New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff

busy summer so much to do and so little of it left.

Tuesday 07/14/2009

Summer is sailing by. Or at least galloping along despite more days of cool rain. The Suncook River has dropped back well within its banking's once again. While it has not really flooded during most of the rains of the last month and a half it has run full pretty much full to its banking's most of the time. Unlike past summers when it has dropped to a mere trickle except for the extreme floods.

Late last week I did spend an evening down on the river's edge with my good friend Rick. His little deck is purched on the very edge of the river and he has a nice metal fire pit to contain a welcomed fire in these cool evenings. It hardly felt like mid July down there at river's edge as we both had long pants and long sleeved shirts on for the late day venture. We have spent many a evening on his deck enjoying the river and each others company that stretches back more than four decades. And we often linger back in those times while chatting at rivers edge. I have lived on the Suncook River in Epsom for thirty years now and enjoyed the river before that when I lived in Allenstown starting in 1974. I lived in an apartment not far from the river. The river was up a little that evening but was very quiet with only what I think was probably a muskrat or a mink crossing the river above us in the near darkness of the night.

I did get out last week with my friend Jean on the new lobster boat he built last winter. We were down in Back Channel in Portsmouth where he had put out a dozen lobster traps the week before. Jean has been lobstering in this area for much of the last three or more decades but had a break the lasted three or four years. But he was ready to get back at it and even built his own boat last winter to prove it. She's a fine rig and spacious enough to hand haul the traps in over her side. I had the pleasure of being with Jean for his first catch of lobster in his new boat. We had a break in the weather last Wednesday afternoon and got our task done without a rain drop falling.

My wife and I joined my daughter, her husband and kids for a wonderful day at Water Country in Portsmouth on Friday. It was a bright sunny and finally a very warm day. Though I will say the water could have been a bit warmer. My daughter reminded me it was likely 20 year ago that I was last there when she was a teen. I used to take her there for her birthday. Even back then I recall that by late August the water had begun to cool and we tried to dodge the cold drops of water dripping down on us as we climbed the stairs to the rides. And I got plenty of rides in this year too including the picture above of me exiting the "Screamer" ride. Life is fun and more fun when you live it to its fullest.

I saw another turkey hen today here in town without any poults. I am concerned about the impact of all this rain on our fowl.