Saturday, August 14, 2010

Reflections,,,,after a dunking

A couple of free hours this morning and the inspiration to take out the kayak. It has been so hectic that this is the first time this year, so the bugs and cobwebs needed to be vacated. Placing it in the water I felt so out of practice and as I put one foot in and got ready to push off, just as I had done dozens of times before, the boat tipped and in I went. Drenched and looking at 4+ inches of sluggy water in the kayak and standing in a foot of silt. Most everything was tied down so nothing was lost and fortunate my camera and phone were in plastic bags.

In the 3 years I have had the kayak and launched it more time than I can count, this is the first time I had ever gotten wet, and of course their were 2 people standing by offering help and suggesting how to I might successfully get in. How embarrassing.

So after draining the water out the plug and sopping most of the rest with my now soggy towels, I head down river. It was then also that I remembered that that I should have taken a picture of the mess, but back then I wasn't thinking that way.

As I was paddling, I kept noticing how much more I was seeing looking across the water, rather than up on the shore.


The reflections in the water were vivid and the picture above perfectly joined with the one below. The water was a mirror.


The top and the bottom became one picture.





It was so quiet and the water so smooth that I found I could get up closer to animals than usual. I was about 10 feet away from this heron as he decided I had come close enough.





The turtle sunning out on the rock let me pass before diving in. He was back on the rock when I came back, watching me with caution but knowing he could dive in quicker than I could get to him.


The banks were lines with yellow daisies and purple millfoil.





When the air was perfectly still there was not a ripple.


Monet is one of my favorite artists and this shot and the ripples of the image seemed to have a similar feeling, even if it is upside down.

3 comments:

peg said...

Beautiful photos,Jeff! Thanks for sharing....I have not been out in my kayak since I fell ( I have had my little Swifty for almost 10 years)
and I am looking forward to a paddle soon. Isn't it always when someone is watching that we tip? Keeps us humble~
As always with hope for peace,
peg from PA

janet said...

Hi Jeff,
The reflective pictures are so cool! I hope you laughed when you got your dunking... because what else can you do? Give us a call if you and your family get to Eastham this season.
Janet and David

Jeff- in the Berkshires said...

Thanks for the comments. I am getting ready to start vacation and am so ready. Not sure if I will be able to get back out on the boat. So many restrictions on places to go because of zebra mussels, though the kayak got a very thorough inside and out washing last weekend to clean out the mud from the dunking.