Neighbors On The Oostanaula

On this gorgeous late spring day, a few of our neighbors embarked from the tree-root landing near our house for a jon boat excursion on the Oostanaula. I snapped a few pictures. 

 

A Late Afternoon Riverwalk

Sheila and I needed to check Mother's house after several very cold days. All was fine. Since we were coming from West Rome, rather than starting our evening walk from home we decided to park at the Mount Berry Trailhead near the post office and start there. There must have been a dozen cars in the lot; we were not the only folks ready for a walk in the not quite so cold weather.

There was still plenty of ice about though the dusting of snow was gone except in the deepest shadows.

There only a few icy/snowy spots along the riverwalk.

This fall/winter collection of debris under the Veterans Parkway bridge has a torrent of water streaming around the eastern side.

The highway department will have a pretty big job clearing this out.

We walked all the way to the temporary end of the trail at the new Big Dry Creek bridge. When the short stretch of riverwalk from the bridge to the Armuchee Bypass is completed the Riverwalk will be a complete circuit for our backyard to the confluence on the west side, upstream to the stadium, across to the west side by the bypass bridge and back to our house. All that with no road crossings. Wow.

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It was almost dark by the time we got back to the pond near the trailhead.

A beautiful end to a nice walk.

 

Gleaning Facebook: The Boat Parade and The Chamber

(Where did the picture go?)

With my brother David about 1992. Laurie Craw do you recognize my t-shirt? And this was during the time that I was active in the Chamber of Commerce... hence the hat. The CofC and I parted ways for a couple of decades a few years later.

Howard Smith I like that Chamber hat! It brings back some memories. I remember when we passed them out to members.

Michael J. Burton Great memories

Kyle Doegg I have that hat and still wear it!

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(Where did the picture go?)

With my bride.. note the Coosa River Christmas sweatshirt. I miss that event. It was an annual decorated and lighted boat parade during the Christmas season on the Oostanaula River that lasted five years or so. I think a series of weather problems on the parade date did it in.

Howard Smith
I remember the parade!

Lydia Simpson
That parade is one of my favorite childhood memories. Such a shame they stopped doing it!

Leigh Whittenburg Callan
I miss that parade. It was such a special event for the season. I think the unpredictability of river levels made it hard to plan and execute safely at night. I wish it could be tried again.

John Paul Schulz
You sure got the pretty girl

Terrell Shaw
John Paul Schulz You and I both married up.

Jim Howell
I was manger of Landing Restaurant during that period. I sponsored and decorated a Christmas Boat. Would love to see it start back up.

Gleaning Facebook: Pearl Rush

 

This is a fascinating story about a "pearl rush" on freshwater mussels in the Oostanaula River in 1897. At one time the upper Coosa was home to 43 species of mussels. Today, there are only 27, and several of those are federally protected. It is likely that this "pearl rush" contributed to the decimation of mussel populations in the river. Now, mussels can be hard to find, much less mussels with pearls. The article also references accounts from DeSoto's travels in the 1500s in which Native Americans presented him with a six-foot strand of pearls. These accounts make you realize just how much we have lost and just how productive our river systems were before we fouled them up. Coosa River Basin Initiative Coosa River Basin Initiative

Gleaning Facebook: Thistles at the Town Green

Facebook message from Carla Byram:

What's the name of this plant?

Comments

Richard T. Ware

Carduus nutans Linnaeus, Musk Thistle, Nodding Thistle

Terrell Shaw

Thanks, Richard.

Howard Smith

.....or, weed

Carla Byram

Thanks... All I could muster was "other worldly"

Terrell Shaw

A weed is just a plant that's out of place. These guys qualify, I guess. They were part of the famous Columbian Exchange: natives of Africa and Europe, but now happily settled in almost all of North America along with Chinese privet and Japanese honeysuckle. (Thanks, Wikipedia.) It is a pretty flower.

Carla Byram

Saw them today Downtown... Knew you and your friends could help with an id. and further info ... Many thanks!

Terrell Shaw

Sheila & I noticed them between the parking deck and the river at the town green a day or two ago. The same ones I s'pect.

Nina K Pettis

My mother always said, "A weed is just a flower without a good publicist."

Amber Lanier Nagle

Thistle

Tony Pope

Bull thistle???

Carla Byram

Yes, Terrell - same ones

Bill Cox

Looks like some type of thistle to me.

Terrell Shaw

Richard Ware IDed it above: Carduus nutans Linnaeus, Musk Thistle, Nodding Thistle

Bill Cox

People like you and Richard Ware amaze me. Having all that information stored in your head. I do good to remember my SSN, pins, and passwords....Okay at my age I admit I have them written down somewhere if I can only remember where I put my scratch paper...lol...

Terrell Shaw

Richard, yes. Me? I wish I knew all Bill Cox knows about horticultural plants and their care! Of course, it pays to have smart facebook friends: people tend to assume one is as smart as their friends, whether it's true or not.