stitch and glue

In the Big River

I turn back at Wooster Island, an hour and a half upriver from the feral cat park.  I've ridden here on a decent flood current, somewhat stronger than I expected, and also with a light tailwind.  I won't get much help on the way back, but with the tidal curve approaching its peak, I won't have much against me either.

looks like raccoon

I've counted fifteen great blue herons so far.  Ten alone came off of Great Flat where eight of them were in a single tree.  I flushed three more off of Wooster Island and the others popped up out of marshes, unseen until they were in the air.  I have also seen one osprey, one immature bald eagle, and a large hawk.

It is an entirely pleasant autumn day.  The temperature is warm, the wind light with a hazy overcast and a very light sprinkle of rain that doesn't even dampen my clothes.  I have a new paddle out, one of my long taper wide tips...its first use.  It needs a bit of thinning on the shaft and grip, but the blade delivers a powerful pull and makes the j-stroke correction with hardly any effort at all.

An hour out, the wind starts to come up.  It's not bad.  I pull away and do what I seem to do best, move and pay attention to stuff.