For Love of Lakes by Darby Nelson - Sept. Book Club Online

[BarbStAubrey]

For Love of Lakes
Author ~ Darby Nelson: Aquatic Ecologist, Prof. Emeritus

"Deep feelings of joy, of belonging, envelop me. Boundaries melt, I seem as one with water, rock, and lily, all part of a magnificent whole. ~ Darby Nelson

Landscape is not "land," it is not "nature," and it is not space...
A place owes its character to the experience it affords to those who
spend time there, to the sights and sounds, and indeed the smells, that
constitute its specific ambience.  And those in turn, depend on the
kind of activities in which its inhabitants engage. ~ Tim Ingold

We are the landscape of all we have seen. ~ Isamu Naguchi

Welcome ~ Pull up your chair and join us.
Some of you will NOT have a book and that is fine - We expect to use the book as a guide for this discussion relating what we read to 'your' nearby lake. Most of the book is available to read from the Amazon preview link: For Love of Lakes

Link to, For Love of Lakes and tell us:

• Tell us about 'your' nearby lake? How clear is the water? Are there wigglies in the water or floating bits? Has algae fouled the water?
• Do you have memories of other lakes - tell us about those lakes - what was special, how large was the lake and did you swim from a beach or fish from a dock or boat?
• What did you know of Lake Agassiz and Louis Agassiz?
     - How does Stephen A. Forbes fit into the story of Lake Agassiz?
• We learned most of our northern lakes and beaches were covered by an ice cap during the ice age. Water from a ghost lake, the ancient Agassiz surged and topped moraine dams, the result of glacier deposits and torrents of waters cut through the till... "huge boulders too large to be moved" accumulated and stopped the downcutting, forming lakes, ponds and rivers while altering the landscape we live with today.
• While walking in the woods and lake trails do you call by name the trees, birds or insects?
• Do you ever remember drinking directly from a river or lake?
• Is there a quiet spot on your lake where you can hear the wind and the lap of the water?

Darby Nelson is a beautiful writer who adeptly weaves his cast of characters; insects, minuscule lake life, and rocks into a story of interdependence with his cast of birds and plant characters.

One, without the other is not possible and then, he enlightens us to the lake culprits that are draining the oxygen from our lakes, killing our fish and contaminating plants and birds. He tells the story as if a ballet, weaving and floating word pictures that show the beauty of these connections. His book would make a breathtaking movie rather than simply a documentary of facts and problems.

And so, rather than listing a group of focus questions that would only help us identify various characters and their individual habits, let's read and share the words and information that strike us as well as, photos (as Jane says, of reasonable size - no larger than 400 pixels on the largest side - need help with that please ask) Let's continue to share 'our' lake stories and links to sites that further and make easy the lessons Darby Nelson, ever the teacher, is uncovering in For Love of Lakes

     

Dictionary of Glaciation terms with photos: Landforms of Glaciation
A Glossary of terms: Glossary of Glacier Terminology - Text Version
PDF~The Lake as a Microcosm by Stephen A. Forbes (1887)

librivox-Acoustical liberation of books in the public domain
Walden by Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)

Our next section, Mindscapes is planned to be discussed next week, Wednesday, September 16 and Futurescapes to be discussed the last week, Wednesday, September 23.

Discussion Leader: Barb

[mabel1015j]

There is a unigue lake near us where I took our kids when they were growing up. Lake Atsion is in the Pine Barrens and looks like a cup of tea. The water is a re-brown color and this is why......

The unique tea-colored (or “cedar”) water that flows through the Pinelands is evidence of the area’s biodiversity. The water’s light-brown hue is a result of the tannic acids present in the Pine Barrens’ plant life—especially the Atlantic white cedar—as well as naturally occurring iron in many of the streams. It’s not a good idea to drink the water, but go ahead and swim all day if you’d like.



The Lake was perfect for taking children to because a portion of the a wide slow moving river had been dammed up to make a recreation area and a section had been roped off from the river that at its deepest was only about 5 ft deep. The state had made a very nice beach and provided "bath houses" and snack bars and grills and there was a lifeguard about every 50 feet, including on the river side of the swimming area. It felt very safe. The "tea water" made it unique. During the Revolutionary War there were forges of iron throughout the area that provided iron for  the arms used by the colonists. I'll look for a picture for you to see the water.

http://njmonthly.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2014/07/pinelands1/732718997.png

Jean

[BarbStAubrey]

The tea colored water made me curious about trees affecting the health of lakes - I found this that I never had heard of but evidently are used on the shore line here for Lady Bird Lake and Lake Austin.

The logs you see on the shoreline are made of “Coir” and have been placed with plantings for erosion control and lakeshore habitat.

Coir is the natural fiber found in ripe coconut husks, and it has been used for centuries to make ship ropes due to its durability and resistance to water damage. One of the modern uses for coir includes mats or logs of coir fiber bound by coir ropes for erosion control. Coir is anchored in areas with loose soils that need stabilization including stream banks, wetlands and construction sites. The advantage of using coir logs for erosion control (rather than rocks or bulkheads) is that the coir allows vegetation to grow within it as it slowly biodegrades becoming part of the matrix of the soil. When the coir has finally biodegraded (years later), the roots of the vegetation then provide the long-term stability of the soil which provides natural and beneficial integrity to the land and water.

