A Great Summer Day

A good summer day is a day when I can get down to the pond and float aimlessly for at least 30 minutes…or more.

A great summer day is when I observe a rare or infrequent event while relaxing on said pond.

Yesterday … a great summer day!

After mowing the upper lawn in the heat of the day and finishing the moment our daily thunderstorm arrived, I was a bit disappointed as I was ready to go to the pond.  Fortunately, after the cooling rain, the sun returned and, again, heated my surroundings.

Glenn and I drove down to the pond in the pick-up, Buddy raced ahead of us, and Jake stayed home.  Or, so we thought.  By the time we arrived at the pond, Jake arrived at the pond.  Jake refuses to be left behind even though the walk is getting more difficult for our aging friend.  Buddy jumped right into the cooling water and Jake ventured only belly deep.  Then, Jake required Glenn’s assistance to get out of the water as the bank was too steep to maneuver with his weak back legs.  Jake was happy for his quick, invigorating dip.  Once back on shore, he wandered about with a spring in his step.

As I floated around the pond, sitting comfortably on my over-sized tube with neck rest and listening to the chorus of cattle and sheep in the adjacent pasture, I noticed a fairly large bird flying in my direction.  I was hopeful that it was a heron.  It was!

The long and lanky heron came in low in anticipation of landing for a fresh fish dinner.  Unfortunately, the heron eyed me, but more importantly the heron eyed Buddy already in chase mode.  The heron flew past me, lowered even more for a turn and a fabulous (for me, that is) circle just over my head.  I was amazed at how close that heron came to me.  I watched in awe.  (Camera was on the seat of the truck). The heron continued its flight with measured wing movement, slow and unhurried.  I watched the heron fly out over our pastures and; then, was soon out of sight.  That’s OK.  I got a great view and my rare sighting!

 

Look closely at the top of the middle tree...

Within 30 minutes, the heron returned and lighted on the top branch of a nearby tree.  I was still in the pond, still floating aimlessly.  I watched the heron almost motionless in the tree, just a turn of the neck from right to left and back to right again.  The heron’s silhouette against the blue of the sky was sleek and slender displaying a definite  S- curve of the neck.

Looking right

 

Looking left
 

Looking right, again

 

S-curve

I continued to watch the heron. The heron continued to watch me.  It was time for me to flip off the tube and swim back to the dock.  Glenn joined me in the swim. We were not quiet.  In fact, I was quite loud because I swim with lots of splashing to scare the pond fish away to keep them from nibbling at my body.  I do not like the fish!

Once out of the water and on the dock, I turned and the heron was still perched in that same tree top.  He outlasted me.  Nevertheless, his patience gave me the time I needed to fetch my camera and snap a photo or two.

I mentioned to Glenn how much I enjoy seeing the heron.  His reply, “Without the fish, you would not have the heron”.

OK, OK…the fish stay. 

And, I repeat, …yesterday was a great summer day!