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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_02A1_01C9AA45.14822A70 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Now that it's officially spring I had no reasonable excuse for any = further delay in launching a canoe on my 'home pond' -- the Gaspereau = River headpond at White Rock -- for the first time in 2009. = Accomplishing this was complicated, however, by about 200 m of solid ice = from the White Rock bridge out to the open water. With great caution, I = slid myself and the canoe across the ice to within a few feet of the = open water, got in, and then carefully shoved off the ice into the = river. Huzza! The ice was still remarkably sound, though I'm not sure I = would have gone out on it without a life jacket, a good knife and = 16-foot-long wooden canoe to grab onto if I went through. What this canoe-skate earned me was a 1.25 km stretch of open water to = play on in the warm sunshine. It was so warm and calm I didn't even put = my coat on. Mostly I saw the usual suspects. One adult BALD EAGLE making = its high-pitched call from a tall pine and another being mobbed by = CROWS. CHICKADEES calling from the shore. RAVENS making gravelly noises = while performing smartaleck aerobatics. There was a female COMMON = MERGANSER, a M&F pair of BLACK DUCKS, and -- to my surprise -- a M&F = pair of HOODED MERGANSERS. I watched the waterfowl in particular for a = long time.=20 After about an hour entertaining myself in this fashion I carefully = weaseled the canoe back up on top of the ice and tip-toed my way = upstream to the bridge. And canoeing season begins in earnest (if it ever really ended) ... Andrew Steeves Wolfville, NS ------=_NextPart_000_02A1_01C9AA45.14822A70 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6001.18203" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Now that it's officially spring I had no reasonable = excuse for=20 any further delay in launching a canoe on my 'home pond' -- the = Gaspereau=20 River headpond at White Rock -- for the first time in 2009. = Accomplishing this=20 was complicated, however, by about 200 m of solid ice from the = White Rock=20 bridge out to the open water. With great caution, I slid myself and the = canoe=20 across the ice to within a few feet of the open water, got in, and = then=20 carefully shoved off the ice into the river. Huzza! The ice was = still=20 remarkably sound, though I'm not sure I would have gone out on it = without a life=20 jacket, a good knife and 16-foot-long wooden canoe to grab onto if = I went=20 through.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>What this canoe-skate earned me was a 1.25 km = stretch of open=20 water to play on in the warm sunshine. It was so warm and calm I didn't=20 even put my coat on. Mostly I saw the usual suspects. One = adult=20 BALD EAGLE making its high-pitched call from a tall pine and another = being=20 mobbed by CROWS. CHICKADEES calling from the shore. RAVENS making = gravelly=20 noises while performing smartaleck aerobatics. There was = a female=20 COMMON MERGANSER, a M&F pair of BLACK DUCKS, and -- to my surprise = -- a=20 M&F pair of HOODED MERGANSERS. I watched the waterfowl in particular = for a=20 long time. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>After about an hour entertaining myself in this = fashion I=20 carefully weaseled the canoe back up on top = of the ice and=20 tip-toed my way upstream to the bridge.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>And canoeing season begins in earnest (if it ever = really=20 ended) ...</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Andrew Steeves</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Wolfville, NS</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_02A1_01C9AA45.14822A70--
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