The heat of last week was hardly bearable, even though the forest remains a few degrees cooler than in town. I had to retreat to the coolness of the downstairs, keep the use of the stove to a minimum, and run the dehumidifier (because at least it would be a "dry heat").
The rains have helped bring down the night-time temperatures, although it also brought a surfeit of humidity, which means that I have to make the choice of damp-and-slightly-cooler versus dry-and-slightly-warmer. I've been choosing the latter, in light of my dislike for mold.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Odd white oil on the surface of TSL
I walked outside today and noticed that there was something on the surface of the lake. At first, I thought that it was some ripples from the breeze, but then it was shaped in the wrong way, and it also wasn't rippling. Indeed, it just seemed to sit there on the surface of the water.
Going out on the dock didn't help much, either, except to recognize that it was definitely something on the surface (or just below) out toward the middle of the lake, and -- from what I could tell from there -- nowhere else in the lake. "Hrm.... Hopefully it's not pollution," I thought to myself. Best get into a boat to check out what it was.
I got oars out of the barn, pulled out one of the boats, and paddled slowly out to the white slick. As I approached it, the slick seemed to disappear as its whiteness became muddled with the reflection of the sky. On went the polarized lenses and I saw that it, indeed, was something floating just under the surface.
Looking out over the lake, I also noticed that there was a rippling on the water, and this, too, was something not being kicked up by the wind. Intrigued -- a small part of the back of my mind thinking of lake monsters -- I paddled slowly to that stationary rippling.
As I approached, pulled the oars out the water and peered over the edge of the boat.... and there were what looked like bass -- a shoal of them -- swimming together near the surface, and -- as I approached -- the group swam away from the boat, away off to another part of the lake.
I don't know what that white substance was, but it wasn't actually oily on the surface, but just below it. Perhaps some milt or other spawning juices...
Going out on the dock didn't help much, either, except to recognize that it was definitely something on the surface (or just below) out toward the middle of the lake, and -- from what I could tell from there -- nowhere else in the lake. "Hrm.... Hopefully it's not pollution," I thought to myself. Best get into a boat to check out what it was.
I got oars out of the barn, pulled out one of the boats, and paddled slowly out to the white slick. As I approached it, the slick seemed to disappear as its whiteness became muddled with the reflection of the sky. On went the polarized lenses and I saw that it, indeed, was something floating just under the surface.
Looking out over the lake, I also noticed that there was a rippling on the water, and this, too, was something not being kicked up by the wind. Intrigued -- a small part of the back of my mind thinking of lake monsters -- I paddled slowly to that stationary rippling.
As I approached, pulled the oars out the water and peered over the edge of the boat.... and there were what looked like bass -- a shoal of them -- swimming together near the surface, and -- as I approached -- the group swam away from the boat, away off to another part of the lake.
I don't know what that white substance was, but it wasn't actually oily on the surface, but just below it. Perhaps some milt or other spawning juices...
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