Simple Pleasures: A Park with a Lake

Minnesota may be called the Land of 10,000 Lakes - but Wisconsin, where I live, has even more. One of them is just a few blocks away, with a handy little park attached.

Here's what I see when I turn the corner of the park entrance road. This view looks west; it's as lovely at sunset as it is in the morning.

Inside the park is a small lake-fed pond, covered with water-lilies in summer:

I didn't realize until this morning that they open up later in the day.

The long grasses around the pond are full of bright blue damselflies:

And there are always a family or two of geese.  The village has tried to discourage them (their droppings can get pretty messy), but I enjoy seeing them on my morning walks.  Not long ago the young ones were still fuzzy and cute; now they're leggy teenagers.

I've also seen loons and heron. Some magnificent white pelicans were here this spring, but they seem to have moved on.

A good park should have lots of trees, and this one is no exception. Here are plenty, to provide shade and frame the views ...

... to add their small contributions to the unstudied décor ...

... and to lean one's bike against whilst taking pictures.

On the other side of the pond, the water-lilies are opening to the sun...

... but there's a shortcake in the oven at home and my mental timer is going off.  Time to head back and make breakfast (which, if it photographs well, will star in tomorrow's post).

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