13th Lake

Last year L and I took a drive to North Creek, NY,  and we went to 13th Lake.  It was so beautiful, I said right then that I wanted desperately to kayak the length of it.  I took pictures from the launch site, and wrote a blog post about it.  I even made some greeting cards with the photos.

But of course kayaking 13th Lake  was not meant to be last year.  Surgery #2 arrived, then my mother got sick, and was sick all summer, then my headache came back with a fury, and my mother died, and on to surgery #3.
So over this past winter, I made a list, of all the lakes and ponds that I want to kayak, and 13th Lake was at the top.

L tried to convince me to go somewhere closer, maybe easier.
But my mind was made up.
I am not putting off until tomorrow what makes me happy today.
I have found out the painful, hard way that life, quality life, is short.

  So daughter #1 and I headed out this morning.  She had never been there, but I don't think that she was disappointed.

 The day could not have been more perfect.
The sun was warm, the breeze was lovely, and though we were warned about "black fly" season, and were prepared, we never saw them.
We didn't even use the bug spray.

And loons were everywhere.
We love loons.

 We paddled two miles to the far end, and then two miles back.

Every day that allows me to live my life like this, is a day to be grateful for, to cherish.

There is nothing quite like the Adirondacks.  It is a special place.  Winding roads, small towns, towering mountains, crystal clear lakes.
If you haven't been, you should put it on YOUR bucket list.

Days like today make me  wish I had never wasted a minute of my life to drama.
It's such a waste.

I may look like I'm scowling, but it's just the sun, and concentrating.
I am really happier out in that kayak than a body has a right to be.

 Check it off:   13th Lake.  What a wonderful beginning to the summer.