Almost directly across the road from this lake
stood the Pioneer Country Club, until the late Sixties when it
closed. The lake had for a number of summers
been a favorite fishing spot for those of us who
stayed at a nearby summer bungalow colony. Over the years, through neglect, the
dam that
kept this lake viable had crumbled, leaving behind
a shallow depression that held just enough water to satify a
limited few birds, like this duck that
I gave the name, Minerva.
I'm not even sure if the duck's a female, but
here it sits, practically in solitude, summer after summer, at least for the
past three years. Over time I've seen
Minerva grow fat, probably due to it's having a
monopoly on whatever may be edible in the lake. By mid-autumn, Minerva
disappears, which at first made me
fear the possibility of her demise, but upon her
return each spring, I suspect that she might be domesticated and
is cared for by someone during the
harsher months.
One hopeful sign is that apparently some effort has
been made to stop the lake's hemorrhaging, due to the crude dam that has been
thrown together.
Maybe that will encourage more birds and other
creatures to establish residency here. But, until then, here now is
Minerva!!
Marshall
(393K)