Sunday Morning Early

Kayak Morning

 Sunday Morning Early 

by David Romtvedt

My daughter and I paddle red kayaks

across the lake. Pulling hard,

we slip easily through the water.

Far from either shore, it hits me

that my daughter is a young woman

and suddenly everything is a metaphor

for how short a time we are granted:

the red boats on the blue-black water,

the russet and gold of late summer’s grasses,

the empty sky. We stop and listen to the stillness.

I say, “It’s Sunday, and here we are

in the church of the out of doors,”

then wish I’d kept quiet. That’s the trick in life—

learning to leave well enough alone.

Our boats drift to where the chirring

of grasshoppers reaches us from the rocky hills.

A clap of thunder. I want to say something truer

than I love you. I want my daughter to know that,

through her, I live a life that was closed to me.

I paddle up, lean out, and touch her hand.

I start to speak then stop.

6:39

8:40

I was up drinking coffee by 6:00 but was awake unfortunately at 5:00.  It's 44º, a wet morning overcasts with a gray, wrinkled lake.  It should rain much of the day, perhaps snow tomorrow.  I welcome the honking of geese, a pleasant respite from the incessant leaf blower noise we have to put up with almost daily.  Ban the Leaf blower is my new mantra.  And while we walked Long Point yesterday morning, we could still hear the leaf blower across the lake.  It's just after 8:00 and I have been out kayaking, despite the gray skies, drizzle, and wind.  I was only out a half hour, fighting the wind on the way back, my hands frozen from the cold, wet wind.  I loved it.

Mergansers In Flight

At Rest

Red Necked Grebe

Yesterday was a perfect Spring day, moderate temperatures and lots of sun and blue skies.  I had a great morning paddle to start the day, with lots of waterfowl photographs.  After the blog and breakfast, Evie suggested we should go for a walk around Long Point State Park.  She was already up early, making an appetizer for a gathering we were attending later in the day.  So we gathered the trash, jumped in the car, went to the Transfer Station, then drove over to Long Point and parked.

Hemlock Alley

We were surprised to see a few others out walking the woods because usually, we are the only ones out.  We then realized it was the weekend, a pleasant Spring day so why not go for a walk.  We were out for over an hour, walked over two and a half miles, so we felt righteous when we got back to our car.

Resting After Hiking Long Point (background Woodlawn, Victoria)

Church Of Nature

We were back home by 1:00 and Evie put together guacamole for my lunch an I heated up a spicy Udon noodle soup.  Since we were going out at 4:00, we had no need to worry about dinner.  I read some, then, took a nap, watched the Masters and took a shower.

We left for Bemus Point at 4:00.  We were attending a celebration of the life of one of our good friend's daughter, who passed away at fifty a few months ago.  It was at Shaggy's, the top floor of the Seezurh House.

Barb And Dana

Friends, old and new, and family gathered to show their love and affection for both Barb and Dana.  There were lots of tears and laughter, assuaged somewhat by food, drinks, and a band.  We stayed until 6:00 then walked over to the Bemus Point Tap House and sat at their bar and had a beer before going home.

It was strange to be home by 7:00, having had dinner and beers.  We weren't hungry or thirsty and didn't' know what to do with ourselves so we did what we usually do, sat in the TV room and watched our programs, beginning with another Real Time With Bill Maher.  We then watched the first episode of the new season of Billions but it seems to be losing its way, too complicated and often silly.  I was happy to go up to bed early.