Vacation - July 10th

It’s the second day of my second week of vacation.  It amazes me how I can completely disconnect from work when I’m on vacation; I guess it’s a survival mechanism I learned during my almost 35 years doing the same kind of work.    

I’m still early enough in my vacation that I haven’t started to get anxious about it almost being over.  I’ve got practically a whole month left.  The endless days of summer –  when you might kayak a few hours in the morning, read a book, have a campfire at the end of the day, or just sit and watch the fireflies and listen to the bullfrogs and loons.   There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of books written about achieving “presence” – how to; why to; when to.  Yet I wonder if there’s a defect in my character that allows me to sit there “present” for hours on end, observing all that’s happening around me.  Like the way the nuthatch takes just one seed from the feeder, flies to a nearby tree and finds a crevice to stick the seed into so he can crack it open with his beak to eat it.  I always wonder if that’s really a net gain, calorie wise.  Or the way the water is so calm you’re more likely to see a reflection of an eagle or osprey in the water before you see him flying overhead.  I like the way the ends of the maple leaves curl back in a breeze and the centers catch the sun so that they look more silver than green.    

The duckweed has started to move in and the water lilies, wild rice, and reeds have started to poke their heads above the surface of the water.  The cove is taking on the midsummer characteristics of a marsh and leaving behind the rushing and unpredictable stream of spring. 

Today is a perfect 82ish with a warm breeze that every once in a while increases in intensity and almost feels like a squall.  But then it eases back, and the sun returns as if to say, “Just wanted to make sure you were paying attention.”   I smile and say thanks. 

This morning I finished my second Elizabeth Berg book, Open House.  Predictable but a pleasant read.  Her other book was recommended to me by my son who works at the local library.  I don’t go to the library very often but that’s where our voting station is so I decided to pick up a book while I was there to vote recently.  We’re All Welcome Here I think was the name of the first one.  Much less predictable and rather remarkable actually, about a woman who became a quadriplegic from polio, raising her daughter in the South of the 60s.   A rather implausible ending but still a good read.

Let’s see, in addition to those two books, since vacation started I’ve read The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths, (loved it – about a middle aged female archaeologist turned detective.  I found it by Googling for a book that takes place on a marsh.  I love reading books that take place in the location where I’m reading.  This took place on a salt water marsh, rather than something like my own little marshy stream cove, but it worked out well because I started it here and finished it at the coast.)  I then read Hull Creek by Jim Nichols, a novel set on the coast of Maine which my friend who recommended it told me was written by a Maine native.   Just before vacation started I finished a book by Ann Rice that was recommended in an NPR article entitled, “What to Read Instead of 50 Shades of Gray.”  Apparently Rice wrote this series of 3 books under a pseudonym and only fessed up many years later when they became quite popular.  They’re pretty dark.  I just read the first one and will probably stop there though I do want to know how things end for the protagonist. 

I’ve been streaming a Lucinda Williams station on Pandora through my smartphone plugged into an iPod player with speakers.  They’re playing some wonderful music.  I just noticed it’s almost one o’clock and I haven’t even had breakfast – just a couple cups of coffee.  Maybe I’ll have some of the pasta casserole I made last night in the toaster oven – a spicy Arabiata sauce to which I added black olives, baby mushrooms, feta cheese, whole wheat organic spaghetti and a generous amount of Merlot wine.  Came out quite delicious if I do say so myself.  I finished off almost all of the remainder of the Merlot with dinner. 

The marsh is alive with dragon and damsel flies and the fish jump and snatch one for lunch every so often.  I saw an eagle soaring overhead yesterday as well as several osprey (one of the books I just read called them fish hawks).  Think I’ll head out for a paddle.  

Just enjoyed a 2 or 3 hour paddle – I never think to check the time when I leave.  Paddled down to the Route 126 bridge and then came back and went upstream to where the stream narrows by the log cottage.  I was happy to see some loons cause I haven’t heard any since I got here yesterday.  But they’re still around and looking happy.  Looks like my neighbors left while I was gone so it’ll be a quiet night.  Maybe I’ll beat on my djembe for a while – I’m sure the critters won’t object.