My Day on the Lake

Today I went for my first kayak of the season. It was a beautiful day on the lake and surprisingly nice and quiet. The waves got a little choppy at one point, and due to my lack of 'paddling muscle', it felt like I was slogging through mud at one point, but that's to be expected when you go out three times a year! It was fun to watch the anglers, sneak up on unsuspecting ducks and just enjoy the beautiful scenery.

I saw lots of these:



One of this:

 
Some of these:


One of that:
 
And EVEN one of these!

 

I LOVE this Lake! Mental note: Get out of the darn office a little more and open my eyes to the beautiful surroundings that I'm lucky enough to wake up to every morning!

Snow and Swans

Winter is officially here. Last night we had our first snow fall of the season, and although it is already melting, I know that more is on the way.

We were paid our annual pre-winter visit by the swans yesterday. Even though their visit often coincides with snow, it's always nice to see them as they scare away the geese. I know that swans are just as, if not more, aggressive as geese - but there are also only four of them and about 100 geese. They also don't wear out their welcome as they are often only here for a few days at the most.

It's very cool to watch the four swans swimming towards the geese to temporarily claim the lake shore. The geese try to act tough for as long as they can, but fly away when the geese get to about 100 feet away. There is plenty of posturing on both sides during the confrontation and it's almost like two gangs meeting on the street.

Plans for today include: staying off the roads until the snow is completely gone, lighting the wood stove, making a batch of Chai tea and getting some homework done while I watch life unfold out my kitchen window.- R