Thayer Lake – Forths.com

Balloons over Thayer Lake

Kevin Forth — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 13:23:02 +0000

As dawn broke on a beautiful Saturday morning, I heard what sounded like bursts of rushing air in the distance. The sound was unfamiliar, but was growing louder, so I walked outside to investigate. Over the lake were hot air balloons, with more coming from the south. I snapped some photos and took movies with my cell phone.

The balloons were beautiful, and amazingly, it was easy to have a conversation with the balloonists. My neighbor Tom Ross, from his dock, greeted one balloonist with “beautiful morning!”, to which he replied “it is a beautiful morning”. I also replied to one balloonist’s greeting, which you can hear in the movie below. Several balloons descended low over the water, with one actually splashing into the lake before regaining altitude, laughing as water poured from the gondola. The movie is below, and if you’re impatient, skip to 3:17 into the movie to see the splash-down.

Summer Relaxation in Alden

Kevin Forth — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 12:53:11 +0000

For our annual July gathering in Alden, we’ve been blessed to have lots of friends and family come to share in the fun. So far, 28 people have participated, and the rest of Al’s family still has yet to arrive.

The pictures tell the story – water, barbecue, boating – the usual.

Baby Turtles

Kevin Forth — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:16:34 +0000

While taking a walk to the beach with Tim Arlington, we noticed a little turtle sitting motionless on the sandy path. Given that it was 30 yards from water, it was apparent that this was a newly hatched baby. We then found the nest, containing mostly empty leathery egg shells. One partly-opened egg remained, buried beneath the sand, which was rock-hard given the lack of rain lately.

These were baby Eastern Painted Turtles, the predominant species in Thayer Lake. We took the babies to the water’s edge, helping the second turtle out of its shell. Both babies were weak and dehydrated, so they were set within the thick shoreline plants, just a few inches from the water. That should have kept them out of view of the hungry birds.

Memorial Day Gathering

Kevin Forth — Thu, 31 May 2012 01:16:59 +0000

It was a nice 4-day weekend for me and a welcome break from the constant meetings and phone calls at work. Predictably, we had our informal gathering in Alden. I only took a few pictures with my cell phone, so I pilfered shots from Becky’s camera card to fill the gaps.

The weather was nice, with rain falling only on Sunday morning. Master multi-tasker Al relieved me from the lawn cutting duties by taking his grandsons for a ride on the tractor while cutting the grass. I rode about 35 miles on the old gold Honda, which is really running well. Al’s grandsons Aiden and Brody enjoyed the pontoon boat, piloting it on a few occasions. On Saturday afternoon, a bald eagle circled the lake, hunting for a fishy meal.

Thanks to all who shared their time with us in Alden this Memorial Day weekend.