In which I explore an enchanting little river far north of my beloved Santa Fe.
Rivers run through my life.
And as much as I love my Florida rivers – Santa Fe, Suwannee, Apalachicola and such – I have of late become infatuated with a small, watercourse in the farm and lakes country of eastern Ontario, Canada.
The Tay meanders for some 60 miles, from Bob’s Lake to the Rideau River.
It is a remnant of the Champlain Sea, long ago erased by the last ice age.
Its name was borrowed from Scotland’s much more celebrated Tay.
Primarily because most of the Tay Valley’s original European settlers were Scots.
At one time the Tay was dammed up in Perth to support boat traffic and commerce. But eventually the Haggart Island Dam collapsed.
What remains today is a shallow, but well behaved stream – we might even call it a creek here in Florida – that reflects well on its surroundings.
There is a stern old man on a stone bridge who gazes out in seeming disdain at Perth. In the wintertime our old curmudgeon’s hair turns positively white.
Of course, in winter the Tay freezes over.
Forcing summertime paddlers to pack it in for yet another season.
The Tay is a kid’s playground one season. And a winter wonderland the next.
Right now the Tay’s job is to carry away the falling autumn leaves.
Reflections on the Tay.
FreeGNV 