A beautiful evening on a lake near my home on the eve of a full moon last week.

Birds Greeting the Evening ©Lynne Buchanan

Amazing evening on the lake as the full moon was rising.  Dragged my kayak down the road and stepped in a pile of red ants as I was putting in, but it was worth the agony of itching for three days.  When I finally got past the mud and weeds, I was drawn to the singing birds in a tree across the lake. I paddled towards them and then glided silently until I was moored in the weeds.  For fifteen minutes or so, I sat there in silence as I watched birds come and go and appreciated their music.  The clouds framing the trees were so perfect, and I was drawn to the way the light hit the new spring growth on the branches and partially submerged twigs and weeds. 

Clouds Painting the Lake ©Lynne Buchanan

I would have sat there for hours, but it was my first time on the lake and I wanted to explore.  I decided to paddle about a bit and find compositions that framed the clouds with their reflections in the water and the mysterious looking sticks scattered among them.   Locals told me it has been awhile since there has been so much water in the lake.  Some sticks were verticals, like bits of leftover trees, and others were arced over forming unusual polyhedrons with their reflections below.  Following these mysterious signs, I eventually ended up in a very dense area of vegetation that was being lit up by the setting sun.  Suddenly, it appeared the twigs were dancing in the mysterious light of the almost dusk.

Jeff Ripple Painting ©Lynne Buchanan

Looking across the lake, I noticed my friend and painter Jeff Ripple hard at work.  The beautiful trees encircling the lake and their reflections framed him perfectly.  I looked through the viewfinder and made a photograph of him in rapt concentration.  Then I made a few more, but soon I noticed the moon rising.  I composed a couple of photographs of that beautiful moonrise, as the colors of the sky intensified.  Remembering to look in all directions, as narrowing our perspective usually limits our horizons, I looked behind me and saw that the colors of the sky and reflections in the water were even more intense.  Then I went back to watching Jeff and the moon.  It was getting darker and darker and I had pretty much given up photographing, when I looked to my right and saw a young alligator right next to me, intently studying what I was doing.   We were all honing our skills of awareness…

Moonrise over the Lake ©Lynne Buchanan

Sunset over the Lake (above)
Curios Alligator (below)