I have PVNS: November 20th.... KAYAKING adventure!

Yup, you read that right... I went KAYAKING today! November 20th and I was in my kayak. Temps were pretty mild, though I was hoping for a little more sun, but when I heard that it was going to be in the mid fifties, I thought perhaps I would get another paddle in. I had set my alarm this morning for 6:30, so that I would get up and get on the river early... but when the alarm went off...after working six days in a row (tolls yesterday) and having to get up early, I decided to turn off my alarm and rest.

With Thanksgiving coming up I wanted to get some cleaning done as well as some baking. My sister and her kids will be sleeping here Tuesday night and I need to get the spare bed made up.. so lots to do... I had almost talked myself out of going... as I was getting things accomplished around here... but around 11:00 I decided that the best time to be on the water today would be mid day... so knowing that I had to unload all my kayak gear form the toolbox I keep in my truck to make room for bags of clothing (for Sis, the boys, and I) anyway... I figured that loading the kayak one last time was a good idea.

So I did. I wore my flip flops and waded into the water. After getting in the kayak I dried off my feet with the towel I had packed and then put on some warm socks so my feet wouldn't get too chilly. I, as you already know, hate winter. Yes, I live in Maine, and I hate winter. I hate that it is cold and blah... and gray... and I should mention that I am keeping track of the days until spring... 120 days, 23 hours, 46 minutes... which will be less by the time I finish typing! (There is a website that has the spring countdown!) Before I got too far up the river I was faced with the drab scenery... leaf-less trees... shades of gray... and I kind of let it sink in... that winter is approaching... and while I know I can't stop it... I have a hard time accepting it.

I had taken my camera with me with one purpose in mind. I wanted to take a picture of the tree I have photographed a lot... because I am afraid she will not survive the winter. I didn't think I would want to take pictures of the dying and dead plants... But... I ended up taking over 100 pictures. I managed to find some beauty in among the gray... So here are a few pictures.

This was the first picture I took... gray... gray... gray... the branches, without the leaves, from afar, blend together... shades of gray...

But as I got closer to the trees... I noticed the sky was really blue... bright blue... and I liked the contrast of the empty branches next to it.

This next tree... I wish I had gotten a different angle of it... When I saw it, I thought of my sister. Not of her per se, but of something she would paint... I see a woman in this tree. As it grows up from the ground it's like her legs...wearing bell bottoms, then the sharp turn, looks like a hip making her booty stick out... and she is leaning forward, reaching out to the water.

And then I saw some color... some bright, really right red, right in the middle of the grays. Red berries... that were orange the last time I was up there...

Then I visited the tree. She has lost her leaves. I am afraid for her, that she will not survive the winter.. that she has shed her leaves for the last time. I paddled close to her...

I paddled up to her and thanked her for being so beautiful.... for being the subject of many of my photos this summer and fall. Thanked her for providing home for other life... and wished her well.

Her trunk is so broken, cracked. What will she look like in the Spring?

Will the weight of the snow split her completely?

I will find out...

With fewer leaves I got to see things that are usually hidden... I saw an old fence with barbed wire...

Got to see more nests that I had not noticed until now...

Even though it is fall, late fall, there were still some plants sending their seeds through the air... these seeds... of some kind... were still hanging on...

And the mushrooms... do they survive winter or do they begin again each year? These mushrooms looked like scallop shells.

Another nest...

Many leaves collected in the water... I wonder if this ices over if the leaves would be visible...

The beaver tunnel... where I actually saw a critter... I don't think it was a beaver... I think it was an otter... which is exciting for me. Mom used to see otters and loved watching them... I never have had that opportunity... and today, I did not get to see it playing as Mom used to describe... but... makes me think I will in the spring...

The water was flowing quickly through the beaver dam. The sound was relaxing. But the cool wind was blowing and for some reason it was blowing harder inside the tunnel... so I back- paddled and got out of there.

I had to take this shot for Jill. She likes the pictures of my feet on my kayak in the summer... today since it was so cold, I needed socks... but still put my feet up from time to time...

This tree... looked to me.. like something was weighing on its mind... a contemplative tree... (You are probably thinking I am totally crazy... seeing my sister in one tree and personifying this one... )

And as I got closer to this same tree... I spotted a nest... up very high..

The cat tails... were so much darker in the spring... and now it is busting open... thousands of seeds in there...

The tree branches, without their leaves... reminded me of arthritic hands with gnarled knuckles... which made me think of my grandmother... her hands that made so many quilts...

I was surprised to see green ferns... so many others were dried up and brown... but...there were a few still green...

Ahhh... the leaves... on the water... I was mesmerized by this one leaf... and watched it dance down the river for quite a while... spinning... beautiful ballerina...

Then.. I came across these mini pine cones... made me think of mom... who made crafts out of them. As kids we had to walk through the woods and collect them for Mom... from this angle, though, they look like flowers...