The images from the Caretaker's field trip to Shelving Falls on the 13th of May have been posted on his new blog, the narrative will follow at a later date, (yet to be determined). The link to the Caretaker's new blog: The Caretaker's Travels, can be found just to the left.
The Caretaker's Concern 5/15/08
Lake Temp. 52F.
Ghetto temp. 60 F.
Island tmp. 59.75 F. Yesterday's L/H: 48.5/65.5 F.
Current conditions: Little to no wind, sparse cloud coverage, intermittent fingers of clouds streaked across the night sky, a touch of haze mildly obscuring the moon which is illuminating a large ring around it. Moon is a touch beyond half, lighting the Island in a soft blue-white, glow.
Early midmorning the Caretaker went for a paddle to do what he was supposed to do yesterday. The sky overcast with clouds, there was a brisk wind from the South, the Caretaker paddled the canoe around the North point of Clay Island to avoid as much of the wind and wave action as possible. This time around the Caretaker remembered to bring the house key, and his work gloves. While watering the house plants it began to rain, this was not looking good for the Caretaker's leaf wrangling practice session on Clay Island. After passing through the isthmus between Clay island and the mainland, out on the main body of he Lake, the cloud obscured Sunlight glimmered chrome on the ebony colored water.
The paddle back started in a mild rain that became progressively heavier, the Southerly wind began to pick up a bit, neither of which became too heavy and the temperature wasn't too cool, making for a rather pleasant paddle back. Unfortunately the Caretaker wasn't sure how long the rain would last, so he decided to put off the Clay island leaf wrangling for yet another day. Wrangling wet leaves is a rather slow arduous process, besides, it is the antithesis of the conditions used for competitive leaf wrangling, so more often than not to practice under such conditions only serves to ruin strong leaf wrangling form. With such sound reasoning the Caretaker shirked this responsibility for yet another day and merrily paddled his way home.
Later on in the morning the wind eventually died down calm. It remained this way for a while, but then come early mid afternoon the wind picked up again from the East, coming from the Narrows with many fast feet. When the wind picked up the Caretaker was up top a ladder on Cocktail point removing an outdoor light fixture from a tree that was slated to be cut down in the next few weeks. Having little interest in practicing his sky dive landing technique he decided that the light fixture could be brought down at another time and so descended the ladder. (Not that the Caretaker has a sky dive landing technique, although he imagines that there must be a lot of the bending of the knees involved.)
From there the Caretaker went on to do some other electrical work, mill wood, and various other Island work into the early evening. Hopefully tomorrow will be the day that the Caretaker can finally get some leaf wrangling practice in, if he doesn't he runs the risk of losing his title of "Professional Leaf Wrangler". Meh.
--The Caretaker
