Greenwater Report for December 4, 2000

---The Greenwater Report for December 4, 2000

Greenwater Provincial Park - December 4, 2000 - By: Gerald Crawford

snow
sliding
December 2nd, 2000: Nice and warm today only about -4 at 8am and overcast. Some wind but nothing like Friday night and yesterday. On Friday night, I kept hearing a sound like snow sliding off a roof; our roof is almost flat, and it was too cold for it to slide so finally figured out it was the wind.

Mystery
Lake
We had hoar frost almost continuously for a week or more. Friday morning, I walked north; by Mystery Lake there was a natural arch in the branches framing a view of the lake. The morning sun hitting it made the whole arch glow. Gorgeous! There was still some left Saturday morning, and it was all gone by this morning.

grosbeaks
Our evening grosbeaks and pine grosbeaks came back last Monday, but only a few. I wonder if it has something to do with us putting out some bird seed? The chickadees, nuthatches, Canada jays and bluejays are back too; no sign of other types.

gray
owl
Frank Duhaime saw a great gray owl near Perigord, and we saw one north of the Park. Doreen tried to take a picture of it, but just as she pressed the trigger, it flew away. It would be nice to think they may stay around, but when nesting time comes they disappear.

moose
Jenny phoned us Thursday evening warning us to drive carefully through the park at night. She saw a moose right beside the road on her way to Chelan, and two of them on her way home. Believe me, you don’t want to hit a moose - just ask Doreen!

Cat
skidder
The Kelvington snowmobile club has cut the new trail across the north end of our property then angling north east to meet up with the old trail. Mark Fletcher came up with a big Cat skidder, and it didn’t take long. They cut the trail good and wide, which I feel will improve the forest. Where they cut north east, they had to cross a slough bottom; there was no frost at all in the ground, and the skidder had to winch itself out in a couple of places. Some ruts! Dennis Szafron said they were filling with water, so with some good, cold weather and snow, that part could freeze reasonably smooth.

Joe
Clark
I guess the election didn’t surprise many people it was hardly mentioned at the coffee table Tuesday morning or since. What did surprise me was the way Joe Clark matured. I couldn‚t stand the man before; it seemed to me he must spend the first hour of every day in front of a mirror, seeing if he could get his jowls to shake in indignation like Dief’s, and practising his statesmanlike voice. Now, suddenly, he seems to be his own man, though the voice still doesn’t fit the visage. He could be a serious contender next time around.

ice fishing shack
George Renneberg told me he was the first one to pull his ice fishing shack out onto the lake, though one or two more had appeared since. I drove down by the marina and could see one shack just north of the marina and another over at the east point. The ice appears to be anywhere from six to nine inches thick, and some snowmobiles have been running around all over it.

pneumonia shots
We went to Kelvington and got pneumonia shots on Thursday seems to us that too many old folks succumb to pneumonia. Now they'll have to invent something new to kill us off with (and they will!).

work area
When we got to about Lynn Swartz’s place we came to a sign that said "End of Work Area". We didn’t even know we were in a work area!

nuclear
power
plant
We have been dying of curiosity all week a team of surveyors have been working around here, and we keep seeing sophisticated-looking equipment on tripods. They have been at our dead-end, at the other end at the old highway, north of our place, south of the corner, and have planted stakes in places that have no meaning to a layman. Re-routing the highway? Widening our road? (Lord, I hope not!) Building a nuclear power plant? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what develops. If I learn anything, I’ll let you know. Brian Shuya had talked with them; the stakes at odd places don’t mean much except to themselves. They are reference points for their GPS systems. I hope they leave some meaningful markers so I can mark the boundaries of our own parcel.

set of
tracks
I walked down to the Park this morning. Toward the north end of our road a set of tracks crossed the road leaving distinct marks in the skiff of new snow. Too big for a coyote, unless an awfully big one. Just as I went onto the highway, some howling started up. Low pitched and musical coming from south west of the Park gate, and shrill yipping to the East. I was quite enjoying it until a snowmobile started up and drowned everything else out.

cattle
semi
When I tried to drive down to the Park the other day, I found the dead-end intersection west of Casey's to be totally blocked. A cattle semi couldn't make the sharp turn and rise. Luckily, we have other options.

