Hated cottonwoood, my ass. There's nothing like the smell of cottonwoods in bloom. I go canoeing on Lake Washington and go through this slough that leads into the islands around the University of Washington's Arboretum.
You paddle along and all the cotton from the cotton wood trees is sitting on top of the water. And you can't miss that smell.
Cottonwoods have this pungent winey and turpentiney smell that is quite unforgettable. It's really not floral but it's not at all unpleasant. I remember it from every trip we took into the country when I was a kid. They were in bloom, too, in the park we walked by to the big parade (well, big for a little town) we had in Payette on Memorial Day. It's the smell of summer.
I just love paddling down that slough between the Broadmoor golf course and the arboretum--look out! golf balls off the port bow! duck, matey!--and seeing lines of stacked black and green turtles sunning themselves on the logs, all the ducklings and goslings following their mothers in little flotillas, the great blue herons stalking fish like mimes on stillts and the red winged blackbirds clingng to the cattails and popping out their epauletttes and keening their metallic this is my territoree-ree-ree! And smelling those cottonwoods. Life is so sweet then. posted by y2karl at 9:31 PM on June 18, 2004
I don't hate them, y2karl; I just know people who do. Then again, there are people who hate the wonderful lake-scum smell we have here in Madison. For me, it's the smell of Summer. posted by interrobang at 10:50 PM on June 18, 2004
Very nice, John! Excellent post! posted by Shane at 7:53 AM on June 21, 2004
John, you are a vital contributor to this community. posted by rocketman at 3:15 PM on June 21, 2004
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posted by quonsar at 7:36 PM on June 18, 2004