Sunday -- August 23, 2015
Water Level at Little Falls: 3.1     Water Temperature: 88

The river fell all the way down below 2.8 feet at Little Falls but now it's back up above three feet. I guess that the rain we had earlier this week was enough to bump it up.

Tuesday -- August 25, 2015
Water Level at Little Falls: 2.9     Water Temperature: 82

Things have quieted down now, but earlier this month the chainsaws and wood chippers were making quite a racket at the top of the hill. It seems that they are installing new utility poles along the trolley right-of way and we all know what the utility company thinks of trees. Poor trees.

They are still working on the water mains in Glen Echo Heights as well, and there was a water main break on Goldsboro Road earlier this week. Apparently, the pipe that broke was installed way back in 1941.

They are also working on the new bike path/shoulder on the west-bound side of Macarthur, so things are pretty congested up there.

Meanwhile, down here on the Island, the jewel weed is six feet tall and leaning over the trails and fields. It's like a wall of jewel weed all around the fields, like spectators at a golf tournament. I cut a path through the tall plants to make a little maze or labyrinth to get to the bird feeder. Kind of like a corn maze but with jewel weed instead. No one seems to know why the jewel weed is growing so tall but most agree that it didn't used to be like this.

I ran into ex-Islander Harry Swartz on the path the other day. He's in his eighties now but was still a member when I started here, and he actually remembered me. It was good to see him and to hear about the old days and to talk about some of the great members that are no longer with us. He and his neighbors paddled here for 30 years!

Sunday -- August 30, 2015
Water Level at Little Falls: 2.7     Water Temperature: 80

13 years! I can't believe that I've lived on this Island for 13 years, that's longer than I've ever lived anywhere in my whole life. I guess I like it here.

Today looks like it's going to be a busy one, the weather is perfect and it's the last day before most of the local kids go back to school. Poor kids. I'll be sad to see this summer season end. It's been such great weather and the Island has been full of activity.

I've been busy painting the Clubhouse. It's more like a restoration job with all of the stripping, scraping, sanding, priming, and multiple coats of paint. It's a lot of work but I think the paint is going to last. I'm calling it my once-in-a-lifetime paint job. Doing all of this sanding in the hot sun near the river makes me think of some old guy restoring the hull of some old sail boat at some old marina.

The river is super low, just the way we like it. The only down side is that I have to do some more dredging on the Island-side dock so that the water will be deep enough for the ferry to get to shore. I hope the weather stays dry and that we don't get any major tropical storms this fall. I hate floods.

I saw a squirrel crossing the river on the power line. First time I've seen that in all these years. I thought that they only swam over to the Island.

There is a lot of surplus lumber and dock floatation lying around here so I put together a little, mini dock to attach to the canoe dock. This new mini dock sits much lower in the water than the big plastic one and it may make it easier to get in and out of your kayak.