Although appealing in its low cost, durability and ability to biodegrade, it was unclear if coir logs would be successful in stabilizing the shoreline of Lake Austin due to the intense wave energy from recreational boating. A pilot study to test this method in Lake Austin was initiated in Summer 2009. After 5 years of observation, it was determined that coir logs and plants can be successful (under certain circumstances) in stabilizing and restoring a shoreline to a more natural state. Most coir logs deteriorated slowly and the remaining fiber has roots and stems growing throughout. The pilot study provided valuable information regarding placement, location, timing and plant species.

[BarbStAubrey]

The City of Austin takes on the care and maintenance of Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake where as the LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) appears to take on the care and maintenance of the entire chain of Lakes that includes Lake Travis as it is part of the Colorado River Basin and the State Parks and Wildlife Department maintains all the River Basins as part of their mandate towards wildlife, water and land management partially controlled by licensing fishing, hunting, boating, Park fees and state funding. 

This site again, never would have looked into it except for reading this book with y'all - shows the condition of the rivers from the affects of Algae - but best of all in the upper left hand corner of the page are wonderful links describing and even picturing Algae -
https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/water/environconcerns/hab/ga/status.phtml

The City of Austin website on the Watershed Protection Department is quite extensive with many issues linked to this main page including the information on Algae that I opened - 
http://www.austintexas.gov/department/watershed-protection/faq

The LCRA website for Water Quality along the entire chain of lakes - with further links specific to testing for Algae
http://www.lcra.org/water/quality/Pages/water-quality-index.aspx

[BarbStAubrey]

ahhh please share the sites that show how the lake near you is maintained and tested - this is just fascinating - had no idea there was this kind of effort toward the 'stewardship' of our local lakes.

One more... Found this nice PDF from the National Park Wildlife Survival Guide for a Warming World about how climate change and the growth of bacteria and toxins are killing off birds on the Great Lakes - starts with a beautiful photo of Autumn tree color on the shore of Lake Superior and another is a close up of a loon.
http://www.npca.org/assets/pdf/06-NPCA-Wildlife-Loon.pdf

[bellamarie]

#5.   What do you know about algae and is your nearby lake infected with algae or other invasive plants?

For the past two years we are being affected by the algae bloom in Lake Erie.  Last year I woke up to a phone call from my sister in law in panic saying, "Don't drink the water, don't cook with the water and do not shower with the water!"  I had no idea what she was talking about, she explained that they issued a warning for our city to not use our water until further notice, due to high ratings of toxins in the water.  This lasted for a few days and you can only imagine the frantic that set in.  We had to go buy bottled water and stock up on it.  Neighboring counties were affected as well.  The stores were out of bottled water, and the city started having water brought in by the truck loads to hand out to those in need and could not afford to buy water if you could find it on the shelves.  Luckily for me, my son works as a distributing manager for 7-Up company and was able to get me all the water I needed, and then I went to my neighbors offering them cases.  This year we were not under the severe warning, but I do not drink any tap water.  We have decided not to give it to our dog either.

Here are links to explain why we are affected and pictures of what it looks like.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140804-harmful-algal-bloom-lake-erie-climate-change-science/



The city water department and environmentalists are constantly testing our water, and gives us an update.  They have cautioned small children elderly and pregnant women should not drink the water at this time.

[BarbStAubrey]

Yes, I remember when the news was filled about the Algae Bloom in Lake Erie - seeing your photo I got curious and wondered just what is the danger of drinking water after an Algae Bloom and found this site that explains beautifully

http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/diseases/cyanobacteria/en/

Bellamarie how does the city process the water from the lake - it must have some sort of a filtering system - did they find the reason for the serious bloom that happened in 2014? What kind of monitoring practices do they have in place - do they depend on volunteers for water testing or does the city have a department that does that?

Did it also affect the use of the lake for recreation or fishing - does your city depend on the lake for anything other than the drinking water? Are there changes to your use of water becoming law since it appears Global Warming is causing hotter summers so where here our creeks, rivers and lakes dry up it appears in the north more algae grows profusely creating havoc with the waterways.   

[ANNIE]

All of my life I have wanted to live with trees and water on our land or near us. And we have pretty much managed that even in California.  Although our lake there was the Pacific ocean.  We lived just a mile from the water and spent many days walking the beach paths that follow the ocean for miles. California takes wonderful care of their beaches.  And they have life guards all along the water.  The water is icy and although I love to swim, it was just too cold.

The first memory of a lake for me was a manmade lake in Indianapolis,IN, named Lake Sullivan.  In the summer, we visited often to feed the ducks that lived there raising their ducklings.  In the winter, it was a city park ice rink, which when it was safely frozen and surrounded with warming huts with blazing fires, our little family went ice skating as often as we could.  My parents were also skaters and just loved this tiny lake.  Many of our school chums enjoyed skating there also.  We had a great time many nights.  Yes, it was well lit and they played music. 

