Sunday, August 13, 2023 Dominic’s Visit

Dominic and I were reviewing pictures yesterday and couldn’t remember which day was which. And then we realized we hadn’t taken any pictures on Friday. That morning we had heavy rains. Terry and I were on our cots snug in our tents. Dominic was on the other side of the campground in our small backpacking tent. That punny tent certainly wasn’t as robust as ours. And it’s effectiveness was severely compromised when Dominic pounded one of the stakes so hard into a grommet, that should hold a tent pole not a stake, that it became impossible to remove. The tent staking was already handicapped by the solid rock ground. After gerry rigging this whole tent it was standing, but there was no way to pull the fly away from the tent. Not a recipe for a dry night.

I got up in the early morning as the rain was petering out. I walked to the beach it was cool, peaceful. Everything smelled fresh. In the black and white of the early morning sun two leaves one red and one yellow caught my eye. Fall was near. I tried not to acknowledge this urge to let go of summer too easily. It’s August. There are a few color changes. But it’s more. The angle of the sun steals some brightness as it lowers every so slightly. Imperceptible movement yet a perceptible feeling.

It seemed like a quick tear down of camp. Everything rolled up and sopping in Terry’s car. We drove straight to Piragis, the outfitters where we rented my solo canoe. At some point, before we got there, we realized we didn’t have the paddle they had lent us. Terry had neglected to retrieve it when carrying the canoe, so drive back, but it was a day later and long gone…..