Journal of a Sabbatical

March 25, 2001

what did we use before yellow caution tape?

Yesterday's Bird Sightings:
pink lawn flamingos (2) -- All winter Priscilla has been insisting there are two flamingos on this lawn near her house but we could only see the top of the head of one over the snow. Today both flamingos were visible through the snow on our way to the mushroom. See the mushroom gallery.

Yesterday's Reading: The Golden Goose King by Judith Ernst, A Visit to India, China, and Japan in the Year 1853 by Bayard Taylor

Today's Bird Sightings:
Watchemoket Cove
American wigeon (22)
ring-billed gull (189)
herring gull (29)
common black-headed gull (1)
mallard (7)
mute swan (62)
Canada goose (12)
domestic goose (1)
American black duck (6)
red-breasted merganser (6)
bufflehead (12)
common goldeneye (1)
house sparrow (2)
starling (24)
American crow (1)

Today's Reading: A Visit to India, China, and Japan in the Year 1853 by Bayard Taylor, A UFO in Kushiro by Haruki Murakami (a short story in the current issue of The New Yorker)

		The mushroom survived the blizzard and the flood. Priscilla reminded me to bring my camera this time. It was Claire's first visit to the mushroom. See the mushroom gallery.
		After the walk to the mushroom, I tried to go home through downtown Andover and discovered that North Main St. was still closed by flooding. I detoured at the big flashing Road Closed sign and took some flood pictures. See the flood gallery.
		Back in January, while reading Whittier's letters, I discovered that one of his correspondents was Bayard Taylor a writer who sailed to Japan with Perry. Since then I hunted down a copy of the book that describes the Japan trip (as well as India and China) and ordered it from bibliofind. It arrived yesterday. I forced myself to start at the beginning and not turn immediately to the Japan with Perry part. It starts with the journey from Gibraltar to Bombay and it seems like the account takes as long as the trip did.

The sun is out today and red-breasted mergansers are besporting themselves at the Cove. Didn't find any hooded mergansers 'cause they tend to move to bodies of fresh water inland when things finally thaw. Did find one very cool bird though. The black-headed gull, which has apparently been there all winter is now sporting his full breeding plumage. The blackish brown hood looks very rich and elegant. I hope he finds an appreciative female black-headed gull somewhere.

The greater Providence area is a lot dryer than Andover/North Andover with nary a sign of yellow caution tape. Back home tonight I notice the water has receded quite a bit at 114 and 495. I didn't attempt to use 28 (North Main). There are still lots of places marked with orange reflectorized barrels and yellow caution tape or simply orange cones where it's not too deep. The news tonight claims the water is not going to recede fully until midweek (earlier they were claiming yesterday) and some rivers have yet to crest. Hope the local constabulary has an ample supply of yellow caution tape.