We have spent time on Lake Paradise in MI, fishing and swimming and  at Lake Charlevoix, too.  We watched the first moon walk while staying there.  Long time ago!   Last year, we spent four nights in Alpena, MI, on Lake Huron attending the international underwater robot competition.  Our team didn't do that well but we all enjoyed being there.  Needless to say, when time permitted, we walked along the sandy beach at the lake.  Huron is just a beautiful lake.  Barbara, I really liked reading the history of the first Finger Lakes which started in the US and Canada?  Is that right. 
We visit Ithaca, NY, often as our daughter and family live there.  The Finger Lakes were formed when the glaciers melted.  Even on my daughter's property, the well that they drilled for gave them water that had glacier milk in it.  Its supposed to be good for you??  Its on Cayuga Lake which is one of the Finger Lakes.  Ithaca's is Gorges is their motto.  Love being up there.  We will be attending a wedding there on Sept 26th.  One day will be spent relaxing at the park on Cayuga Lake.  We also may try to take a wine tour along one of the other Finger Lakes on our way home.
Where we live now in Ohio, we are surrounded by trees and a wonderful little creek flows by our unit. Very peaceful.  All of the lakes in Ohio are manmade except, of course, Lake Erie.  We have also spent time up on Kelley's Island and the other Island which Bella mentioned.  We used to fly up and land on the that island and rent bicycles to ride up to the pier where my cousins kept their boat.

The lakes in Georgia, where we lived for years, were not particularly pretty, mostly brown water but they are very popular and have a lot of rentable cottages and nice lodges where one can spend a weekend. We spent a weekend there on a houseboat with friends. My sister, Mary, lives near Lake James in NC and she spends a lot of time up in the mountains and on the lake.  Sunsets are so beautiful up there.

As Barbara had told us all about the Austin TX lakes, I won't go into any detail but wanted to mention that when we lived there, Lake Austin and Lake Travis were very popular.  They were new, back in the '50's, but we did go on picnics there. 

I understand that Possum Kingdom State Park, west of Dallas, is quite beautiful and also on a lake.  My husband and some friends that he took there on a  flying trip were stranded when their plane broke down but Ralph was offered a phone at a mansion on the lake.  Just too gorgeous, he says.  I understand that the park it also home to a large Girl Scout camp.  Had a friend who used to spend time there with her scout troop.
 

[mabel1015j]

We all seem to have a love affair with water and want to be near water. What is that about. ........

 ROBBIE!?! ...... We need your expertise here!   

Jean

[BarbStAubrey]

Ann you sure have enjoyed lakes over the years - wonderful - no matter where you lived there was a nearby lake to enjoy - sounds like winter on a northern lake is cause for a neighborhood get together just for the fun of it - I wonder if they still ice skate at night with warming shakes surrounding the lake -

Jean yes, I think that is the million dollar question - why? I know for me when I am on a large lake as when I lived near other large bodies of water I feel a weight lifting - I am free to just be with no thoughts and no concern for responsibilities almost like being in a cocoon with the breeze blowing any loose hair around my face.  All this interest in yoga and exercise as a way towards emptying the mind and all I have to do is stand or even sit by a large body of water and in no time flat I am out of body.

Darby Nelson speaks to our desire to just sit and observe the lakes more than be active in or around them suggesting this as he observes so many who own property with lakeside homes and who are seldom ever seen outdoors, much less on the lake. Second, he seems to notice those who do play on the water.

I wonder though if that is our modern viewpoint taking over. I remember when hiking in the mountains of Mexico any small village, most not even on the map, were built near a stream or creek - in fact the hiking bible said if you are lost just listen for chickens which will be located near the river and then you can follow the river to find larger communities. The stream was their only source of water - they drank it, bathed in it, washed their laundry in it, cooked with it, the animals drank and swam in it, ducks lived near or in it and were often the family meal. 

Which goes to how while working over a 5 year span of time, various jobs at the Girl Scout Camp those of us who were not responsible for a unit of girls would in the evening take our folding chairs within about 100 yards or so of the river to watch the deer come down to drink and so for early man it seems to me the river was an easy source of not just water but where taking down an animal was possible as long as you were not taken down by the animal.

And then long before engines moved us across the landscape our highways were the rivers and even creeks for a canoe or other boat with a shallow draft. So the river was a place of commerce and the public activity that spawned all sorts of jobs and investments - where you went to keep in contact with people in the community. I can see how those living near the ocean saw it as a place of travel, fishing and community however, it was not where animals or people came to drink or wash themselves. Hmm I guess a lake or stream is a more intimate place since our history includes our using the waters for our person more so than for commerce.

All to say I think we may have lost our original reason for living near water - Except here, in Austin we had lots of cheaters living near the lake/river siphoning water to keep their lawns green - they couldn't drink it without it going through a filtration which is costly but for the last 2 years, until the rains came this past Spring, we were only allowed to water or wash our vehicles once a week and some communities ran out of water so that it was trucked in. And then folks were sneaking water out of the lake - of course this a common practice when the lakes are nearly full but some think of 'me' and 'mine' before the community.

The other issue as to value - water front property will always be more expensive - there is a lot of land but a limited amount of shoreline in comparison - where ever there is a limit there is a premium - the reason California, Oregon and the State of Washington have more expensive Real Estate - there is the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other limiting the easy building and farming land to what is between those two barriers. And if you look at a map nearly any large city is built next to a body of water - they may be large and lost to their city centers but they all started as trading spots and a good place to beach or anchor a boat so that even then prime locations on the water enjoy a premium.   

To my thinking, the draw to live near a lake is like eating cheese - We ate cheese as a mainstay food source for over 4,000 years however, now we are drawn to many sources for cheese unavailable as recently as 50 years ago because of the opening of worldwide markets and more travel. Now we enjoy cheese for more than topping a pasta dish, as a sandwich or cooked in supper and lunch dishes. Some of the grocery stores have cheese departments larger than the meat markets of a few years ago - and so where our attachments change I think as we love eating cheese so we love living near, walking near, playing near, traveling and drinking in the source of life, Water...

  my contemplation on water...

