Greens Falls Adventure

Sunday, September 6, 2009

"It is every man's worst nightmare: that his wife will end up lazy, just sitting on a couch all day eating bonbons." - Caleb Rose, 2009

After a short trip to Quanaduck Cove in Stonington (to check for crabs and tropicals), Caleb, Chris, Vita and I trekked to up into North Stonington and Voluntown, headed for Greens Falls. I tried to take a little nappy nap on the way but Caleb was driving at mach 90 (as my sister would say) down the bumpy dirt path. This ride lasted for some time.
We finally made it to the pond and we put in the canoe. Chris at the head, Caleb in the back and Vivi and I sitting in the bottom, wet butts and all. Somehow, the presence of a bag of bonbons made the wet butt not so bad.
One of the reasons we wanted to go to Greens Falls was because the year before, we had picked a substantial crop of wild blueberries and huckleberries there. Afterwards we made totally delicious tarts with shortbread crusts and I gained probably 5 lbs. (At least it wasn't from bonbons.) On the way out to the blueberries, I declared that I had read in the paper that this year was a "bumper crop" of blueberries for CT. We got to the blueberry bank and found only a few. Caleb did see a snake, probably a garter snake. We got back in and paddled for an island in the middle, that will hereafter be known as Blueberry Island or Bayberry Island. We found lots of both on this tiny island and Vita attempted to rescue a dragonfly which did not quite make it. Caleb caught a few small pumpkinseeds here. One died after eating a catapillar.
On the way back from the island, we had a short but productive fishing session. Caleb and Chris each caught a couple of bass and so Caleb declared a fishing tournament, even though he was technically in the hole -15 after catching the three pumpkinseed. There were lovely little flowers blooming all over the surface and while Vita and I enjoyed picking them and "squishing the cells," we realized that they must have been loved by the fish, as Cay and Chris caught several "hogs" in this area. Mixture of largemouth and smallmouth bass. The largest largemouth that Caleb caught vomited up a pumpkinseed. It was awesome.
We then headed back to the shore where there was some confusion over porta potties but in the end, we all made it out o.k.
Totals: 5 Largemouth bass; 3 pumpkinseed; 1 catapillar; 1 dead dragonfly; bucket of blue/huckleberries; a hand full of bayberries and one porta-pottie debacle.