{"id":1150,"date":"2014-01-16T16:17:31","date_gmt":"2014-01-16T21:17:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgianbayphotographs.ca\/?p=1150"},"modified":"2014-01-16T17:25:49","modified_gmt":"2014-01-16T22:25:49","slug":"the-tale-of-an-old-dock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgianbayphotographs.ca\/?p=1150","title":{"rendered":"The Tale of an Old Dock"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Farm country, we’ve all driven by farms with old machinery, cars, trucks, even buildings abandoned at a respectable distance from the house. \u00a0Cottage country isn’t immune to this event, the dead whatever-it-is<\/em>\u00a0that’s to big for the boat, car, van, or small truck. \u00a0Any of us that have cottaged for a length of time have had to confront disposing of something bigger \u00a0than the green garbage bag or recycling bin. Frequently the solution is, next time we’re up, and so the pile of junk safely out of view begins.<\/p>\n

Depending on the township you’re in there may be a fee at the local dump for disposal, or \u00a0if you’re lucky, for a small fee an annual dock pickup. \u00a0Many of us would rather just pay to have that thing just go away. \u00a0This is one of those stories.<\/p>\n

The dock that came with purchase of a near by island was getting old and rather decrepit. \u00a0Possibly even unsafe to use. \u00a0The owner of property has summer staff paid to look after such things. \u00a0From the owners point of view, when instructions are given, things just happen. \u00a0With every command structure there develops a bureaucracy. \u00a0The supervisor tells members of the crew, look after this and that. \u00a0Eventually things get done, depending on priorities of course. \u00a0There is always the chance for that, out of sight, out of mind phenomenon.<\/p>\n

My first encounter with this dock was while out kayaking. \u00a0I have a route, mostly a loop that I like to travel. \u00a0More sheltered on the return for when I’m worn out. \u00a0While returning I rounded a point into a sheltered cove. \u00a0Two large commercial contractor boats and maybe half a dozen workers spread around on a substantial three section dock. \u00a0One of the workers spotted me and called out in a voice just loud enough, “kayaker”. \u00a0All work stopped. \u00a0Imagine a small group of men caught in the act, standing around looking at the sky whistling nonchalantly.<\/p>\n

They’d spent the morning towing the sections from the south end to the north end of the property, where it was now nicely out of sight of the owner’s cottage. \u00a0The afternoon had been spent chainsawing the dock sections into small pieces. \u00a0Then pieces were further broken down to planks and stacked in a couple of large piles. \u00a0The intention appeared to be, to burn the wood remnants in a nice hollow in the rocky shoreline. \u00a0Of course the end of the day came before they had finished.<\/p>\n

The pictures below show the conditions over roughly a 4 year period, starting in 2008. \u00a0In late summer 2008, work ends with the end of the day. \u00a0Pieces held together by design and ropes. \u00a0The next spring, 2009 when pieces had spread out from the influence of winter storms. \u00a0Including a piece that washed ashore on our property, some 500 meters away and not in a line-of-site location. \u00a0The 2010 season was uneventful, in that nothing moved or changed. \u00a0In the following spring, 2011, and the steel remnants are spread around after a burning in location event. \u00a0Storm action further spreads debris, as now the wood that held some pieces in place was now gone. \u00a0Finally an escapee found 1 kilometer in July of 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n

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