On a big lake you can get a lot of wind and choppy waters, but on a small lake, like the one on which our cottage is perched, you're more likely to find either a glassy surface or soft undulations. And even if the overall temperature is cool, I can still find warm patches here and there.
Now that it's August and the bugs are a little more subdued - I only have about five bites, as opposed to forty-three, give or take a dozen - I am getting into the lake even when the sky is overcast and it's a little chilly inside and out because IT'S AUGUST. If I don't do it now, I won't be doing it till next July.
While in the water I've been compiling a list of some things you can do in a lake, other than swim laps and shoot water at people, not including boating and stuff because technically those are 'on' a lake:
Play.
Stretch your muscles.
Admire the dragonflies that are eating the bugs that want to eat you (seen here on shore.)
Look at submerged rocks.
Look at fish swimming past your feet.
Sit on a plastic chair with the water up around your neck (I haven't tried this yet, but my cousins recommend it.)
Talk to other people who've waded out into the lake with you.
Look at clouds.
Admire trees.
Snorkel.
Watch for the snapping turtle you saw last year.
Look at your pruney fingers and very clean fingernails (I do this a lot.)
Put on a life jacket and float vertically, bobbing up and down with the wake of every powerboat that passes (my favourite.)
Here are some things you can't do in a lake:
Read a book.
Knit, weave, crochet, or spin wool.
Accomplish anything material.
Basically, unless you're caught in the middle of a water bazooka battle, lake time is meditation time and relaxation time. And that's probably a good thing, for a girl who multitasks to the power of three every chance she gets.
What do you do for stillness, other than sleep?
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