Ahhhhhhhhhhhh summer. I never was a summer kind of gal, at least not until I got my kayak. My favorite summer day (from last year) to daydream about took place late on a Sunday afternoon. It was still pretty warm out and RidgePlucker and I decided to take advantage of the extended daylight. We went to a nearby state park, he with his flyfishing gear and me with my kayak. When we arrived, the park was empty. No one on the water. The pool at the entrance of the park was already closed. No one having a picnic. Nada. I slipped the kayak into the water, checked for my camera, waved goodbye to my love and off I went. One of my favorite things to do is to paddle along the shore, near the marshy parts or underneath the canopy. Why? It's not for fear of being in the deeper waters but rather for the joy of spotting wildlife. On this particular evening, the water was very still and so warm. I set out across the lake and up around the bend when I spotted the first heron. He saw me too and after scolding me heartily he set off across the lake from the pines to the marshes. I followed, slowly, doing my best to not startle him again. This time I watched him stand in the shallows, silently shifting his weight and neck until he found a frog or some other delicacy. He flew off again and I followed once more. He landed high in a pine tree looking right at me and growling (yes, they can growl) so I took my leave. I paddled out to the middle of the lake and was scanning the tree tops, enjoying the rocking motion of the boat and the warm summer breeze when I saw him. There, in a dead tree, almost sitting at the very top of the bare branches was a bald eagle. I had never seen one in real life. I'd spotted a few immature bald eagles a week or two earlier at a different park, but had only spied them due to their call. He was absolutely stunning and I could barely move. Eventually I paddled in for a closer look and was able to take some photos and even some video as he flew from the one side of the lake to the other, calling as he went. He landed in another barren tree and was content to let me sit and stare at him. I never understood what all the hype was about these birds but on this summer evening, it finally made sense to me. I paddled back to shore as the sun was setting and watched at a distance as the man I love was having the time of his life catching fish after fish. I joined him on the shore, shared my story, showed him the video and did a little fishing of my own. It was the kind of day that I wanted to last forever.

Spring will be here soon and I am anxious to begin watching nature's ways unfold into a new summer season of exploration.

LQF

**By the way, there's no need for Hardi to practice casting his fly line inside, the Tioga River is open and has some great winter fishing!