Lake Shannon

The second day of autumn I had the rare experience of paddling on a mirror surface of Lake Shannon which often blows whitecaps. It was disappointing that the trees were not showing much color but the reflections of even the most ordinary grasses had me hauling out my camera. The difficulty was trying to jockey the kayak into a good position to get a shot and not let the ripples ruin the photo. No sooner did I get the boat just right, when a slight breeze would blow or the current would move me away.


The last shot is of my dear friend Dee,
with whom I have paddled NW waters
for many years...from Camano Island to Bellingham...
my favorite is the mid-summer paddle of the Stillaguamish River.
or the Stilly...
tothoseofuswhoknowher
secret places where deep
pools cool our naked bodies.
Once a plane flying overhead must have had binaculars, for it flew lower and circled repeatedly. Dee and I laughed at their audacity and then at mine when I pointed my bare buns to the sky.