Summer Solstice

Yesterday was the summer solstice, the longest daylight of the year.  I was invited to a concert and that prompted me to think, how do I want to use my time on the longest daylight day of the year?  I had to work all day.  By the time I ran errands, worked out, and ate dinner, it was 7 o’clock.  Still daylight out so I decided to spend the beautiful evening on a lake.  Back in the late 1970’s I had a girlfriend named Linda.  She lived in St. Paul.  She bought a kayak and she said she enjoyed kayaking on Round Lake in Andover.  I asked her why (thinking to myself she is driving past a lot of nice lakes on the way to Round Lake).  She said she liked the small size and shallow depth.  At the time I didn’t understand the attraction.  After going there last night, I finally understand Linda’s choice.  Although small and shallow, Round Lake is a beautiful lake to kayak.  The water is not deep but it is very clear.  White and yellow water lilies were in bloom.  As I paddled counterclockwise, I saw a pair of loons with a baby, red winged blackbirds, tree swallows, a bald eagle, a Northern Harrier hawk, robins and bluebirds.  Attached couples of dragonflies and damselflies flew past by boat.  When I got to the far side, I saw some birds landing on lily pads and hopping from one lily pad to the next.  As I got closer I could see the bright yellow heads of the yellow headed blackbirds.  Oh, they are so beautiful.  I don’t always see them every year so this was a blessing on the longest day of the year.  Green frogs were croaking in the bulrushes.  The lake is so shallow that I could kayak around little islands of bulrushes.  I watched an osprey fly back and forth across the lake.  Three times I saw it hover like a gigantic hummingbird and then zoom, plunge headfirst into the lake and sending up a splash that was 3 feet high.  Three times it dived for a fish.  The score was Fish-3, Osprey-0.  I had chosen a great way to celebrate the solstice.