Greenwater Report for May 20, 2002

The Greenwater Report for May 20, 2002
Victoria Day

Greenwater Provincial Park - Monday, May 13, 2002 - by: Jerry Crawford

no
rush
May 19th, 2002: Victoria Day weekend, and the Park is jumping. Beautiful weather for launching the boat and getting the cottage ready for summer, but a bit chilly for swimming or water skiing. There were a few boats out on the lake, and today one hardy soul was out on skis (very briefly!) I have our pontoon boat all serviced and ready to go, but think I will let the lake warm up a bit before I put our dock out. The dock is the kind that presumably can be set up without getting wet, but that doesn’t allow for klutzes that fall off into the water. I’m not in a rush, and besides, it looks nice sitting in front of our cottage.

pussy
willows
There are lots of buds on the trees, but no leaves! Shouldn’t there be leaves on the trees by now? We commented the other day that there seemed to be more of a green tinge in the forest when we went to Dauphin in April than there is now. There are some nice pussy willows, though, big ones an inch or more long.

garage
sale
Doreen and her sorority sisters have a multi-family garage sale every Victoria Day holiday, and this time it was at our place. There was a fair amount of activity, but I suspect it was mostly a time for visiting. There was some stuff left over from last year cluttering up our garage, so when the girls shut down, they threw anything that was left into the back of Lloyd and Louise’s truck to take to Humboldt to the Goodwill Store.

ice
Last Sunday, I reported the ice had some large cracks; we were away all day Monday, but Tuesday the ice was very broken and wet looking. We thought it looked like open water at the north end. Tyrone and Dale both predicted it would be gone in a day. The wind started in the South, but by 5 pm, it switched around to the north and pushed the ice floes South. Where they ground together, white crystalline seams appeared.

May 15
ice went
Wednesday morning it was almost cold enough to freeze the lake over again, but there was just a fringe of slushy ice along the South shore. We were away, but when we got home about 4, there wasn’t a sign of ice. You can safely mark on your calendar that the ice went out on May 15th.

May 3
last year
By the way, for those of you who like to make a note of it, Jessie Rotzien says that the ice went out last spring on May 3rd. She had noted it on her calendar. I have corrected my records accordingly.

deer
For months, we have hardly seen a deer beside the highway. Last Monday, though, coming home after dark, there must have been fifty or more along Highway #38 between here and Chelan. Most just raise their heads to look at us as we drive by. I am nervous around deer, though, and slow down; this gives the deer cause for alarm and they start getting antsy, sometimes deciding to run across the road in front of us.

deer
alarm
I have been reading about some fancy scheme for putting warning signals every so often along highways; as I understand it, the device will give off a sound to alert deer when a vehicle approaches. Sounds like a hare-brained scheme to me. The only deer I have hit have been in a hurry to get someplace else and have dashed across the road in front of me. Giving them an alarm will just get them excited and prancing around when a car comes. Alternatively, they will get used to the alarm and ignore it, and the installation will be a total waste of lots of our dollars. Slowing down to ninety or less at night is the best way of reducing accidents, but the only way of putting an end to them totally is to shoot all the deer, or close the highway.

they
work
After writing the above, I talked to Jim Duerksen; he said one of the devices was installed near Harris and the local bodyman complained that his business dropped right off!

Doreen & Jerry Crawford
Box 100, Chelan, SK S0E 0N0 (306) 278-3423 http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/crawg


The Greenwater Report for May 20, 2002 Victoria Day

Greenwater Provincial Park - Monday, May 13, 2002 - by: Jerry Crawford
no rush	May 19th, 2002: Victoria Day weekend, and the Park is jumping. Beautiful weather for launching the boat and getting the cottage ready for summer, but a bit chilly for swimming or water skiing. There were a few boats out on the lake, and today one hardy soul was out on skis (very briefly!) I have our pontoon boat all serviced and ready to go, but think I will let the lake warm up a bit before I put our dock out. The dock is the kind that presumably can be set up without getting wet, but that doesn’t allow for klutzes that fall off into the water. I’m not in a rush, and besides, it looks nice sitting in front of our cottage.

pussy willows	There are lots of buds on the trees, but no leaves! Shouldn’t there be leaves on the trees by now? We commented the other day that there seemed to be more of a green tinge in the forest when we went to Dauphin in April than there is now. There are some nice pussy willows, though, big ones an inch or more long.



garage sale	Doreen and her sorority sisters have a multi-family garage sale every Victoria Day holiday, and this time it was at our place. There was a fair amount of activity, but I suspect it was mostly a time for visiting. There was some stuff left over from last year cluttering up our garage, so when the girls shut down, they threw anything that was left into the back of Lloyd and Louise’s truck to take to Humboldt to the Goodwill Store.

ice	Last Sunday, I reported the ice had some large cracks; we were away all day Monday, but Tuesday the ice was very broken and wet looking. We thought it looked like open water at the north end. Tyrone and Dale both predicted it would be gone in a day. The wind started in the South, but by 5 pm, it switched around to the north and pushed the ice floes South. Where they ground together, white crystalline seams appeared.



May 15 ice went	Wednesday morning it was almost cold enough to freeze the lake over again, but there was just a fringe of slushy ice along the South shore. We were away, but when we got home about 4, there wasn’t a sign of ice. You can safely mark on your calendar that the ice went out on May 15th.

May 3 last year	By the way, for those of you who like to make a note of it, Jessie Rotzien says that the ice went out last spring on May 3rd. She had noted it on her calendar. I have corrected my records accordingly.



deer	For months, we have hardly seen a deer beside the highway. Last Monday, though, coming home after dark, there must have been fifty or more along Highway #38 between here and Chelan. Most just raise their heads to look at us as we drive by. I am nervous around deer, though, and slow down; this gives the deer cause for alarm and they start getting antsy, sometimes deciding to run across the road in front of us.



deer alarm	I have been reading about some fancy scheme for putting warning signals every so often along highways; as I understand it, the device will give off a sound to alert deer when a vehicle approaches. Sounds like a hare-brained scheme to me. The only deer I have hit have been in a hurry to get someplace else and have dashed across the road in front of me. Giving them an alarm will just get them excited and prancing around when a car comes. Alternatively, they will get used to the alarm and ignore it, and the installation will be a total waste of lots of our dollars. Slowing down to ninety or less at night is the best way of reducing accidents, but the only way of putting an end to them totally is to shoot all the deer, or close the highway.

they work	After writing the above, I talked to Jim Duerksen; he said one of the devices was installed near Harris and the local bodyman complained that his business dropped right off!



	Doreen & Jerry Crawford Box 100, Chelan, SK S0E 0N0 (306) 278-3423 http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/crawg