Experience

The suburbs got to me one day a couple of weeks ago. I had to be at the lake, craved being at the lake, all by myself, alone, me and the winds and waves and birds. Clean air, light, breezes playing with my hair, the smell alone is worth the drive. There's nothing like the scent of the wind off the lake. It's cooler there, cleaner there, magical there. Driving from the east it was clear a storm was percolating on the western horizon. Watching it build was exhilarating even as I hoped to beat it there. Storms on the lake are a favorite event. Dark grey clouds billowed higher and higher as I approached but were still a distance away when I pulled into the driveway. The photo above is taken as I got out of the car, looking nearly straight up. It was coming - not much time.


I poured a glass of wine and headed to the deck quickly. Feeling that pre-storm jolt of air was critical to my being. The flag was whipping and snapping in salute, and there was a respectable chop on the lake's surface.

Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....................................

I am happiest here. This is where I find my bliss, my peace, my soul.

The newly-cleared bank looks good. The buckeyes already dropping leaves for autumn. By now they're simply sticks laden with pods which will soon pop open, dropping their nutmeg colored buckeye seeds onto the ground.

Looking up - the storm is approaching. Please, please, please just a few more minutes.

So much humidity building; condensation beads form despite the wind.

How rude. I really should share with my blogging friends.

Cheers!!!

Here it comes. A sheet of misty gray rolls across the lake, bringing with it torrential rains and beautiful winds and whipping tree branches. Besides the Giraffe Head Tree this dead tree has to be a favorite. Ospreys dine there, Great Horned Owls linger there, Bald Eagles perch there, as do all manner of woodpeckers and songbirds. And squirrels and raccoons. Easy to spot.

I hope you enjoyed this little moment in time with me.

Golden Tree Hour

The change of light that comes with autumn and early winter turns our naked trees into spires of gold. Beginning around 4pm we all gather at our windows, on our decks or on the lake to watch the spectacle. As the sun sinks lower on the horizon the trees start to glow like luminaries and remain this rich hue until the sun sets below the treeline. We have come to celebrate the hour by popping a cork. "Come on over for the Golden Tree Hour!" "Is it the Golden Tree Hour yet?" You get the idea. Yet one more thing to love about this place. Toasting the tree's beauty and the stillness of late autumn is, as Diane at Alberta Photography calls it, "Life's Sweet Ordinary."

Cheers.