Summer Sliding into Autumn at Canoe Creek SP

My husband and I have had an extraordinarily busy two weeks, with all kinds of adventures. The day before this, we'd driven to McAlisterville, and my parents' home, and encountered some unexpected twists and turns in our path. 

Everything worked out fine, though, and the next morning, though we didn't feel much like going anywhere at ALL after being away almost every day, we got our swim gear together and headed for Canoe Creek State Park. (Want to know why? Rain - and falling temps - are in the forecast: in fact, we've got about 10 days of rainy weather coming up, according to AccuWeather!)

We've only swum there once this summer, and their swim area closes on the 28th. So we decided we needed to go there. The afternoon was going to be hot and sunny, perfect for a swim. Time to hit the beach one more time! As is the case this time of year, who knows if we'll be back.

The last time we were there, which was late June, I encountered a small, very exhausted bird in the shower. Though I looked for it everywhere, I couldn't find it later, so I emailed the park, and the ranger opened the doors at night, and the bird went out on its own. Hooray!

So the first thing I did when I got there was . . . to check the showers for birds! There were none (thank heaven for small favors), so I put my two-piece suit on, and got ready to swim.

There were maybe a dozen and a half people in the swim area. A few little kids playing in the sand. A lady in a lawn chair intensely interested in her phone. All this beauty around her, and what did she have eyes for? The Internet, of course, which she can play with anywhere. . . . *head-desk*

There was a mom with two little kids, a boy and a girl, who somehow ended up everywhere we went. The kids may not have been quite school age; the little girl, just a toddler. The boy never shut up, and he was just everywhere. 

At one point, we saw him walk up to a tiny tree and start shaking it. Just SHAKING it, as hard as he could. "Do you want to know why I'm shaking this tree?" he asked his mother. "I don't know," she replied; "Now STOP IT." And she forcibly removed him from the tree.

We placed our chairs and swim bags by a picnic table under a tree in the shade, and eventually, we went in swimming. The water was comfortable and clean enough. Not as warm or as dirty as Bald Eagle. Not as cold or as clean as Greenwood Furnace. Somewhere in between, and absolutely delightful.

We swam a long time, and in the end, we got out and wrapped ourselves in our towels and sat on a bench in the sun, just enjoying the day and the afternoon and the sights; enjoying some of the last bit of summer before the seasons change.

As you may have noticed, there are a few lovely trees by the swim area that are changing into their autumn ballgowns. I took pictures of them from every angle, but the one above was my best, I think. It was the last shot I took for the day at the park. Isn't it funny how that sometimes is? The last shot has its own special magic. 

Some of the tricks of good autumn foliage photography: get BEHIND the thing that is lit up, shoot it late in the afternoon or early in the morning, when you get that special hour or two of really glorious, fancy light.

While I was in the water swimming, I'd seen a huge heron fly through the air above me and land not far from the canoe rental, which wasn't open right now. After I'd swum, and showered, and changed, I went in search of the heron. Did not find it, but got some good shots along the lake. Thank you, elusive heron!

One of those shots is in the extras, and it features a lovely view of the play of cloud shadows and reflections upon the landscape. In that direction is the wooden boardwalk along the lake, and further down to the left, the historic lime kilns that I love to photograph. No, I did not make it to the lime kilns on this day. But we sure spent a glorious late-summer afternoon at the park!

As we left Canoe Creek, the radio was starting into a late Friday afternoon block of 80s songs without commercial interruption. And so, for this day whose temps were in the 80s (83, I think, was the high at the park), but probably won't be for long (!!!!), let's have some 80s cheese for our soundtrack songs. I present to you with great enjoyment: Bonnie Tyler, with Total Eclipse of the Heart; and Loverboy, with Working for the Weekend. Oh, and as a bonus for the little boy with his strange bout of tree-violence, I've got Peter Gabriel, with Shaking the Tree.

Bonus link: Canoe Creek State Park.