The cottages tucked into the trees along the lake have all been closed up for the year, and their blithe residents have headed back to work and school in far flung places, so the lake was quiet this past weekend. The loons have already departed for the Gulf of Mexico, and I heard them calling goodbye as they flew overhead a few days ago on their way south. The lake seems empty now, resigned, serene and waiting for fall to make its official appearance on the twenty-first day of this month.For some reason my mind persists in revisiting summer sounds, sights and scents: the call of the loons in early morning, children and their laughter on the beaches, the sounds of canoe paddles dipping slowly into the lake, great herons fishing in the shallows, flocks of mergansers in flight over the water. In previous years, there were the sounds of fishing lines and tackle arching into the lake, but it (the lake) has been designated a fish sanctuary, and there was no fishing on it this year.
There were no wood fires burning in the fireplaces of the cottages along the lakeshore this weekend, but I breathed in the fine remembered fragrance of last autumn's woodsmoke and this year's meadowsweet gone to seed, and I felt summer's vanished warmth on my skin again. Revisiting summer memories at this time of year is bittersweet and poignant, but it is a splendid thing.
The last week has been traumatic and troubling for many reasons, but standing there on the shore with my collar turned up against the wind, my hands in my pockets and Cassie by my side, I felt calm and centred and thought that I simply could not live anywhere else. As long as I can journey into these wild places and spend a few minutes now and then, I shall be able to cope with anything that comes my way.
7 comments:
What beautiful pictures of the lake.
It does seem that there is a waiting and resignation in the air now, a kind of suspension before the big changes come - here on the west coast, the heavy, dark, wet, grey days of fall.
Dear Cate ~
I am sorry to hear that your week had some trouble. I am heartened to read about your walk, your connection to that Spirit of Place you call home. Please know I think of you often with great affection, and send you peace.
how beautiful, I love the mist on the water. there is something so calming about the outdoors I think.
your lake photos are beautiful - i am already in a fall state of mind even though here on the west coast we are staying tasting the last days of summer. someday i'll make it back east to watch the leaves changes and paddle the lakes in my canoe.
Perhaps no woodsmoke, but the mist on the lake brings that kind of image. Beautiful photos to illustrate your exquisite portrayal of the end of summer. May all good spirits accompany you as you work through your troubles. You have a wonderful environment in which to centre yourself and you use it well. Blessings ...
Beautiful pictures and you speak from the heart. It must be unbelievable to live with such beauty on a daily basis. I don't know what's going on with you this last week, but I'm thinking of you.
Thank you for sharing such beauty! As always your words and photos nourish my soul.
We are sending you sympathy, warm thoughts and good wishes
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