GreenNode of Simmer
Jul. 17th, 2019 10:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ismoLovely day today! Although with the usual amount of overdoing it . . . . This was our de facto 48th anniversary celebration. The real one was the day after my mother died, so it kinda got run over by several trucks. It happened, but was not celebrated. Now it has been. We woke up pretty early, went to the bookstore for coffee, and swung by our favorite doughnut place only to discover it had closed. Sigh. It is the way of things. You find something, it's perfect for awhile, and then it goes away. So we just took our coffee right out to the park and sat in our favorite place by the river. It was so still and lovely. It was before nine, and the morning was still fresh and quiet. All the trees were perfectly reflected in green water: cedars, white oak, beech, and pine. Really big dragonflies flitted across the water, flashing in the sun so you could see them dancing at a distance. A chipmunk appeared as we were eating Aussie bites, which are organic and full of nuts and seeds, so we sent Chippie away with his cheeks distended with booty. A baby squirrel also showed up--so darling!
In the distance, jays were calling "Jay! Jayyy!" while the corbies cried, "Twa! Twa!" All very peaceful, until suddenly an ungodly racket broke out. The crows shouted "Get out! GIT OOOOOUUUT!" and the jays screamed hysterically behind their more aggressive corvid cousins. We thought there must be a hawk about, but we couldn't see anything. The ruckus moved toward us, as if they were all chasing something. We looked around, and suddenly caught sight of a long, slender brown-furred body capped with a pointy nose, bright eyes, and round ears, running along the edge of the riverbank. It was a fisher! I've often suspected the presence of such, but never got such a good look at one. He paused and looked at us, then swiftly and silently climbed a tree and disappeared into a hollow. He must have been the one they were all chasing. Fishers climb easily, and they probably thought he was after their nests!
We moved the car to the Hamlin Lake parking lot, packed a bag and set off along the Island Trail. It's one of the easier trails, because it's not very up and down. It's very hot and muggy, even up here, while the rest of Michigan swelters in a heat wave. This trail follows the edge of the lake through tiny islands, marshlands, and lagoons, and a fresh breeze was blowing off the lake, making everything seem cooler. Beautiful views abound. Right now, the water lilies are blooming. The Sparrowhawk spotted a heron, who unfolded his wings, circled the inlet, and flew away. It was so still we could hear the slow beat of his wings as he passed overhead. The overdoing part came when we decided to go all the way to a picnic shelter at the end of the ridge--a place we've often visited before, sometimes by water. It added a mile and a half to the total. When we got there, we sat down and rested our legs and had water and a sandwich. By the time we had retraced our steps, all of our clothes were soggy with sweat and we were very tired. It was only about five miles. I used to do ten miles and feel beat. Now five will do it, apparently. But it was a hot day . . . .
My plan was to not be on the beach at the height of the sun this time. We returned to the motel, turned on the AC, and drank a lot of ice water. Then we opened the champagne and toasted ourselves, and took a nap. Ah, the decadent luxury!! There are a few advantages to being old and not in a tent any more. When we woke up, we put on our swimsuits, topped by some dry clothes, went back to the beach and had a delightful cooling swim. Evening is often the best time on the beach. The water has warmed up and the sun has declined. When we started feeling hungry, we went back into town and tried a new restaurant, which turned out to be excellent. The Sparrowhawk had bourbon sriracha smoked chicken wings and ahi tuna salad, and I had lake perch with delicious vegetables and some kind of potato thing that was very tasty. We both took about half of it home in a box, so tomorrow we can have fish sandwiches. We were just in time to sit on the veranda and watch a glorious sunset. I love a day when I have a plan, and it WORKS!
In the distance, jays were calling "Jay! Jayyy!" while the corbies cried, "Twa! Twa!" All very peaceful, until suddenly an ungodly racket broke out. The crows shouted "Get out! GIT OOOOOUUUT!" and the jays screamed hysterically behind their more aggressive corvid cousins. We thought there must be a hawk about, but we couldn't see anything. The ruckus moved toward us, as if they were all chasing something. We looked around, and suddenly caught sight of a long, slender brown-furred body capped with a pointy nose, bright eyes, and round ears, running along the edge of the riverbank. It was a fisher! I've often suspected the presence of such, but never got such a good look at one. He paused and looked at us, then swiftly and silently climbed a tree and disappeared into a hollow. He must have been the one they were all chasing. Fishers climb easily, and they probably thought he was after their nests!
We moved the car to the Hamlin Lake parking lot, packed a bag and set off along the Island Trail. It's one of the easier trails, because it's not very up and down. It's very hot and muggy, even up here, while the rest of Michigan swelters in a heat wave. This trail follows the edge of the lake through tiny islands, marshlands, and lagoons, and a fresh breeze was blowing off the lake, making everything seem cooler. Beautiful views abound. Right now, the water lilies are blooming. The Sparrowhawk spotted a heron, who unfolded his wings, circled the inlet, and flew away. It was so still we could hear the slow beat of his wings as he passed overhead. The overdoing part came when we decided to go all the way to a picnic shelter at the end of the ridge--a place we've often visited before, sometimes by water. It added a mile and a half to the total. When we got there, we sat down and rested our legs and had water and a sandwich. By the time we had retraced our steps, all of our clothes were soggy with sweat and we were very tired. It was only about five miles. I used to do ten miles and feel beat. Now five will do it, apparently. But it was a hot day . . . .
My plan was to not be on the beach at the height of the sun this time. We returned to the motel, turned on the AC, and drank a lot of ice water. Then we opened the champagne and toasted ourselves, and took a nap. Ah, the decadent luxury!! There are a few advantages to being old and not in a tent any more. When we woke up, we put on our swimsuits, topped by some dry clothes, went back to the beach and had a delightful cooling swim. Evening is often the best time on the beach. The water has warmed up and the sun has declined. When we started feeling hungry, we went back into town and tried a new restaurant, which turned out to be excellent. The Sparrowhawk had bourbon sriracha smoked chicken wings and ahi tuna salad, and I had lake perch with delicious vegetables and some kind of potato thing that was very tasty. We both took about half of it home in a box, so tomorrow we can have fish sandwiches. We were just in time to sit on the veranda and watch a glorious sunset. I love a day when I have a plan, and it WORKS!
