My little dog loves to poke around these old foundations. And the local kids love to cover them with graffiti! Anyone who walks this area now must wonder that a person could have had enough time to build here. Currently this area floods at least every other year!

When men make plans, the gods giggle. These, I think, are either

fence posts or boundary markers. They delimit nothing now, except perhaps the imagination of someone who didn't think the river could ever come high enough to flood their home. If you come to the river this Spring, be sure to wear something that comes over your ankles. The water is high, the grassy areas are somewhat boggy, and tick season is on the way.

Art is a levee jogger. He is currently on his third career. He was city policeman, then a correction officer, and now retired, he works as a substitute teacher.

We first met this last year. It turns out we remember each other from Elmira College, over thirty years ago. We both took a Continuing Education class at night. He's kind enough to say he remembers me, and I do recall a young police officer in uniform in some of the classes!

Baby Dog
inspects

Water

Gate #13.

Never saw

this one

open in 20

years.

Comforting
to know
there are
controls we

haven't even needed for a while.

There:

Now, please don't tell me there is no place to walk your dog in the City of Elmira. This is just one spot on the north side only, and there are miles to work with. Remember to wear sturdy shoes, galoshes in the winter and wet season, and especially to have your dog regularly dosed for parasites and a protected from the fleas, ticks and mosquitoes you WILL find in this area. Goose poop and guano is everywhere.

Coming down to the River in the Spring has shown me a world of birds I wouldn't otherwise see. The Chemung is a minor waterway for migrants. In just the last two days I've seen a male Kingfisher, families of Hooded Mergansers, an American Coot and a Green Heron. That's on top of the Great Blue Herons, Turkey Vultures and the bold, beautiful blue tree swallows we see every time.

pb

Little Pond