Little Blake Lake

All my concentration on electricity and water made me forget one of the most beautiful sunrises at Little Blake.

I got the canoe in the water before the sun came up. Mist was rising from the surface of the lake. In some places the columns of hazy water vapor rose 20 or 30 feet. I paddled as silently as possible to the south end of the lake.

As I paddled back north, I saw an adult and a juvenile loon. The adult was diving and the young one was paddling quickly to wherever its parent surfaced. I aimed the canoe at them and drifted and watched. I got within 10 yards of the birds for several minutes.

Then I turned and headed north again just as the sun came over the trees and lit up the north end of the lake and the landscape up towards Big Round. Wow! I'd never seen the ridges and hills stand out they way they did in that light. Of course, being out in the middle of the lake helped too.

Thirty-some years ago Ruth Bernhard taught me how to see light in ways I'd never imagined. Those lessons stick with me and sometimes I'm nearly overwhelmed by what I have learned to see. Seeing the sun come up over the Little Blake/Straight River landscape this morning was one of those moments. Thank you, Ruth.