This little lake is the first and last thing I see every day from my window. Mist rising, rain disturbing the surface, ice forming or sun gleaming and sparkling on it's surface making it a swimmable day, the lake tells the story. The light catches it from every angle and although people who drive past it are aware of it, I live with it all year around and it changes by the minute.
Herons fly over and back all summer long and on stormy days seagulls wash in it and hang out until the winds drop and they can go back to the coast. Wild birds live around it and others dip in when they are passing. Swans mate there and if you are swimming swallows swoop down and sip water around you barely noticing your prescence.
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, left and right from my view. It is a back up reservoir and when I swim in it I remember that people will be drinking that water a little later! As far as I know there isn't a monster in it although it is 90 feet deep in the middle and was formed from an ancient volcanic crater. Last winter it froze over for the first time since 1962. An old man on a stick walked out on it saying he would probably never see the likes again.
In summer it is alive with insects, in winter it is shelter for birds and small animals. Surrounded by a forest on one it is also a picnic spot for the many day trippers and the fishermen who frequent it. It is easy to take for granted what is right under your nose and although I photograph it all the time today I decided to give it a starring role. What is on your street or out your window? What do you see when you look out to check on the new day?
