Reflection of the Northwoods by Laura Patrick
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The dogs woke up at first light on day one of our trip. After spending hours last night gazing upon the heavens that seemed to reach from straight above all the way down to my feet due to the mirror like surface of the lake, I was not too happy that my dogs wanted to go outside. Using my flashlight so not to wake Joe, I stumbled through the unfamiliar space of cabin 5 trying to locate the leash for our wandering Libby. After a quick peek out the window to make sure the area was clear of bears and other critters that would cause a furry, we urgently made our way outside. Shortly after the important business was complete, Ellie decided to take a dip in the lake. Captain Fun, as we refer to her on trips, decided to take her sleeping father up on his offer that she could get back in the lake in the morning.
By now I could see the alpenglow beginning to develop and the sky to the east was beginning to glow. I took the dogs back inside to find a snoring husband. Ellie immediately decided to join him, jumping up in bed and effectively saturating my blanket with her wet fur. I angrily stumbled to the table trying to locate my watch. 4:55am…just perfect. Reluctant to rejoin my snoring husband with a wet blanket, I go back outside to enjoy the sunrise.
Standing on the end of my dock that is only 15 steps from my porch that overlooks Poplar Lake, I can feel the small drops of a gentle mist-like rain. The drops are so small and infrequent that they are more of a joy than a distraction as they hit the mirror-like surface of the lake creating thousands of tiny circles across the water. I can hear the morning songs of the birds honoring the warmth and light of a late spring morning in a place that not long ago received snow.
I peered off again to the East occasionally feeling the prick of a mosquito looking for breakfast. The sky began to brighten with warm tones of pink, yellow, and orange which served as a stark contrast to the cool, steely look of the lake, clouds, and sky. The stillness of the morning allowed the lake to reflect the glory of the sky and shoreline the same way it shone the stars last night.
As I turn to the south, I notice a rainbow beginning to form. It arches clockwise from the shoreline and glows all the way down into the lake. As the sun continues to rise, the sky to the east becomes more vibrant and the rainbow intensifies. I follow the now complete rainbow to the West seeing it land near the northern shoreline of Poplar Lake. The rainbow not only spans across the steel gray sky but also continues downward as a reflection in the lake creating a near circle of vibrant colors. Noticing that the reflection of the rainbow heads straight towards my dock, I know for sure that I have found my pot of gold. At that moment, I’m not only at peace with the world, but thankful that my dogs woke me up and got my blanket wet.
