A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD & VIDEO

 

"How many times have you noticed that it's the little quiet moments in the midst of life that seem to give the rest extra-special meaning?"--- Fred Rogers

I can't count how many times I've paddled on Lake Natoma. It's well over 100 times since moving to California. Sure it's not the rugged high Sierra wilderness or hidden in among the pines of a primeval forest. As a matter of fact, it is surrounded by an urban densely populated urban area and encompassed by highways. However, Located just not even a mile away from my home, it never ceases to amaze them of how I can escape into a backyard of nature just minutes from the buzz of city traffic while kayaking through its sloughs.

A Sacramento area favorite, the narrow 5-mile lake that is part of the California State Parks Folsom SRA is a haven for kayakers, stand up paddleboarders, and crew racers all year long. On any weekend throughout the summer, the lake access at Negro Bar, Willow Creek, and Nimbus Flats are local hot spots to kick back and enjoy the day while on the water.

The lake is also a wildlife sanctuary. On just about any day, I can get a close-up view of black-tailed deer, river otters, egrets, herons, hawks, pelicans, beavers, and pond turtles. A convocation of eagles in the past couple of years has taken to nesting on the lake's high ridge, offers me a treat to see them soar.

Yes, as my kayak whisperers through the culvert under the bike trail and into the sloughs, it becomes my personal refuge and an oasis of quiet, where I can contemplate the universe in the spirit of Thoreau, Muir, Abbey, and Leopold. In each muffled stroke of my paddle, alone, I slipped further away into nature's domain.

“Solitude is different from loneliness, and it doesn’t have to be a lonely kind of thing, ” said Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood fame
Real solitude is almost impossible to experience in this modern world. But here, it's with reach. As my paddle methodically slides in and out of the water, I find something new that opens up before me. In the realms of my thoughts, interests, and, memories my mind is in introspection, with each trip into the quiet waters of the slough. Maybe a place for inspiration and definitely a place for reflection.

It is autumn in northern California, and there is a touch of color along the banks. Bright reds and dull yellows leaves give a hint of color to the trees, while faded clumps of iris and shriveled blackberries that cling to the vine. Towards the end of the slough, cattails take over the view. Ducks, geese, and deer are common here, along with the turtles that make the plop plop sound as they slip from their tree overhang while I effortlessly glide by. It's truly is a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
In each day, I believe it becomes imperative more than ever that we unplug and head out to our nearby backyard places like Lake Natoma and with each paddle stroke, seek out the abundance of life.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts," wrote Rachel Carson environmental activist who alerted the world to the impact of fertilizers and pesticides in the environment, best known for her book the Silent Spring, "There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature-the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”

 

 

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