The Male of the Species

Took another kayak trip to the end of our millpond. Each trip out makes me feel a little more comfortable in the boat. I am not the most flexible person, and keeping my legs in the same position for that long tends to stiffen up the joints.

I saw the mother swan again, still sitting on her nest. Does she ever leave the nest? Such dedication and perserverance. In the morning, it was nice and overcast, so I did'nt have to worry about how the sun was hitting her. Plus, I kayaked right into a nice bed of lily-pads, so my boat was'nt drifting.

After quite a few shots of her, I was determined to get a few shots of dad. He was in open water... just strolling around the pond, airing out his wings, and having an early lunch of some nice green seaweed. Since he was'nt having to sit on the eggs,(why don't they take turns?) he was moving just enough to make me continually position my kayak. They are both pretty birds.

The whole scene reminded me of a story a former mail customer once told me. He arrived home late one afternoon, and his wife met him at the back door with one child in hand and carrying another. "I'm tired of watching these two kids!" "I'm tired of always cooking dinner!' " I'm tired of this house being dirty, and I'm tired of doing laundry!" Johnny yelled back..."How do you think I feel...I just walked 36 holes of golf!!!

Johnny and the swan...Such is the male of our species........



I will forever be indebted to Johnny. He ran a small grocery store downtown. It was the mom-and pop kind of store that used to exist before the mega-stores took over. He had a toilet in the basement of the store that was dark and scary, and was a LONG, LONG, way from meeting the city codes. But, beggars can't be choosers, and it worked in a pinch. Plus...he let you take a soda-pop on credit. How long has it been since you saw anybody do that?