[BarbStAubrey]

Ah nearly forgot with all my wool gathering on living near water - we can so easily miss jewels because of words that we take for granted thinking we know what they may mean. Ha...

I knew reading I had to look up 'outwash' - saw the word but did not research it till this morning - was I in for a mouth gape -- turns out it is another one of those significant words used by geologists...  the whole thing explained here - -
http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/outwash_plains.html

[JoanK]

Like many concepts in geology, I only sorta-kinda understood that.

[mabel1015j]

You're right Barb, we probably have genetic memory of needing to be near water for all of the reasons you mention. When we visited the James River plantations, I was struck by the fact that the road we drove in on was not a part of the life of the plantations - the river was on the opposite side of the houses and that was their road. The James was used for visiting neighbors, for bringing in and taking out supplies; I suppose they had wells, but it may have also been their source for domestic water use.
Of course, having taught Western Civ and talked about how all the early civilizations grew up near rivers, I understood the concept, but seeing it so starkly on the James implanted it in a different way in my brain.

Jean

[BarbStAubrey]

Jean where did you teach "Western Civ" I know I would have enjoyed taking your class - Had not ever been to the part of the country where many of our early families lived but the James River area I had read about and you had a chance to visit - were there many homes to go through? How far back from the river's edge are the homes built - did they have small docks? You can almost hear folks saying to one another - meet you down by the river tomorrow morning or whenever - I remember that wonderful movie - I think we wore 3D glasses but back in the 70s maybe even as early as the 60s How the West Was Won and some famous actress was taking a huge raft down the river over rapids and along the banks if I remember correctly there were often hiding pirate types who robbed those on the river.

Yes, JoanK I am amazed reading this how often I think I know what a word means and the many words he uses that are steeped in geology are really opening my eyes - not anything I knew much about - I just thought he meant like a small line of gravel you often see on a beach - but oh no this is a big deal - looks like many acres can be part of this 'outwash'

Just like I thought I knew what Algae was but this is really allowing me to understand - I wonder what Bellamarie finds out about how the water from Lake Erie is processed and what caused the dramatic bloom of the Algae that became so dangerous. Who would have guessed a lake the size of Erie could be so affected - I have always thought it a problem in a still pond or near the shoreline of a lake that is seldom used. I've been reading how fertilizer is washed into the lakes that increases the growth of Algae - sure wins me over to not buy any more fertilizer that is a pollutant and learn more about natural fertilizers.

[mabel1015j]

Barb I taught Western Civ for about five yrs at a local community college and I taught World Cultures (Pa's world history high school course) for 5 yrs. i also taught American History 101 and 102 for 16 yrs at the college. I was an adjunct, doing my "day" job at the same time. 

There are at least five historical James River Plantations that you can visit. Here is a good airview picture of Shirley Plantation which was owned by the Carter family for 11 generations. Sherwood Forest is not quite as fancy as Shirley, but was the home  of. Pres John Tyler. Berkeley was owned by Pres Wm Harrison.

http://www.shirleyplantation.com

http://www.jamesriverplantations.org 

Click on each picture to see more info of each plantation.

Yes they did have docks. The houses sit high up on the hill from the river as you can see. Gardens, fields and slave quarters were on the opposite side of the houses from the river.

Jean

[BarbStAubrey]

Thanks for the links Jean - I did not know that a couple of our presidents lived on the James River - so much to learn - at this time in life I thought I would have a better handle on things... 

[Mkaren557]

I am new to the book discussions; in fact I am brand new to this site.  This is my first post and I am not sure I am doing this right so any help you can give is welcomed.  I read "Agassiz's Gift" and it took me back to my favorite lake.
     Cobbosseeconte lies in the state of Maine very near the capital Augusta.  It is 61.8 miles around, nine miles long, and has a mean depth of 37 feet.  When I was a year old my parents rented a camp for the summer on Cobbossee.  Of course, I have no real memories of those weeks, but in the pictures I am playing in very clear water.  When I was 5 my dad joined the country club which is at the northern end of the lake and the family had access to a small beach that belonged to the club. My mother took us to the lake every summer afternoon that was the least bit sunny from from the time I was 5 until adolescence made that "Kid's" beach obsolete.
     The beach was sandy this sand continued as far as an adult can walk. Seeing the bottom, we could find rocks,  an occasional swim shoe, and, the most fun of all, what we called "clam shells."   We love scaling them across the calm surface of the lake, which was disallowed after a stray shell cut a gash requiring stitches across my upper lip.  Between the beach and the golf course, there was a swamp that we were forbidden to enter.  On either side of the beachfront were the many summer camps and an occasional year-round homes.  I so wanted to spend the summer in one of these.
     Amid the camps that continued around the perimeter of the lake were two summer camps for boys, another country club, three or four lavish estates, one owned by the Woolworth family.  A few of the more fancy homes had manicured lawns and retaining walls, but most had yards filled with pine needles.  Everywhere along the shore were the docks with floats.  Everyone had a boat of some kind but during the week there were few boats on the lake.
     Things change. Throughout my life I have returned to the Cobbossee shore to spend weekends and vacation weeks at relatives "camps."  For three years I lived in  year-round home and had the joy of  watching the lake become a "winter park" with ice fishing ice-shack clusters, snowshoers and ice skaters.  Each spring I waited with anticipation for ice-out.  By the late 1980s, when I lived on the lake, summer camps had become year-round homes with cleared land for large lawns; a few small boats had become high speed streaks shooting across the lake; loons with their haunting night cries had decreased.  The water was no longer clear and August brought the annual algae bloom.  The water quality is still poor, but DEP reports that the "it is better."  Thoreau "took to the woods to live deliberately," and I am drawn to water for the same reason.  Around the water I see more clearly, think more deeply, and let my creativity loose.  Beautiful homes, more powerful boats, jet skis, incredible lawns and flowers are a sign of progress and prosperity.  I am reminded of the message of the message of The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.  Cobbosseeconte has "given" of herself for thousands of years and the human race has taken.  I wonder how much she has left to give.     
   
