around chasing Chestnut in her relentless search for squirrels. 

The woods were beautiful and in full color, at last.  I enjoyed walking with my favorite friend and she seemed to enjoy being with me because I noticed she kept looking up at my face as we slowly moved along.  I selected those trails that seem to cause one to have high expectations for a grand view just around the corner.  Love trails like that.  Oh, there usually isn't any spectacular view around the bend but, it's good to let one's mind ramble about it.

One pathway lead to another and then another keeping all the views new, and Shade was having a great time.  We dropped down to the creek and I found a totally new section of water we had never been to.  It was very beautiful and I'll not soon forget the memorable moments there today with my dedicated best friend.

I didn't want her running as that would put a lot of weight on her knees.  This was the best thing I could do for her - bringing her here offers gentle exercise without violent stress on her joints.  I think that she will be her old self in another week.
I tried to figure out what all the dried up flowers, grasses and seed pods were that grew along the stream.

I took one step out onto a rock in the water through the weeds on the creek shoreline and instantly received a fleece jacket full of cockle burs.  These things are horrible to deal with when they get embedded in a dog's long hair.  Fortunately Shade didn't get in them.  Only, I the human, did. (Look closely and you'll see tiny hooks at the ends of the spikes that protrude from the fruit of the plant)

I have no clue what the following grasses and weeds are, rather were.

I sat down on a rock and just enjoyed watching Shade explore the area.  People who don't spend quality time with their dogs have no idea what they are missing.  I think that some folks keep a dog on a chain for the sake of "just having a dog."  How sad!

Shade is a very emotional dog and sensitive too.  She appreciates these times out here with me.  I know because all I have to do is murmur her name in a low voice and she'll raise her head and look my way, all the while wagging her tail.  Then I'll extend my hand toward her and hook my finger in a "come here" sign.  Nothing further need be said.  She'll hurry to me at a trot.  Think of that for a minute.  Think about what she feels to cause that.  It's a beautiful thing to have in one's life.  Just a dog? Hardly!

This is really a pretty place, especially with the Fall colors and the fallen leaves on the rocks.  I guess there's no reason for anyone to visit here and that fact keeps it clean an free from human debris.  

Sweet Shade - the water is ice cold and she loves it.  She won't lay there for long but, she loves the coolness of it.  To her it's unique and different - out of the ordinary of her daily life, and she revels in it.

To give her these moments costs me nothing but some personal time, and some gas but, it's worth it.  If I'm going to be responsible for her life and happiness then I need to offer up a few hours a week to her well being.  She repays me with her total dedication and, she wakes me up most nights growling or barking at some mystical visitor in the yard that I have yet to see.  She's worth the trouble.

I have no idea what that thing is in the above shot.  It looks like the sweet bread I made over a fire on a boy scout outing when I was a kid

Then it started to rain.  Shade hates the rain and she looked up at me as if to say, "lets get to the truck."  And, we did that.

Shade does not have the long legs that a pure bred lab has.  She's part chow and has legs that are a bit short for her weight and power.  It's just how her lot was cast.  I have to be careful that those legs stay strong and her weight in line.  The weight thing is difficult to control living here as there is no place to exercise her on a regular basis.  I'll complain about that till I die.  We got home and she laid down for an hour and when she got up she was not limping at all.  I think that a few more gentle outings will do the trick, and about ten pounds shed even better.

The wind was was up mid afternoon and there is still a brisk blow out there now at 8 PM.  The temperatures are dropping a few degrees and tomorrow is to be around 55 degrees tops.  It's going to be cool on the river.  Shade will be inside where the temps are 70 degrees and I will be out there before sun up in 48 degrees.  What's wrong with that picture?  I love it.

NEW BODY OF WATER

I took a ride today to check out one of two bodies of water I will be working on next year.  Douglas Lake, the mud hole, will be one body of water and the tail race of Cherokee Dam is the second.  I rode to the tail race.

I parked at a little boat ramp called Nance's Ferry.  The scenery and water, when there isn't a release at the dam, are really beautiful and there aren't any houses anywhere around.  The issue with this river, the Holston, is that it is subject to water releases from Cherokee Dam during hydroelectric operations which turns the calm, quiet, smooth running water into a wild, rapidly moving class 3 river.  The water releases are usually 8 to 90000 cubic feet per "second."   It's kind of nuts.  Not many people put boats on this water - nor will I.  The dam is seven or eight miles upstream and creates enough flow power to add the dynamic, radical change to the river that lasts all the way to Knoxville where the Holston joins the French Broad River to form the Tennessee River.

The shot above is down stream from the boat ramp and parking lot.  If you look closely you can see that the water is really moving fast.  When the release is stopped, it takes about three hours for the released water to flow to Nance's Ferry and pass on downstream which will leave the tail race smooth, quiet and beautiful once again, not to mention much shallower.  

The view above is a look upstream.  At least there isn't any houses anywhere.  I'll be surveying this water using the truck to drive from access area to access area.  The property on both sides of the water all the way to Knoxville is private property and the only access is two boat ramps for the entire distance.  Isn't that something?  This water isn't my cup of tea but I'll just have to deal with it.  I foresee a lot of boring days ahead.  There is one good thing about working this water from the truck and that good thing is that Shade will have a lot of land available to her to explore while we patiently sit at these boat ramps.  Look below:

I spoke to the farmer who owns this farm an he said Shade and I could walk the land whenever we wanted.  How bout that.   The other direction behind me is forested.  Another shot follows:

Something tells me that Shade is going to be a very welcome companion through next year.

As I stated, the second body of water I'll be on is Douglas Lake and we're familiar with that water.  At least Douglas Lake has some diverse wildlife on it.  And, it has the flood plain at Rankin on the French Broad River that is always interesting.  All in all I think next Summer is going to be a long one.