On The Lake

At this large lake surrounded by steep fir clad mountains the gentle breeze casts a kind of shadow from the hills onto the smooth water. Here and there around rounded pools of ripples, some ripples sharper others more rounded. In the center are archipelagoes of mercurial calm. At night they bend the moon shimmer from its straight line.

That moon shimmer, a pale path across the water that narrows when you stand close to shore widens on the bluff above the inlet and when filtered through the trees looks like some magical road to the far shore.

This morning has begun with scattered clouds and dappled light on the far shore where yesterday there was the full onslaught of this first July day. Here near the shore the water tempered the 90 degree heat and the sun warmed the lake inviting a dip or a swim.

The cloud dappled light on the far shore highlights the rugged cliffs and landslides that I call the ‘flayed man’ after the strigil on ‘Game of Thrones’. A grisly if memorable symbol.

The lapping of waves on this cove is peaceful and almost musical. As the morning gets on there are occasional sets of 5 or 6 waves that interrupt this random gurgle and chortle with short rushes of white noise. These foreign patterns telling of a boat passing some minutes ago on a lake so large they may escape your notice otherwise.

A denser cloud extends gray tendrils towards the ground a weak attempt to dampen a glorious day which ends in thin nothingness over the lake. The camp chipmunk has bravely ventured out to the shore to scout for scraps. It hops and moves nervously closer. A glance elicits chirps of alarm as it dashes for cover.

Three pair of Canada geese and their broods of goslings round the corner paddling and searching amongst the rocks. They notice me and cut straight across before resuming their shoreline feeding. Quiet but for a few hums. A whistle from a lone straggler catching up the rest of the band.

A raven cawing noisily above the melodic if common song of the American Robin.

There is something easily forgotten in busy anxious lives of sitting and being still in some place of nature and letting the sounds, smells, sight and sensations come to you and hold you like some sensual balm. Let your heart fill and still, your thoughts drain away. The animals seem to sense this and return to their activities as if you are not there.

The young men further away with their loud booming music, firecrackers, and unmuffled dirt bikes are having their fun. Their hearts stirred by emotion ego or the sense of power and thrill of risk hopefully they don’t miss the joy of quieter moments.