Winter
Dreams Archive:
06 April 03
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Riding
in God's top pocket
06
April 03: I used to have a friend who was fond
of the phrase "riding in God's top pocket",
by which he meant that things were going well for him
or that he was having a good day. Sometimes he would vary
things and say that he was "riding in the top pocket
of the Man." I like the former more than the latter.
The
Reverend and I were riding in the
top pocket today when we went to Niawanda Park on the
Niagara River in Tonawanda, across from Grand Island.
That's about 10 minutes from the house. It was clear and
cold, and the river was choked with ice chunks of all
sizes, and the chunks made a loud tinkling sound like
you would hear if God's top pocket were full of pretty
beach stones.
I've
never experienced this before, and it was like magic,
and a blessing forever.
My
grandfather the minister was fond of describing a day
like this as "clear as a bell and colder than hell."
Salty, wasn't he.
View
downstream (east) from Niawanda Park, looking toward
the mouth of Tonawanda Creek, which is the beginning
of the Erie Canal. |
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The
Niagara River was choked with ice chunks. That's
Grand Island in the background. We're looking north. |
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Detail
of ice floes, showing the phenomenon of ice floes
that were thawing from the inside out but with the
margin still intact. |
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This
ice floe had melted in the center and then was refrozen,
making an ice rink effect. |
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I
like the variety of lines and textures in this pic
(looking upstream -- west). |
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The
water was blue-blue. The Niagara River changes color
every day, according to the quality of light and
the temperature. I've seen it appear to be a medium
green with white highlights on a cold day. On cloudy
days it take on a pasty brown bear snot tone, and
on crisp days of fall and spring it is a beautiful
blue. |
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I
usually don't pay much attention to gulls, but this
guy was hitching a ride on an ice floe, presumably
just because he could. |
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