Hot Summer Day and Friends chillin'
- Gentle Thoughts for a Very Hot Day -
It was a Hot day by anyone's standards. People, Dogs, and I'm sure Cows and Birds would agree as well. I went out on the lake hoping it would be cooler only to find it wasn't any better. If I would have asked a fellow feathered friend they could have told me so. But I ventured anyway without asking.
This guy would have chimed in for sure.
So out I went. The water was warm and flowed in slow waves like it was too hot to move as well. A classic southern mosey would have been a good description for both the waves and this kayaker. There wasn't even a breeze to move the air. One of those absolutely perfectly hot summer days well over 100. The news will say people died everywhere who dared to ventured out into the natural world today. A curious perspective. One great advantage to kayaking on a giant lake at a temperature like this is there are almost no humans there. The boaters all stayed home after hearing the dire reports. The lake was still and peaceful, closer to a natural flow, in balance. If it wasn't for the heat it would have been perfect. Most everyone was simply hunkered down and staying calm today.
After crossing the lake and arriving at a far shore it was becoming impossible to forget about the heat. So I found a cove where a tree wonderfully shaded the water. I gently paddled the kayak in near the shore and said Hi to some Dragonflies who ventured out. After I went for a swim I sat in the boat with my feet over the side. Just chillin I would like to say. Except on days like this Arkansas the lake can be the same or hotter than the air. I sat with my feet in the water nonetheless, as it still seemed like the best thing to do on an afternoon like this.
As I sat there enjoying the peace an Eagle flew in. He slowly soared to a soft landing on a nearby shore and waded into the water. He strolled in till his legs were half covered and stopped. He stood there looking around cooling his feet. Every once in a while he would dip it's head in for a drink and a splash of water across it's back. It stayed a long time like that just standing, looking about, and chilling in the water. I've never seen an Eagle wading in a lake to cool down, but we clearly had the same idea in mind and it was clearly the coolest thing either of us could think of. A good idea today.
We both stayed a long while looking at the water, and the trees, and at each other. Every once in a while a tree would catch just a little breeze and we would both look that way and watch the leaves rustle a little. Then they would calm and we would go back to the stillness in the air and watching the very slowly moving waves together. I marveled at his beauty and wondered what his life was like. Fresh fish in the lake whenever he got hungry. Trees to perch on with beautiful views of the lake and flowing hills. Other Eagles were nearby and I would often see them flying together. Sometimes they worked with the Crows leaving them leftovers after a hearty meal, and other days being run off by them if venturing too close to their nest. As I watched the waves slowly rolling I wondered about the lake. It was crystal clear on calm days without boats. It was a man made lake and offered a variety to the landscape of rolling hills and often dry creeks. A vast storage of water where fish swam and large birds lived on it's shores. Blue Herons, and Egrets, and Eagles were common here now. As well as Geese. In winter northern birds migrated through and spent a couple days before heading on south. A few would stay and winter here. Ducks, Grebes, and Loons would often be the ones to stay. The lake was perhaps an example of man being Steward of the land and creating a space for all to enjoy.
I looked back at the Eagle to see how it was doing. He decided he was in the water long enough. I got the impression he decided it wasn't helping with the warm water. He looked at me once more and took another drink splashing water over it's head. Then very gently rose up and flew slowly into a large tree on the cove. He landed in the clearest space he could find. Perhaps he hoped to catch one of those rare moments a breeze would come and blow the leaves. Our moment together of peace and companionship was nice. I gently slid out of the kayak and swam once more in the cove. Then splashed some water over my head as well and began slowly paddling on my way.
He watched as I went by. I waved and bowed thanking him for our moment together and wishing him a wonderful evening. We both hoped the night would bring gentle breezes to cool us off.