Rake on ice
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Black & Whiteon: April 18, 2020 at 9:03 am
Weather is getting warmer. Ice on larger ponds and lakes is still thick enough for walking and activity.
The photograph is of a sulky rake, also called a bunch rake. It was used when hay was stacked loose. Originally this rake was pulled by a couple of horses, later by a small tractor. We still have some farms in the are doing this while most use the 600+ pound round or rectangular bales. For the most part the smaller rectangular bales that kept us kids in summer jobs are no more. Takes big tractors to deal with these big bales. Way different from kids earning a penny each bucking bales to a hay wagon and unloading by hand to make the stacks.
After a number of wet years many farms lost machinery and buildings to rising water. This place has a lot of old machinery in the water and encased in ice when winter hits. Even old Model A or T cars in the water.
As it warms the ice is very slick. When colder it is not as slippery and when you fall you don’t get soaked as when it has the layer of water on top. In another few weeks we’ll see moose out there with the geese and ducks making it home for the summer. For now the ice lets me get a different view of the old rake.
While we are at it – can some of those seeing this encourage others to post here?
"A good still photograph, studied by an inquiring mind, frequently yields more information than a mile of moving images". Walter Cronkite, New York, June 1989
Re: Rake on iceReply #2 on: April 18, 2020 at 7:59 pm
I am on ice. About 14-18 inches of it. The “spiky” bits are actually curved and the spike end is at the bottom. It is round above the ice.
A different view, same morning light.
One interesting thing is that the ice was “singing” as I was on it. Actually, even before I walked out for the images. Pressure ridges along the shore in some areas had ice to 2 feet high. As the ice expands and contracts and moves the notes are fun to hear. Pinging and almost like chimes at times. Clear and cold with no wind, you can hear it well. Small pond, about 40 acres or so. North of where I am photographing the old Railroad tracks crossed it. Has not been operating for a few decades.
In the near future I’ll be on it with a kayak.
"A good still photograph, studied by an inquiring mind, frequently yields more information than a mile of moving images". Walter Cronkite, New York, June 1989
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