Serenity

I don’t usually take evening walks, but tonight I wanted to take advantage of the long day and an opportunity to visit with my mama.  So I headed out to Sandy Ridge Reservation around 7pm.

The light was golden and the sky perfectly blue.  The birds were basking in the evening sun.   Mama and I walked slowly and chatted quietly.  We saw a pair of black ducks drift out of a patch of water lillies.  We  watched the egrets fishing in the shallow water.  

We both tensed with excitement when we spotted a pair of trumpeter swans and their cygnets.  We had watched the swans nesting in the spring and assumed that they were long gone!  But there they were.  It was such a treat to watch them swim together!

We moved on and encountered a family of geese near the trail.  Most of the goslings were nearly grown, but a few still had downy feathers and they had no fear as we approached.

We stayed until the sun slipped behind the trees.  The water reflected the blue sky and the long shadows of dead trees that jut of its surface.  Heron silhouettes stood here and there – silent sentries.  Egrets flocked together for the night.  It was the perfect way to say goodbye to the day.

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