Gerald B. Crawford
Box 100, Chelan, SK S0E 0N0 (306) 278-3423
Check out my Webpage: http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/crawg

---The Greenwater Report for December 4, 2000

Greenwater Provincial Park - December 4, 2000 - By: Gerald Crawford

snow sliding	December 2nd, 2000: Nice and warm today only about -4 at 8am and overcast. Some wind but nothing like Friday night and yesterday. On Friday night, I kept hearing a sound like snow sliding off a roof; our roof is almost flat, and it was too cold for it to slide so finally figured out it was the wind.

Mystery Lake	We had hoar frost almost continuously for a week or more. Friday morning, I walked north; by Mystery Lake there was a natural arch in the branches framing a view of the lake. The morning sun hitting it made the whole arch glow. Gorgeous! There was still some left Saturday morning, and it was all gone by this morning.

grosbeaks	Our evening grosbeaks and pine grosbeaks came back last Monday, but only a few. I wonder if it has something to do with us putting out some bird seed? The chickadees, nuthatches, Canada jays and bluejays are back too; no sign of other types.

gray owl	Frank Duhaime saw a great gray owl near Perigord, and we saw one north of the Park. Doreen tried to take a picture of it, but just as she pressed the trigger, it flew away. It would be nice to think they may stay around, but when nesting time comes they disappear.

moose	Jenny phoned us Thursday evening warning us to drive carefully through the park at night. She saw a moose right beside the road on her way to Chelan, and two of them on her way home. Believe me, you don’t want to hit a moose - just ask Doreen!

Cat skidder	The Kelvington snowmobile club has cut the new trail across the north end of our property then angling north east to meet up with the old trail. Mark Fletcher came up with a big Cat skidder, and it didn’t take long. They cut the trail good and wide, which I feel will improve the forest. Where they cut north east, they had to cross a slough bottom; there was no frost at all in the ground, and the skidder had to winch itself out in a couple of places. Some ruts! Dennis Szafron said they were filling with water, so with some good, cold weather and snow, that part could freeze reasonably smooth.

Joe Clark	I guess the election didn’t surprise many people it was hardly mentioned at the coffee table Tuesday morning or since. What did surprise me was the way Joe Clark matured. I couldn‚t stand the man before; it seemed to me he must spend the first hour of every day in front of a mirror, seeing if he could get his jowls to shake in indignation like Dief’s, and practising his statesmanlike voice. Now, suddenly, he seems to be his own man, though the voice still doesn’t fit the visage. He could be a serious contender next time around.

ice fishing shack	George Renneberg told me he was the first one to pull his ice fishing shack out onto the lake, though one or two more had appeared since. I drove down by the marina and could see one shack just north of the marina and another over at the east point. The ice appears to be anywhere from six to nine inches thick, and some snowmobiles have been running around all over it.

pneumonia shots	We went to Kelvington and got pneumonia shots on Thursday seems to us that too many old folks succumb to pneumonia. Now they'll have to invent something new to kill us off with (and they will!).

work area	When we got to about Lynn Swartz’s place we came to a sign that said "End of Work Area". We didn’t even know we were in a work area!

nuclear power plant	We have been dying of curiosity all week a team of surveyors have been working around here, and we keep seeing sophisticated-looking equipment on tripods. They have been at our dead-end, at the other end at the old highway, north of our place, south of the corner, and have planted stakes in places that have no meaning to a layman. Re-routing the highway? Widening our road? (Lord, I hope not!) Building a nuclear power plant? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what develops. If I learn anything, I’ll let you know. Brian Shuya had talked with them; the stakes at odd places don’t mean much except to themselves. They are reference points for their GPS systems. I hope they leave some meaningful markers so I can mark the boundaries of our own parcel.

set of tracks	I walked down to the Park this morning. Toward the north end of our road a set of tracks crossed the road leaving distinct marks in the skiff of new snow. Too big for a coyote, unless an awfully big one. Just as I went onto the highway, some howling started up. Low pitched and musical coming from south west of the Park gate, and shrill yipping to the East. I was quite enjoying it until a snowmobile started up and drowned everything else out.

cattle semi	When I tried to drive down to the Park the other day, I found the dead-end intersection west of Casey's to be totally blocked. A cattle semi couldn't make the sharp turn and rise. Luckily, we have other options.

	Gerald B. Crawford Box 100, Chelan, SK S0E 0N0 (306) 278-3423 Check out my Webpage: http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/crawg