The Gift

Tuesday was what I refer to as a bleh day.

For various reasons, my mood was not at its best and I decided to take a walk, and hopefully clear my mind. As usual, my camera joined me.

I wandered over to a park which sits about a mile from my front door. It has a man-made lake which attracts several kinds of water fowl throughout the seasons. I've posted before about seagulls, cormorants, herons and a swan.

Making my way along the path, I found nothing of particular interest to photograph, so I just sat for a bit at the side of the pond.

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I noticed a bit of organic debris in the water, which reminded me of a some sort of long-bearded wizard or troll about to do a Tarzan-like swing on a vine.

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Birds flitted about, landed and left before my finger could even reach the shutter but the day was warm, the sounds peaceful, and I could begin to feel myself relax in this tranquil setting.

Glancing down at the ground beside me, I noticed a feather.

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It was rather plain, but I picked it up and put it in my camera case. Frank has me in the habit of keeping found feathers. You should see how many he has. I took it as a sign to continue on around the lake.

When I found myself on the other side of the lake, I decided to pause once again. I could see a family of geese out for a swim and I hoped to get a few shots as they passed by.

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Little did I know that I'd be in for a treat.

As the goslings and their parents swam along, they took a sudden left turn and headed toward me.

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Unconcerned with my presence, one of the adults turned to the crew and seemingly took a head count before...

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.. one by one...

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they stepped up onto the shore...

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.. just a few feet away from me.

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They fluffed and groomed..

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.. and then the young all settled in ...

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...for a mid-afternoon nap, while the adults took sentry duty nearby.

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I watched for a while, speaking to them occasionally. One seemed particularly alert to my voice and cocked its head when I talked to it, much like Benny does.

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Their nearness was like a tonic for my mood. After I'd taken in my fair dose, I thanked them for the beautiful gift of their presence, and bid them farewell.

It was a fine day after all.

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