     

[BarbStAubrey]

Thanks for posting Mkaren557 - welcome to Senior learn - we have many discussions for you to explore - Another lake from a different part of the Nation that we have heard about and yet, like the others we all have in common the dreaded Algae blooming in summer -

Trying to visualize the size of the lake by using lakes here to compare - Looks like 'your' lake Cobbosseecontee is 5,543 acres and even has an island or two toward the center of the lake - easily the lake is larger than either the lakes close to town - Lady Bird with a hike and bike trail surrounding the lake is only 468 acres and only 18 feet deep the next in the chain of lakes is Lake Austin with 1,599 acres and only 75feet deep  as compared to Cobbosseecontee 100 feet deep and the Lake that is easiest for me to access is the next Lake Travis but it is much larger at 18,939 acres and when we are not in a drought the depth is 210 feet - It appears your lake is not that big - But But But I did find a nice photo of part of the lake and it really is a pretty lake. I can see how easy it would be to go into the quiet place we have inside ourselves if you are spending time on this lake.

Mkaren557 this lake being in Maine does it have anything to do with having been formed by glacier activity - is there a web site that explains the history of the lake -

What did you think of the chapter on Lake Agassiz - I had no idea such a monster lake was part of the North American landscape - had you heard of it? Once I became a bit more familiar with some of the language used to describe the way a glacier affects the land I found it fascinating - the more you read the more you want to know - do you have an interest in geology? Now I need to find out more about quartz - I have Googled photos and they are beautiful - to learn they grind these up to make kitchen cabinet tops I feel as raw and wounded as you suggest we feel about the way many 'use' a lake today - they are not a part of nature but 'use' not even the beauty but, the assets to further their own interests.

I hope you will post more of your thoughts - we are reading just the first section of the book and will start the next section next Wednesday September 9. Those posting in this discussion live all across the nation - from California, Ohio, South Carolina, not sure where PatH lives but I think Virgina and now with you we have Maine represented - you are close to Jonathan who lives in Canada - wait maybe not - I think he is in Ontario and aren't you closer to Montreal or maybe Nova Scotia.  Well we are a spread out group and glad you found us.

[PatH]

Welcome, Mkaren, it's great to see you here.  Certainly you're doing it right.  It's pretty hard to do it wrong here.  How lucky you are to have been able to live near water so much.

Around the water I see more clearly, think more deeply, and let my creativity loose.

I feel that way too.

[Mkaren557]

Thank you for the beautiful photo of my Lake.  I did find that much of Maine's land was formed by glaciers and by plates crashing plates forming the mountains.  maineencyclopedia.com/glaciers provided this information, but not specifically about Cobbossee.  The lake was named by the Abanaki indians as were many of the locations in Maine:Cobbossee is in Kennebec County (another Indian name) and drains into Cobbossee Stream which drains into the Kennebec River. 

[mabel1015j]

Welcome Mkaren! Have a cup of coffee and sit awhile with us.

Jean

[JoanK]

WELCOME MKAREN! Let's sit by the lake together and enjoy the sunset.

[PatH]

And the loons!  JoanK, when was the last time you heard a loon?

[ginny]

Welcome, Mkaren!

How beautifully you write! Just reading what you said has taken me back to summers spent in Maine in various sports camps. For some reason they were always in Maine. I think one year we went to get instruction in lacrosse from  the British Women's Lacrosse Team,  my first trip to Maine. I'll never forget the smell of those...pines? And how cool it was at night,  you could open the windows, you didn't need air conditioning: it was like a different world.

And I will never forget the British Women's Team, no matter how awful you were, they would always say "well tried!" That was the worst thing they ever said. I heard it a lot. You could drop the ball, fumble around and finally get it back to them and they'd say in a chipper voice, "Well tried!" hahahahaa

What a wonderful country this is! You can go from one coast to the other and see such natural wonders,  it's a miracle.

So glad to have you! Please stick around, we need people who think like you do.

[bellamarie]

Welcome to our humble abode, Mkaren.  It is nice to have you.  My husband has a friend who lives in Maine and I have always wanted to visit your beautiful state.

