July 30- Webster, Massachusetts

The Swan / Swamp Adventure

I have been mulling over the best way to relay this tale today as I was getting caught up on the every-day. My friend Chris and I had quite the small adventure late Saturday afternoon! In retrospect,it could have ended badly for both of us. By the same token, it was quite humorous after the fact as it VERY fortunately did not.

I gave her one of my large oil paintings as a hostess gift; one that she has had her eye on for awhile. It is 2 swans under a full moon and a cool tree (sorry no pic here of that). She mentioned they have a pair of swans living in a small pond/swamp behind their house across the road.

Of course, I had to see! It was only a few minutes' walk from the house. When we got to the small cove area, there they were! Beautiful male swan and a juvenile (it was brown; hard to see in the pics further below).

Pond/swamp

The pond and adjoining swamp were down a very steep enbankment that was covered with leaves leftover from last Fall (and previous years). I took a few pictures. Chris wanted to get a little closer so I could get better pictures, but I was nervous about the enbankment. It was extremely soft due to the leaf cover, and looked difficult (steep).

My friend has no fear. She started down, turned around to reach for my hand to help me down, slid, and promptly tipped over backward, landing in a tangle of leaves and branches. Fortunately she was not hurt, and lay there laughing for a few minutes. I tried to pull her up, but the banking kept giving way beneath me and I did not want to end up on my butt halfway down the bank! Would not have helped!

Swamp

Plus the swamp part of the pond was not that far away from where she landed (I did not feel it prudent to mention it at the time!).

I found a couple of semi-solid footholds, and knelt down for better traction to better assist my friend. Took all my strength, plus hers, to get her upright and untangled and pull her back to solid ground without me falling over as well. And she is NOT a very big person!

She forbade me from taking pictures - oh I was sorely tempted! But I did respect her wishes :)

We laughed so hard about it afterwards! Chris unfortunately got the brunt of it; she was covered with dirt, leaves, grass stains - you name it. I ended up with just a dirty knee on my jeans and dirty sneakers. Small bruise over my eye where a branch hit me.

We walked back to the house where she cleaned up and changed (I could not; I had not brought a clean pair of jeans with me but I was OK). Started dinner and went on with the evening!

It could have been much worse - both of us could have ended up in that swamp with the lily pads and yuck and screaming swans (they are very territorial). Fortunately, it did not.

She insisted on taking a picture of my "dirty knee"! So here it is.

Dirty knee

After that, she said "I hope you at least got a picture of the swans". Which I did. Albeit not a great picture (it is out of focus) due to circumstances. But I did get it!

It was quite the adventure!!!

 My sneakers also got really dirty that afternoon! Here is a before....

And then an after. Used my Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. That thing is wonderful!!!

Dirty sneaks

Clean sneaks

 



Here is a picture of Dennis, Chris's husband. Ever patient and spot-on with the music :) Awesome on the grill!

Den

And last but far from least, the out-of-focus pictures of the swans!

Swan

REALLY bad pic of juvenile swan