The best day of my summer

...may have been on Sunday. I had just more than 24 hours at the lake house, with my hubby, so for once, we didn't do chores, we weren't entertaining others, we were bound and determined to make the most of our day at the lake--and make the most of one of the remaining days of the summer. So we slept late, then my husband made us poached eggs with tomatoes from the garden. Then I did a little editing work for a friend--a screenplay, which was interesting. It's amazing how, when you're writing a screenplay, you have to describe every gesture a character makes, every expression that flickers across his face. A very different kind of writing, hugely detailed oriented and more action than dialogue oriented. A good exercise for me.

Next, my husband packed a surprise picnic and we went down to the lake and unlocked the kayak. Usually, I get into the kayak with the goal of just paddling around for a while and getting out, but this experience was both more aimless and more purposeful. First, we skimmed around in a desultory way, searching for osprey and bald eagles (didn't see any, though we did spot turtles and our resident blue heron). Then, my guy broke out a libation: cava with raspberries, followed by a snack of hummos and salsa made from tomatoes from the garden. Nicely buzzed, we paddled around some more, than ended up in a long conversation with neighbors, who were lazily paddling in their kayak. Kind of like conversations over a white picket fence, except this was on the water. Finally, we decided we wanted to get some exercise, so we did five or six sprints, paddling as hard as we could, until we were breathing hard and feeling our muscles. I was shocked that kayaking could feel like actual exercise--when you're doing it hard, you use your entire core, your upper body, and your legs, which press with each stroke. Then, we docked, lolled a bit in our tent, and grilled sliders for dinner. Next summer, my goal is to have more chore-less days, spent paddling on the lake and running into other paddling neighbors. I felt connected to my husband and to nature in a way I haven't for a long while.