As to the cause of the algae bloom that has put our water at risk the past couple of years I was able to find this link.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/08/05/3688199/lake-erie-algae-bloom-is-back/

"But industrial farming, which brings with it huge amounts of fertilizer runoff from corn and soybean operations, is at least partly responsible for a recent surge in algae bloom activity in the Great Lakes region. Of all the phosphorous that makes its way into the Lake Erie Basin, 61 percent of it comes from cultivated cropland.  But increased phosphorous from commercial agriculture might be just one factor in Lake Erie’s algae uptick. Timothy Davis, a NOAA research ecologist specializing in harmful algae blooms, told National Geographic that some of the recent increase in blooms “can be attributed to global climate change.” That’s because the bacteria responsible for the blooms thrive in warm temperatures — something that climate change is helping create."

"The city has since installed an early warning system near its intake as well as a filtration system, leading some residents to express renewed trust in Toledo’s ability to handle algae blooms."

Our state representatives have been addressing our problems to Washington, and I do know we need to update our water filtering system.
http://toledo.oh.gov/services/public-utilities/water-treatment/
 

[BarbStAubrey]

Great information Bellamarie - I did not know this - the article says, "Boiling doesn’t kill the toxin — it just makes it worse." - That would have been my first response so now we know.

Our lakes are reminding me more and more like raising kids - when they are young and sweat we like to watch their every move with a smile we photo and share proud stories of their growing experiences - then they are older and have a mind of their own as they develop into their own personality often trying out new behavior that makes us uncomfortable.

Seems like lakes are that for us - we like to loose ourselves in the sounds of nature and then we have others who use the resources for their benefit that alters the very essence of the lake - so the expanse of clear water becomes muddy or green with Algae - instead of leaving rivers alone they are damed, and the new lakes are stocked sometimes with fish that a predator to the balance of the lake. 

Well it may be that only because of the deteriorating lakes was Darby Nelson prompted to write this book and I am so thankful because more than half what I am reading is all new to me -

At the time there was all the news about the pros and cons of the Clean Air Act I wonder how many of us had an inkling that it was a conversation that was the pre-discussion to the safety condition of our lakes today - the damage by pollutants to our lakes like what you found Bellamarie about the run-off from commercial farming. I do not know about you but when I hear this stuff on the news it goes in one ear and out the other mostly I can see now because I did not have a real understanding of what they were talking about, what the damage is and what those in local government have been doing to protect the cities and what more needs to be done. Looks like the second link is making its case for federal controls and assistance.

Then when you read how never to drink water from a plastic container left in the heat of a car because it is a carcinogenic - bottle water then also has its risks, obligating us to learn the required special handling - oh back to the day when we could have dipped our hand in any body of water and taken a long sip.

Ginny camps in Maine - sounds like you have a full memory bank of time spent in the Maine woods - just the words Maine woods or a Lake in Maine conjure mental visuals fit for our Imaginariums.

Pat I too wondered about loons - I've only seen them in the movies - but I do not hear that much talk about them as we did a few years ago - I wonder how the loons handle these Algae bloom during the heat of the summer.

I love this on page 55 - "The mists of time blur most of the details of that first experience. I don't recall if we caughtfish or even if we tried, I remember little of the weather, the precise route we took, where we camped, number of miles covered, or even our destination. I do remember unpracticed arms so sore they groaned for mercy before the end of the second mile.

Most of all I remember sensing how the canoe put me into a new relationship with the lake. I sat much lower and, with the narrowing at the bow, so much closer to the water than when in a boat. My lower hand on the paddle could directly touch the waves. I learned that with practice I could even point a dripping paddle skyward and let its water run down the blade and feed at least some of it dribble into my mouth."

Now if that is not a perfect imaginary picture of what a canoe trip aught to be... as if we are still back in the garden of Eden before the changes of the last 50 years.

[BarbStAubrey]

Fabulous show on PBS last night - The Mobile-tensaw - has anyone seen it - just fabulous - about - well let me just share the preview on the PBS site and the link to Alabama - had no idea - I am saying that a lot about this subject - anyhow Alabama has the oldest living animal life from before the ice age - since the sheet of ice that covered the north came down as far as Tennessee Alabama was a tropical center that - get this- all the plants that are now blanketing the north originated in Alabama - that area became the seed bank so to speak as the ice melted.

"America's Amazon" paints a visually stunning documentary portrait of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, an amazing watery world, and one of the continent's most diverse biological treasures. Through compelling descriptions of this rich river system's origins, history, and connections to plants, animals and man, we gain a deeper understanding of what is at stake as the population living around the Delta grows. With appearances by world-renowned Harvard Professor and Pulitzer prize winning author, Dr. Edward O. Wilson and other Alabamians, this compelling and informative one hour documentary reveals a hidden world in constant transition. Ultimately, this award-winning film suggests we must act now to protect this great wilderness for future generations, before it is lost forever. 

Link to America's Amazon website that includes a short video - http://americasamazon.net/

What I find hard to watch, so much so that I found myself automatically channel hopping and having to force myself to go back is when the polluting industry and the mis-use of the land by everyday folks is shown - After the thrill of seeing this magnificent show of rivers, lakes, streams, land, fish, birds on and on and then they have to see the damage being carried out in the name of profit and carelessness.

[BarbStAubrey]

Hallelujah - the ENTIRE show is available here - OH you just must see it - it is an hour long but oh so worth it...

http://video.aptv.org/video/2365149942/

[mabel1015j]

What an interesting and beautiful video Barb. Thanks for sharing it.

