What did the sunset look like this past Sunday, do you remember, did you notice the colors in the sky, did you get a chance to stop and see the display? This is a question I think we need to ask ourselves more often as time and life go by so quickly. This past Sunday, again no fish, we marked an amazing amount of fish and bait fish, they were having a deep water gathering as we dangled metal lures down to the them to no interest. My son caught a small, cold, exhausted sandy-it’s cold down there, heck it’s cold on top of the water but despite our patience and perseverance, the rest of us came up empty.
For some reason that was one of my best days out there. Every single time I go kayaking I have one or more problems with getting tangled, either the hook with line, the line with certain places on the boat or having a birds’ nest on my bait casting reel-getting used to the bait casting as opposed to the spin cast I’m more accustomed to. This time, no tangles, I even got into the kayak with a bit of dignity, usually it is the sudden splash and an awkward moment trying not to get wet but this time everything went perfect. No cursing, no aggravation, I stayed close to the group which is something I don’t often do as well, it was one of those perfect afternoons. The water went from calm with a mild wind to no wind and a perfectly still surface that reflected the sunset sky in shades of cerulean and pink.
Uncles and nephews, nephews and uncles, each of us talked and laughed and enjoyed eachothers’ company, I almost think if we ended up catching a bunch of fish, it would have been more fun but we wouldn’t have had that time to just hang out and relax. The sky went from a bright white to a pale blue and amber until the sun disappeared beneath the horizon.
I’ve got several paintings in my mind which were inspired by this evening. It was worth every bit of hypothermia we experienced it was one of those amazing times when everything just seems to come together. We were originally going to Texoma which we would have had other options such a smallies and stripers but it was also nice to be able to drive the short ride home and get a bit of shiner to end the weekend. In the near future, I plan on having some paintings from these trips as the view of the lake is so different from the vantage point of a kayak. The way the light hits different areas of the lake and how it changes by the moment, it’s an amazing perspective that welcomes more exploration of a lake that you thought you had known, suddenly a lake that is manmade and surrounded by concrete becomes a wide open space that captures so many different colors and atmospheres. I would highly recommend kayaking as a means of exercise, photography, getting out and exploring or even fishing-I can’t wait to brag about the one that didn’t get away but that might not be until spring-they just tend to be finicky during this season.