Something Special

To me there is something special about paddling on a quiet night like we had tonight. Whether you prefer a canoe or a kayak, it does not really matter. What seems to be special is the “quiet” that happens when paddling.

I have several boats that I could use for my evening calming sessions, but I much prefer muscle power. There are no motors, no batteries, no gas or oil, and no exhaust noise. When I paddle it is me and the water and the sound of my paddle blades slicing the surface of the river. Oh, and birds calling and a beaver slapping its tail break the evening silence. There are other sounds, but they are not “noise.” I cannot explain the attraction to being on the river, but it exists and is powerful.

For this picture there was the sound of the drone as it hovered in place taking a picture every two seconds. My sacrifice for this outing was aerial camera noise necessary to create an image the represented my mood. Not only do I like this picture now, but I will enjoy it in months when the river is cold or frozen and paddling is far from anyone’s plans. This image will put me in the mood.

From a visual standpoint a paddler does not see the repetitive circles on the water created by the paddle, or the expanding “V” seen only from a distance. The patterns create leading lines leading to a quiet passion… a man in his canoe, alone on the river, enjoying a setting sun.

By the way… there was quite a challenge when the photography ended to catch the drone in flight in a canoe moving with the current down the river when the drone remained hovering in place. Obviously I was successful, but it was not easy. There was no room for error.