A Night of Nothing

Anything happening on the river?

Well… not really. At least not last night. 

Oh, we (Jeff and I) did have a moment with the black and white cat that hangs out on the stretch by the house. Typical stare-down. Jeff sat attentively, focused on the cat and the cat tracked us as we went by. We see this cat quite often nestled among the roots on the bank or hanging out on a rock just a short jump from the bank. The rock in question is perfectly shaped for a cat and it has to be one of the best adapted hang-out spots on the river. The best is still the hammock along Slackwater road.

Just moments after leaving the cat behind, we were hailed by Ouija who was apparently keeping an eye on the river from his back porch. Jeff returned the greeting and this was accompanied by some longing whimpers. Jeff loves Ouija.

As if taking their cue from Ouija, the blue jays chimed in.  Two different calls were on offer and the sheer number of individuals/calls made it seem like the whole place was rife with jays. Apparently a group of jays is called a party - sounded like one. 

While the blue jays were doing their thing, we saw a pair of mourning doves walking the bank. They mirrored each other's movements as they walked back and forth in short bursts, heads pumping as they did so. 

And then there were the feathers - tons of them. Likely goose feathers, these were smallish and sign that the geese have been hanging out past the bend at Rocky Springs. The geese never really leave, but their increased frequency overhead and the mass of feathers on the water is definitely a harbinger of fall.

The most exciting moment aside from riding the “rapids” was smacking into a submerged log. Jeff has gone overboard in similar instances, but last night he kept his footing following what was pilot error. After the second stare down of the trip, we left the matter behind us and Jeff settled into his usual spot on the bow of the boat. 

There were herons and egrets (pair in a tree) and hawks and others. One of the herons allowed us to get close before squawking its way downriver. Otherwise, the herons have been pretty quiet as of late. The same cannot be said of the eastern wood-pewee which is always out there making some noise. 

And there was the second barking dog down by the haunted house - and the yelling owner. And the sunset and the breeze and the time away from the normal. 

Tonight when we go out on the river, the same thing will happen: nothing. Thing is, is that tonight's set of nothing will be completely different from yesterday’s nothing. 

I can’t wait to see what that is.

Nothing to see here.