Summer has been good to us this year...more rain than usual and plenty of time on and in the water make the Texas heat so much more bearable. We just acquired our first kayaks about a month ago and I am borderline obsessed with paddling.
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.
Loren Eiseley
A kayak is quiet and unobtrusive. Birds and other wildlife are amazingly tolerant of your presence and you get a close up view of things you normally only appreciate from a distance. In a kayak you become part of the environment and you have a unique vantage point from which to view nature.
The best part? My guys enjoy paddling as well.
Yesterday we spent several hours on Caddo Lake, near the Texas/Louisiana border. It's a large, dreamy old lake surrounded by moss-filled cypress trees. The landscape is mysterious and romantic.
I fell in love with the waterlilies. They stand tall instead of floating on the water like others I've seen. Some are nearly three feet out of the water and measure about ten inches across...substantial flowers, indeed.
And (something I only know because I was able to paddle right up to a waterlily and bury my face in it) they smell delicious!
I had just enough energy left last night to sketch one from a photograph while the memory of the real thing was still fresh on my mind. I post it here for my friends from Sunday Sketches.
"Waterlily" created in Paper 53 for iPad
What about you? Are you borderline obsessed with any activities these days? You're not by chance a kayaker, are you? Do tell!
Hi Janice,
ReplyDeleteWe were kayakers and loved every minute of it. We kayaked with the Manatees in Florida which was incredible and down lots of beautiful rivers and on our lake close to home. We don't kayak now because of my husband's breathing problems but that's ok. We enjoyed every minute of it while we could and now we have moved on to new adventures. Motorcycling down mountain roads brings an entirely different kind of energy and is lots of fun.
Your pictures are beautiful. There is something so magical about being on the water and you were able to capture that magic in your photographs. Thank you for sharing.
Pretty Lily......glad you are having so much fun. We love the stillness of going out at dusk when everyone has gone home here and we have the pond to ourselves. So many wonderful sights and sounds we forget to notice....floating along. xox
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photographs :)
ReplyDeletethese are wonderful pictures! We kayak around here in the mountains of wnc
ReplyDeleteThis is a very aesthetically pleasing post, with all your beautiful photographs and sharp sketch. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteOh, I have not paddled on Caddo Lake in years!! But, I so love the mystery and romance of that beautiful old lake! Did you by chance see a bird that runs over the tops of the water lilies? I cannot remember its name right now... but, it was like magic running across the water! You brought back some wonderful memories today! So glad you and your family are enjoying such delightful outings. blessings ~ tanna
ReplyDeleteHaven't been in a kayak (we call them canoes) for many a long year. I can still remember the capsize drill though - probably because I had plenty of practice!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photographs, love those trees :)
Your waterlilly drawing is so lovely... and what an amazing landscape to be inspired by! I love trees, and those cypress trees are just epic. I can see why kayaking would become an obsession for you!
ReplyDeleteYour post has reminded me of when I lived in Cambridge (in the UK) - we'd cycle along the river there every Sunday during the summer, and I'd end the day with drawing something I'd seen :) I suppose cycling is an obsession of mine!