Of course the destruction of the eco-systems is one of the reasons I've become crotchety and angry! what idiots humans can be. Whatever happened to zero population growth? Has anybody heard that term since the 70s? We would need less space, less lumber, less paper, fewer perticides, less of everything that is destroying our ecology! I know getting a nat'l park will be a Pikes Peak hike, but wouldn't it be wonderful if they can do it?

By the way Dr Wilson was on Charlie Rose last week.

Jean

[Mkaren557]

I am very take with the beautiful writing in this book.  As a kid, I devoured biographies of young famous Americans, my children's encyclopedia, and Weekly Reader articles.  As I grew older, I began to avoid books that were "non fiction" because they were "boring" to me and not always clear or understandable; yet, because I wanted a good grade, I would plow through the dry material as fast as possible, not really understanding all of what I read.  I would not always look up words I did not know, skip parts that were long and drawn out,  resent all of the letters and long journal entries that filled biographies. How I ever became a history teacher I'll never understand.  So I ordered this book wondering if it would stand unread on my shelves unread and unloved.
     Surprise!  For Love of Lakes is so beautifully written that I was drawn into the author's landscapes immediately.  Through  image filled description, the use of metaphor, and the personal stories the author tells, I am a part of the landscape as I look for ancient beaches and canoe the algae sludge in the lake.  Through Darby Nelson's I understand glacial lake formation, know what a moraine is, hate the Northern Pike, and realize why people think lakes will endure even if  turn  green every August. I am excited each time I pick up this book.  I am inspired to go to the internet for more information on glaciers, Thoreau, and my lake in Maine; I am even reading Walden. 
     Five years ago I moved from Maine to Florida to avoid winter.  The next thing I may do is stand in front of the bulldozers that are destroying swamps to build houses and condos,  The irony of this is that when the swamp is drained by making canals, the developers  create  one or more man-made lakes. This may make an activist out of me.   

[JoanK]

I love "Walden".  used to read it a lot when I lived in New York city, with it's constant noise and bustle. I would read it on the subway going to work. It seemed like I couldn't survive there without some connection to nature.

I didn't realize how full of lakes, real and imagined, my life has been til I read "Lakes."

[BarbStAubrey]

Mkaren557 you also on the looking up part - after seeing the video on Alabama's landscape and learning that there was the seed bank so to speak for all the area that had been covered in ice, was to me as much an eye opener as learning how ancient lakes were formed and drained by glaciers - reading this does make you want to protect what is really ours that institutional disdain has confiscated for their profit.

I can imagine your attempt to stop the earth moving machines - but we can really see what you are saying - the more we find out the more questions as to how we could not know what is really our eco system - we heard more about the Brazilian Amazon for the last 30 years with this superior feeling of - oh it is them and we cannot do anything about them but like an auto accident it is worth standing here and seeing all the drama - where as it was happening and is still happening in our own backyard.

I used to think giving attention to social issues and the issues of the poor was our highest priority - had all sorts of pipe dreams if I ever won the lottery - now I can see it is the land - the misuse of the land is affecting all of us including our food chain - the health of the very people who live in poverty -

It is like being a kid with a new toy - as long as the toy was a novelty and worked as it came out of the box all was well - but maintaining it and finding out all its parts was replaced with the next new toy. As toys and everyday utilitarian 'things' became throw away is about the time we no longer had reverence for the land.

We may not have known the background of how the land was sculptured or from where the seeds were blown that developed the landscape but locals knew where the waterways were, what animal life depended on that particular waterway, and how the water drained off a plot of land. And the other biggie - there were not as many of us... all scrambling for our own rose covered picket fence. That is the image that is 'used' to encourage growth that gobbles up not just land but as we are learning the eco system. That loss comes back to bite us years later.

And yes, we could almost look at this as a novel - who is the story teller - is he a reliable story teller - what functions as the protagonist - the CSCPT of a story (character, setting, conflict, plot and theme) - how does the author draw us in and hold our attention -

I can even see using the way a plot is developed (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution) how this section was arranged -

• We are introduced to lakes by the story teller getting into a canoe and sharing his first journey along with tales of his past experiences on a lake in a canoe -
• Then we have the rising action of Algae taking over the lake and how we sit in the middle of that action accepting it as normal -
• Then the climactic drama of how lakes and the landscape were formed with new words shot at us like playing a computer war game and in order to successfully get the the next part of the game we have to figure out what was happening -
• Then we were urged to "Open your eyes and see." - not to run off and attempt to save the earth but to see - to look at the toy and learn its parts so we can effectively maintain the wet areas - to learn what is dependent upon the wet areas and how they live there and how the are a part of the chain of life -
• And then resolution comes with hearing so that we are one with what we have learned.

Yes, Mkaren557 - thanks for bringing his beautifully constructed story telling to our attention - I wonder if we could make a synopsis of our own plot to understanding and becoming a part of 'our' lake - If we no longer canoe how would we introduce someone to our 'affair' with 'our' lake...

You helped us enter these thoughts on this book by sharing with us your past experiences with beautifully written books - interesting - well done - really draws us into your post - thanks for the example because, example it is...

[BarbStAubrey]

Ah yes, JoanK - Waldon - it was a lovely read wasn't it - he was really rather cantankerous but he brought to us a world few of us experience. 

