On Lake Martin
“Forests,
lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous
glaciers and crystal snowflakes - every form of animate or inanimate
existence, leaves its impress upon the soul of man.”
Orison
Swett Marden
I
am sitting on the screen porch at Lake Martin. We stayed up late last
night to watch a meteor shower. I saw only two falling stars, but the
night sky here, without the light pollution of the city, was
spectacular. I also witnessed the acrobatic night flight of bats
feeding over the water; quite an impressive choreography of mid-air
frenzy in which they somehow manage not to crash into one another.
This
morning, human life on the lake is picking up steam; boats whiz by
and ski-do's blast around like mad hornets causing the floating docks
to bounce and squeak. One hundred feet from shore, a bright yellow
hydroplane skims back and forth across the water like a boat. What's
up with that? The day-life homo sapiens can be every bit as curious
as the night-life of bats. In the midst of all this motorized chaos,
a pair of mallards circle and splash down; a mother duck paddles by
with two half-grown babies. Co-existence with humans must be a chore
for them.
There
is nothing quite so intriguing for me as to choose a spot to sit and
observe life as it unfolds. Without the slightest effort on my part,
an entire drama will develop and play out over the course of the day.
There will be characters and events, story lines and departures,
happy endings and tragic ones. I will take notes.
It's
Memorial Day weekend in America. People everywhere will commemorate
our fallen soldiers from all the many terrible wars we've fought and
lost and won, as though anyone wins when it comes to war. In the
process we will kick off summer. Life on the lake should be
interesting. Stay tuned.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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