Canoe building plan

Once I had all the yellow cedar terminals carved for the feather pieces I then had to plane and cut the red cedar spars. Everything was then tied together to form the final feathers.

The wind comes up while I am back in the narrow and forested Moodus River, the fall leaves rattling a million times telegraph the change in the weather. 

mute swan

It is a work day and I spent most of the time getting up here picking swan feathers from the water under a calm and sunny morning sky with little disruption other than the occasional thrum of a bass boat somewhere out in the big river. 

a late migrating osprey

The bass boat is a curious craft, part outboard skiff, part unlimited hydroplane.  It's primary function is to speed a fisherman from one place with no fish to another place with no fish.  It is analogous to the TV remote control..."I'm bored", click, "this is dumb", click...becomes..."no fish", zoom, "no fish", zoom, "time for a beer", zoom.

immature bald eagle

There's maybe sixty swans in the cove today, but there is a late osprey in the area (it's small size confuses me, but the coloring is obvious) and an immature bald eagle at the first point, a couple of great blue herons along the way, and when I go up the Moodus I flush four more herons.  The calm made the birds stand out, their slightest movement easily spotted against the stillness.