COVER N. 452 - CANADA

Postmark: Port Rowan ON 16.05.2023

Posted on the 16th May; received on the 21st May 2024

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Last week, I was out trekking in the south, along the coast, doing the first half of the Fishermen's trail, from Lagos to Aljezur, in the Algarve, hence the silence on these pages. 

I was very lucky with the weather, which graced me with a week of cool, dry (but very windy) days, which would have been perfect for walking the trail, had I not decided to do it from the south to the north without first checking the direction of the prevailing winds in the region... which, of course always blow from... the north...

That, the quite demanding ravine climbs and descents and the stretches of loose sand (I really do hate these) were a bit more taxing on my ageing legs and back that I had first anticipated, but the views I had access to, the communion with a rather  wild and pristine coastal area, and the absolute joy of overcoming a self-imposed  challenge, all made for an absolutely unforgettable experience, which I will hopefully repeat next September or so, when I take the remaining 100 km of trail that are still left for me to complete it.

Although I did not get that much mail during the week, the three covers I found on my desk , thanks to my caring wife, were absolutely great, beginning with this one  from Canada, for which I have to greatly thank Jeff, who surprised me with this terrific set of Kermit relatives, which will jump right off into my favourite covers selection.

Let me get back to the trail...

Walking over those cliffs,  bordered with the most ultramarine blue one could ever hope to mix, made me remember many times my happy childhood days in the Azores, when I would also walk the lava cliffs, barefoot, with a fishing rod in one hand, many times with my old man by my side...., intense memories that more than once made some liquid drops run down my face... and it was not only sweat....

Anyway... here's the link to the stamps: one day my playing mates and I, we went to a place where there were a few ponds that were full of frogs. At home, in the garden, I had half a barrel  that was standing there just empty (I guess father had the idea of turning it into a large flower pot or something). So a cunning plan started to develop in my ever curious 12 years old brain: I could fill the half wooden barrel with a layer of earth, add some water and fill it with eggs, tadpoles and adult frogs. That way I would be able to watch live all the metamorphosis of the frogs, from eggs to adults, something that I found rather interesting.

I did not think anything more would be needed, since if frogs lived in the pond in water, than they could surely go about their lives in my barrel, provided I supplied them with the necessary living conditions, that is, water and earth....

So we went to the pond and set about chasing frogs.... in a matter of minutes, we had dozens of them (literally), which were thrown into a sack, along with lots of tadpoles and eggs.

And we all ran to my place where we filled the wooden barrel, which we first hid in a corner behind a tree, out of any adult inquiring gaze,  with earth, and water, into which we dropped the contents of our precious bag.

Mission accomplished. 

The tin houses in Santa Maria, where I lived, were built on concrete feet, so in some places, there were gaps beneath the base and the ground. These were cool shaded places, so whatever frogs that were still alive, they all took shelter under the house and that night we had the most incredible frog concert....

Some days later, though, a strange, unpleasant smell began to be felt in the garden, and it only grew worse, as the days passed....

My mother went into the garden trying to find the source for the stench and her accurate nostrils guided her right to the corner of the garden, behind the old pine tree..... loads of rotting frogs (those that had already arrived home in the bag dead, plus some that had not survived the experience) were lying atop the dry earth inside the barrel (all the water had already either evaporated or just escaped)...

As punishment, I had to collect all that rotting stuff and dispose of it in the communal garbage container, something that almost made me vomit, quite a few times....

Be it as it may, I still find the metamorphosis of frogs a really interesting phenomenon.....

The two "P" tariff  Endangered frogs of Canada stamps on the souvenir sheet which Jeff so kindly used on this cover,  were issued on 15APR2024 and the frogs therein pictured are:

- Rana pretiosa, (left stamp) commonly known as Oregon spotted frog, which in Canada can be found in south-western British Columbia, and which is classified by the IUCN as a "Vulnerable"species.

- Anaxyrus fowleri, (right stamp) commonly known as Fowler's toad. It occurs in eastern US and parts of  adjacent southeastern Canada. It has a "least Concern" IUCN Status.

The Inaugural postmark for this beautiful set was applied at Port Rowan, a city in the northern shore of  Lake Erie, this being ath the heart of the living territory of Fowler's toads in Canada.

Postage on the cover was completed with the Eclipse stamp I talked about a propos postcard #140, issued on 14-MAR2024, which also got an unnecessary  mechanical cancellation....