Back to Lake

 I pined away Monday after finding the kitten dead early morning and finally just slept most of the day.

It usually does the trick in reducing my stress and/or sorrow.  And it did.

By yesterday, I was back on track.   I had thought about heading to Waldo Lake, before the wildfire situation up there gets even worse.   There's a be ready evacuation notice now at Crescent and Odell Lakes.  Odell is nearly across the highway, south of the turnoff to Waldo.  The Red Fire is burning to the north and west of Crescent Lake.  

The south and east banks of Waldo haven't burned yet.  The west and north sides have burned in different fires in past years.  What will we lose this year.

Instead I did cat chores then headed up to the reservoir.

It's been windy and I should have gotten there early to avoid the worst of the wind.  The lake was choppy and white capping.   I went out anyhow but I didn't go far, just to the far side of the point across from the boat ramp.  I checked the blackberries along the banks where I pick them usually to see how they're doing and they're probably ten days to two weeks from being ripe.

I found a life jacket, soggy and dirty, lapping under a log against one shore and brought it home to clean up.  I really like it and its my size.

I surfed large waves, once back to the boat ramp arm, back to the beach by the boat ramp and laid out on my mat for awhile.  The bad thing about the beach there is that people taking their dogs out on their boats let their dogs poop in that area and often do not clean up after.   So its getting a little sketchy with dog poop.

A young couple peeked around the berry vines at me, laying on the beach, then walked back up to the boat ramp and climbed down the bank beside it to go in the water.   I walked over and told them I'd be leaving after I took a short swim and they could have the beach spot.  They just smiled.

I did go back and take a swim, then headed up to get my car to load up and they moved over to the beach area.

I set my alarm and went to take a nap, once home.  Tenants at the complex where the kitten came from had seen a black female with two more kittens, coming to eat around 11:00 p.m.  This is probably mom of the kitten who died.  I planned to go over about 10:30 and set up to try to catch them. Alas, about 9:30, they texted me and said she'd already come and left.   Shoot.   I guess I'll try earlier tonight. 

 First I will take some traps to Brownsville.  Lady there got FCCO spots for the crew she and her neighbor feed about two months ago maybe and finally the spots are this Friday.  In the meantime, the mother cat had kittens and they caught the kittens, got them to a rescue near Eugene, and the mother vanished.  So there aren't as many who need caught.

Anyhow, also my nonprofit paid for two females to be fixed at a private vet clinic yesterday.

I haven't heard from the tenant up at the 7-11 colony who feeds the survivors at the apartments.  She has a trap and I asked her to trap the remaining three.  I wish she'd do it, get it done.

From the beach by the boat ramp looking out at that arm of the lake.  You can barely differentiate the point I paddle across to from Calkins, from the far side of the lake.  I call that Calkins Point.  I cross to that side and then go around that point and meander along its shoreline.  Usually I then cross the main body of the lake to Lewis Creek park or just east of it and go down that shore to the second bridge and Sunnyside and sometimes then on up the Middle Fork of the Santiam River.

Parked at Blackberry lane.

Blackberry Lane

Tinsel Moss (really Spanish Moss but I have my own names for things) on far side of Calkins Point

Thimbleberries

I know I sound like a broken record just going to the same old reservoir all the time, but where else can I go, really, that's nearby, when I have cats to care for here and nobody left alive of friends to care for them if I leave.  I could go for a night and I will, I hope, very soon.