Blessings from the Sky and Water

After three windy days, on our last morning here at Lake Sumner we got a reprieve. When we woke up and couldn't hear the wind battering the side of the motor home, we got in gear. It's not often that the weather cooperates for a kayak ride in November. But we are enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures today.

The water looked like glass in the cove where the boat dock is located.

It was so calm that we could see the golden leaves of the cottonwood trees reflected in the still water. We've been blessed!

The weather forecast calls for winds out of the west today, so we headed west while it was still calm. Oddly enough, we even had a bit of a breeze at our back as we kayaked down the length of the lake.

We found a gaggle of Canadian Geese as we rowed towards the end of the lake. In our haste this morning, we forgot the good camera. We need to apologize now for the blurry bird pictures today, because the phone just can't take clear wildlife pictures at this distance.

Then we saw an unusual white blur on the horizon. It was a blessing to watch these snow geese circle the lake and settle on the water in front of us.

Just as the weatherman predicted, we watched as that easterly breeze reversed into a westerly wind. As that wind picked up, it was getting tougher to row against it. But we had to get a little closer to get a glimpse of the four sand hill cranes that were strutting on the shore with another group of geese. With all these interesting bird sightings, we certainly were wishing for the good camera that we left in the car.

We had been bird watching our way to the end of the lake, feeling blessed that we got a break from the wind to see so much wildlife here on Lake Sumner. But that predicted westerly wind was getting gusty. We were a couple miles from our put-in spot with a side wind to help blow us home. We could see white caps and waves all the way across the lake.

We got a snow geese fly-by across the blue sky as we made our way towards home. For once we actually planned this kayak trip right, with the westerly winds blowing us and the geese home.

Before the day was over, we also watched as a flock of white pelicans landed on the lake. They formed a long line in the water as they settled in for the night just as the sun was setting.

We've been blessed from the sky and the water today. We're so glad we had some time for the birds on our last day here at Lake Sumner, topped with another great sunset.