Church

S and I set out early enough in the morning to have the lake to ourselves. Cloudless nights bring a cold dawn, but a quickly warming day. We start on the west end of the Crossing Over Place, paddle through the Crossing Under Place and into the north end of Union Bay with the usual company of buffleheads, scaups and herons. S says, "everyone must be in church", and I reply, "this is Seattle and no one is in church. Besides," I add, "if this isn't a church, I don't know what is." She likes the shaggy look of the late winter cattails. I show her the beaver highway in the NE lagoon and cast some raccoon tracks. If I could, I would cast the whole 4x6 foot area...it is all tracks. As we head south around the burial island, we spot an eagle in the south nest. The eagle's perching and feeding habits are very different from last winter. I'm not sure if we have two eagles or four in the bay... they have been less predictable and didn't do what I thought they would do this winter.