Since 5 a.m. [I'm taking a break], I've been busy taking down and packing away everything Halloween and putting up a few Thanksgiving/Fall items around the house. It's a chore! It takes me weeks to put it all up in October, and when Halloween is over I want it all down...in a day. That means back breaking work. Bud helps, that's good. One very chilly morning [44 degrees on the island], I drove there and walked some. The wind was strong and coming off the water, it felt near freezing. Trust me, I grew up in Colorado, and 40 degrees along the coast truly compares to Colorado's winters of 32 degrees and below!! Anyway, the ship channel was busy...very busy. While I walked the jetty one ship went out to sea and three others came into port...all within a half hour's time. The dolphins greeted 'em coming in and bid adieu to the one leaving. They're fun to wait for them to breach the ships' bow wakes!!
At Charlie's Pasture, upon arriving I was shocked...the prairie grasses were burned to a crisp! My first thought, after our home town area burned [Cameron Peak Fire] the largest forest fire in Colorado history, "Not us too?!!" Several acres were charred...then, I took notice that there was a pattern to the burned area...some green pasture was framing the blackened areas..."It must have been a controlled burn!" A parks and rec gal was cleaning the outhouses, and when she came out as I walked by I asked her if this was all a controlled burn...she said yes. Phew, thank goodness, I thought sure enough some careless smoker or a campfire got out of control!
Okay, I must get back to work. I have hours of work yet. Here are some photo shares of my day in the cold----
The first photo in the series of four above, is of a new trail they are cutting through the pasture to two other ponds! Can't wait for it to open. The water is Magee Beach and the last one is a fishing pier...one of very few that was not ruined with hurricane surge this year. Then, below, the four following is of the pasture controlled burning. The only consolation is in about a month, new growth will make it all the more ecologically healthier...
I will continue this day tripping in another post, when I'm done with packing things away. We have a movie plan for tonight during dinner of pizza and beer...in memory of the late Sean Connery [passing away at the age of 90 over the weekend]...Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. My favorite of that series of flicks.