(Originally posted on the website Heron Flight)

What a beautiful day day in New Jersey today! Just gorgeous! There wasn’t a cloud in the sky all day. It was warm enough to wear short sleeves all day. It was a perfect day to go to our favorite place, Crater Lake.

The lake is one of the most peaceful and easily accessible places. Though it is 40 miles from home, the last two of which are made of gravel and spotted with huge puddles, it is worth the drive. Driving my tiny red car through the puddles at riskily high speeds certainly makes up for the tediousness of riding an hour to get there. The lake is mere yards from the parking area and the place is never crowded.

Hannah and Maddy were asking to go to Crater Lake this week. I kept saying it wasn’t worth going because it’s not warm enough to swim yet. However, Arissa mentioned it this morning and pointed out that the weather was just right for the trip. I think she was curious to see why the girls were so eager to go there. So, off we went.

None of us were disappointed with our time at the lake. Well, Maddy might have been for a short time when we went for a walk around the lake. She became tired. Tiredness brought on whining. Whining led to crying. Slipping and scraping her leg did not help. But after I carried her on my shoulders for a while, she was chipper as ever. Then we skipped stones on the water, sang silly songs and hooted and hollered just to hear our voices echo in the hills.

Today was also the girls’ first fishing experience. We bought fishing rods for them before we went to the lake. With basic fishing tackle of hooks, bobbers, sinkers, and salmon eggs, the girls were all set to reel in some big ones. Unfortunately, they didn’t catch anything. They saw quite a few sunfish, which nibbled their bait off the hooks without so much as the slightest of bob from the bobbers. They were disappointed. But I explained that fishing requires much patience. It is great thinking time, quiet time. They didn’t want to hear it. So, after an hour of trying, they gave up and fed Doritos to the fish that came swarming for the hand-outs.

It was a peaceful day today. It reminded me that I need to go to the quiet more often.