I bought Andrea a wheelchair for $50 on Craig's List... it was cheaper than a rental and I needed one for Sunday, the 14th when my pal Ryan was getting married. So, since we had wheels, we decided to take a stroll around the Plymouth County pond where the ankle-break incident happened in the first place.
I was pretty sure it would be easy, so I just went full blast, expecting to do the whole hike we usually do. Well, the first patch of sand that I hit, I started losing my cool. Fucking thing wouldn't budge!! ARRRGH! I got it going and over-exerted myself rather quickly. But, while my stupidity was reigning king, we saw a bunch of turtles. The Painters all slipped in before I could get pictures but here are some slower Spotteds.
That last little fella was a small one in a bog spillway. Too cute.
Andrea could see most of the turtles but she could not find this Bullfrog that I tried to point out. Good camo from the path.
I cut the trip in half... I finally knew that there was no way I had the energy or stamina to do the usual hike. We cut across to the big pond and sat and relaxed for a while, watching a couple of Canada Goose families swim around. Heavenly.
I finally got the camera on a couple of Painters.
We saw a Snapper swimming... I thought his head was down but evidently, he was just raising it when I snapped the picture, then he submerged entirely, leaving me with a headless photo. Big brute, though... gorgeous.
Another Painted Portrait.
#62, Tree Swallow. How could I not include this picture?
The reason we started coming to this pond a few years ago was because Sandhill Cranes had been reported here. We'd never seen them before and since visiting this place, had constantly struck out. There was a guy photographing in the area they are known to hang out. His camera was much bigger than mine (story of my life) but he was very generous with information and showed me what to look for out there. Finally, my camera found the brown blobs way out yonder. We'd been looking for about five years and finally, our 203rd Lifer, #63 on the year, the (blurry) Sandhill Crane. Two of them. Mom and chick? Maybe.
I gave Andrea a small Spotted Turtle to play with while I tried for those shots.
A happy, if handicapped, hiker.
I was determined to push past a rock wall on the way out, even though the path was sandier. My tenacity paid off with a flip of our First of Year Milk.
That was a nice ending to a tiring but rewarding day. Still paying for the over-exertion, though. My heels are still sore!
The next day was my pal Ryan's wedding. We didn't get much of a chance to get out and look around as the pond wasn't wheelchair accessible. The rest of the place was, though. I did, however, sneak down at one point and saw a Solitary Sandpiper (#64).
There was a lovely bouquet of Painted Turtles out on an island in the pond.
And, of course, the lovely couple.
There you are. Last weekend. Got my $50 worth of wheelchair already!
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