Reminds me how as a kid we would lay on the earth where today there are concrete sidewalks and we would watch the ants even using a stick to alter their march - and how we would run to the curb when it rained and splash around in the water and how we played store using the various weeds that reminded us of vegetables we ate and then made with a mud miniature loaves of bread to sell on the shelves we constructed with twigs. Reading Waldon did not seem like reading something from an ancient land that we only see on TV and yet, for many kids, even those in suburbs technology is there toy to the exclusion of being one with nature. Is this our new challenge I wonder, to bring our children into a world with no urgency other than to lay on the ground and watch the ants as Thoreau does in Waldon.

OK Joan when you were a kid did you watch the ants or the birds - what are some of your best memories of being in the out of doors -  other than loosing half your swim attire...

[hats]

Hi Ginny and all,

It's been a long time. The lakes are calling me. Know nothing. Waiting to learn and play in....Which lake should I choose? How about Lake of the Ozarks?  Wish I had gotten here sooner.

[PatH]

Hats!  How good to see you here.  You're never too late.

[ginny]

My goodness, HATS! I must have ESP! I was just thinking about you so good to see you!

[BarbStAubrey]

OH Hats - how are you - you are so missed but so glad you could join us - and yes, a lake in the Ozarks would be grand -

Playing around last night and found a site where they are collecting the names of all the lakes formed by glacier movement - whew quite a long long list - but now that we understand how glaciers act on the earth and also that the ice sheet came as far south as Tennessee it would make sense that most, if not all the northern lakes were affected if not created by the melting and freezing of the ice.

Cannot wait to find out more about the lake Hats chooses - it is an area where we have no lake yet to talk about.

Thought for sure I would get out to Lake Travis today and scoop up some of its waters in a jar to just see what there is to see - but instead - cannot believe what I did - my heart is still pumping after hours and hours of trying to retrace - I have a blog on Tumblr and about 12 blogs saved that I loved each day reviewing the photos and inspirational quotes - well I misread some direction and all 12 disappeared - and of course the name of the 'gone' blogs did not fit neatly under one of their categories so I could quickly re-capture them.

I found 3 and then played around with titles till one title had photos from one of the blogs I did save and that is what I have been doing for hours - is reviewing the few blogs I did find for photos that came from the 'gone' blogs - because that was how I found the blogs I like to begin with. All told I have 7 back but a couple of my favorites is what I am missing - so of course I did not jump in the car and run out to the lake today.

Did y'all know because I sure did not know the art work and specialness that goes into a canoe paddle - found this site and was bowled over - it never occurred to me that a canoe paddle was such a special opportunity for artistic skill

http://paddlemaking.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html

[BarbStAubrey]

JoanK nearly forgot - found these two sites on the collected artifacts for Henry David Thoreau - did you ever have a chance to visit the museum in Concord?

http://www.concordmuseum.org/henry-david-thoreau-collection.php

http://www.thoreausociety.org/news-article/henry%E2%80%99s-rock-and-mineral-collection-robert-m-thorson

[mabel1015j]

Hi Hats, so glad to see you here. I can't stay just now, will be back.

Jean

[BarbStAubrey]

Still no luck getting back my 'gone' blogs but got back into the book and to the links you've shared - Bellemarie in the second link you shared there is a whole deal about Basement flooding - is this a usual occurrence - is it the lake that floods the basements or storm - does your basement flood - do you have advanced warning with Basement's are likely to flood - what about your pool - does that ever flood over the top during the times that Basements are flooding?

I have not lived with a basement since I was a kid - forgot about them - between the rock on the west side of the Balcones fault and the gumbo like clay soil on the east side basements just do not work here but I thought of Lakes as having basements - the floor of a Lake basement covered as Darby Nelson explains with various sediments and news to me the lack of oxygen on the lowest levels - What really caught my eye was his explaining how optics work against us. How we do not see half of it and how Thoreau reveled in reflections...

This small lake was of most value as a neighbor in the intervals of a gentle rain-storm in August, when, both air and water being perfectly still, but the sky overcast, mid-afternoon had all the serenity of evening, and the wood thrush sang around, and was heard from shore to shore. A lake like this is never smoother than at such a time; and the clear portion of the air above it being, shallow and darkened by clouds, the water, full of light and reflections, becomes a lower heaven itself so much the more important.

A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. The fluviatile trees next the shore are the slender eyelashes which fringe it, and the wooded hills and cliffs around are its overhanging brows.

Standing on the smooth sandy beach at the east end of the pond, in a calm September afternoon, when a slight haze makes the opposite shore-line indistinct, I have seen whence came the expression, "the glassy surface of a lake." When you invert your head, it looks like a thread of finest gossamer stretched across the valley, and gleaming against the distant pine woods, separating one stratum of the atmosphere from another. You would think that you could walk dry under it to the opposite hills, and that the swallows which skim over might perch on it. Indeed, they sometimes dive below this line, as it were by mistake, and are undeceived. As you look over the pond westward you are obliged to employ both your hands to defend your eyes against the reflected as well as the true sun, for they are equally bright; and if, between the two, you survey its surface critically, it is literally as smooth as glass, except where the skater insects, at equal intervals scattered over its whole extent, by their motions in the sun produce the finest imaginable sparkle on it, or, perchance, a duck plumes itself, or, as I have said, a swallow skims so low as to touch it.

To have looked that closely at a Lake - how about do y'all look at a lake and notice for more than a brief moment the reflection and then to describe that reflection. Gives a new perspective to looking doesn't it.