A View On Seneca Lake

Like every where else, the past week or so has given us extremely cold days and nights here on Seneca Lake and throughout the Finger Lakes of New York. Mostly single digits with some readings below zero, especially in the overnight hours. The cold weather accomplishes a number of things. First, the views of the lake and the scenery around it change many times throughout the day. Most mornings a thick mist rises from the lake distinguishing the different temperatures between the water and the air above it. I watch as on most mornings the winter mist moves from west to east opening up unseen portions of the lake's surface a little bit at a time until the entire surface is exposed. Then a quick blast of snow from one of those lake effect engines makes everything disappear again. In an instant the lake and the hillside across toward the other shore are gone, everything a blur. Then in a moment, the vision returns.

The other thing the cold weather does is that it makes it easy for me to stay put. Who in their right mind would want to throw on layers and layers of clothing to fetch the mail or worse yet, venture to town to complete some menial task that can wait. Staying put means finding a chair or placing one in front of the glass doors leading to the deck that overlooks the lake. A fine place to listen to some music, check email, write a bit or just stare out into the wondrous view of Seneca and its eastern shore.

Snow Geese have arrived and create white platforms or islands in the distance up and down the lake. Duck hunters (perhaps not in their right mind) are shooting off in the distance and every time they do another flock of ducks flies by, perhaps missing a few of their friends this time around. If I'm patient and don't get too consumed by my computer, I have a good chance of seeing one of the eagles of Seneca Lake. Once or twice a day I can usually count on seeing an eagle fly a few hundred feet out just above the horizon of the hillside across the lake. He or she is a big one, out for their morning or afternoon scenic fly over of the lake, scanning the water below for breakfast or dinner. I'm never sure if it's an immature Bald Eagle or a Golden Eagle but that doesn't matter much. Just to watch the flight, the ease of movements is enough for me.

So the cold does have its advantages. It forces some of us to sit and stare and wonder. It forces us to see things that we may have never noticed when warmer breezes blow and we become oh so very busy.