May 27, 2015

View from the red kayak

The bay

The first couple of days at camp were cold and windy. Temperatures dropped so low at night that I was grateful for my winter sleeping bag, and my father reported that when he woke up early, he had to break some ice in the bucket where we wash our hands. But eventually, the wind died down and the sun came out, and I was able to take my little red kayak out for a paddle.

This early in the year, the cattails are still golden brown, with the new green shoots just beginning to peek through. The lily pads lie flat on the surface of the water: later in the year, they will get crowded and stick up at crazy angles. Past the big rock at the opening of our creek, I could see the summer camps that line the eastern shore of our bay. The docks were still empty. The only activity in the bay seemed to be at our own dock, where the two family dogs were leaping into the water and splashing muddily to shore, egged on by Red-haired Niece and her fiancé, and Shaggy Hair Boy and his fiancée. Skater Boy had attached a GoPro to one of the dogs, who was racing around at such high speeds that I suspect the video will be quite dizzying.

Out on the bay, I saw an osprey flying overhead, circling about in search of a fish and then diving straight down, hitting the water with a splash like a small child doing a cannonball. The water in Cranberry Creek was clear and easy to paddle through because it’s not yet choked by weeds and lily pads. Along the edge of the left fork, a muskrat house is tucked into the reeds. Along the right fork, there’s a new beaver lodge. Masses of yellow irises are coming up along the edge of the creek. But except for these small changes, the creek still looks the same as it did when I was a kid.

Lily pads in May

11 comments:

undine said...

These are lovely posts, jo(e), and they make me remember/make me homesick for the Land of No Internets that I used to blog about, which is in your neck of the woods.

Lisa at Grandma's Briefs said...

You paint such a lovely, peaceful scene with your words. The photo is great, too, but your words encourage me to breathe and relax. Thank you!

(And thank you for visiting Grandma's Briefs this morning!)

Mwa said...

I'm wondering now what I'd see if I put a GoPro camera on one of our cats. Not that we have such a camera, but if we did.

Birdie said...

Just beautiful. Just last week my husband and I were talking about getting kayaks or canoes. Life is so different from the vantage point of the water.

Gail said...

I imagine the beauty triples when those lilies bloom!

jo(e) said...

Gail: Oh, yeah. Later in the summer I will spend hours out in the kayak just taking pictures of water lilies.

Far Side of Fifty said...

What a lovely calm place to kayak:)

Barb said...

I'd love to see those lily pads in full bloom. There is a mountain lake here at altitude that will have beautiful yellow lilies in late June - it's quite a hike but worth it!

Jeanie said...

Osprey and yellow iris! So beautiful, as are you photos. Big sigh. Yes, even the cold can be all right when you are prepared and the environment is perfect!

TexWisGirl said...

beautiful.

EG CameraGirl said...

Sounds like my kind of place.