A little break in the heat

It was pretty hot for the Morgantown area last week, up in the mid 90s. But this weekend we got a break and had a nice day for a river cleanup on Sunday. Maureen and I cleaned up the area behind the Ruby Park amphitheater; then went up through the lock to hit the mother lodes along the west shore. Maureen took before-and-after shots, with some nice flowers along the shore. (Click to see larger image)

I have said this before, but it bears repeating: litter behind the dam will often drift upriver and deposit along the shores. So, when we clean up these areas along the shore, we are actually getting the litter from behind the dam. Do nothing and it all goes back to the dam during the next high water.

Here we go into the lock as the gates open, and another of Maureen, deckhand and first mate, with our catch for Sunday. We do a lot better than most people fishing. It's a great workout for older people such as Maureen and me. We were pretty tired by the end of the day.

Things you learn...

I never knew a bowling ball would float. Not until I picked one out of the Monongahela river on July 5. I thought it was just an air filled ball, like so many others we've picked out of the river.

Well, the things you learn out there. I have to tell you I was surprised when I went down to the docks a day after the big Morgantown fireworks display and didn't find a whole lot of litter left behind by my fellow Americans celebrating Independence Day. I may have to give them a benefit of a doubt. Perhaps they decided to have a little respect for a change. Perhaps.

But what about those Mayflys! They picked the evening of July 4, 2010, to transform themselves from their nymph form to flying adults. As we watched the fireworks from the deck of the Monongahela Monitor, we could see a solid swarm of millions of mayflys over the river. They were covering the boats and docks. We were amazed at this natural phenomenon.

Speaking of nature, anyone know what this is? My first mate spotted this and took the photo during a cleanup on July 3. There's always a lot of pretty stuff to see down on the river.