A Golden Kaleidoscope

The weather forecast didn't look too promising for a good sunrise today so I expected to be able to catch up on my sleep a little. But Bethanne had other ideas! Despite a fairly overcast sky, and no frost this time, her instincts felt good. I got the call, and once again I was out of the door within five minutes of waking, and with no cup of tea! There was just no possible way I was going to let her go on her own and face having to drool over all the incredible pictures she was bound to take. It was that thought that made me overlook the tick that I had just found out had burrowed into the back of my leg overnight.

We arrived at Lake Bomoseen just a bit earlier than yesterday. There was no mist but that was made up for by an absolutely flat calm water surface. Once again we were witness to magic as the reflections of the sky in the dead still lake were quite perfect. But, then, more magic happened, for the lake started to come to life with patterns of light and shadow. It was hard to understand to what one could attribute the source of the wave patterns, but it was quite mesmerising to watch. In a matter of seconds, the surface of the lake changed from a mirror (see Bethanne's amazing blip or my almost blip) to the golden kaleidoscope that you can see in this post!

We arrived back home here to two important jobs, first making a cup of tea and second, removing my tick! Bethanne's method is to apply Cayenne Pepper to the spot, which caused the little critter to back out and then be relatively easily pulled out, whole, with a pair of tweezers. I certainly don't like the beasts but I have to admit that I do harbour a certain respect for them!

Following that bit of excitement I decided to give Bethanne a bit of breathing space and went for a cycle ride to properly find my bearings around here. Created a 30 odd mile loop which took in some roads I hadn't seen before, and really enjoyed the riding. The road surfaces are good here, the terrain is undulating rather than hilly, with little traffic and beautiful scenery. I really enjoyed my normal luxury of being able to stop at any point to take photographs. I don't think I had previously appreciated how much more difficult that is in a car, especially here where there are so few places to safely pull over.

In the afternoon we took a bit of a drive, Bethanne taking me to the sites of some of my favourite blips of hers, and me navigating her to a spot which I thought would be worth exploring. It was a nice swap. Lots more photographs were taken, some of which I'm very pleased with, but from the journal point of view I had to post from the Lake this morning. I've developed a deep affection for this place. I know I will be returning at some point in the not too far distant future.

I leave here early tomorrow morning and I do so with great regret that I wasn't able to stay longer. Bethanne's Vermont is a magical corner of the world, and Bethanne herself is a magical kind of woman. She invited me into her home sight unseen as one of her family. We've chatted and blipped away non-stop and it simply doesn't seem possible that we only first met just 2 days ago. We've crammed a lot in to that short time. This is one very talented blipper and one very special person. Thank you so much Bethanne for your company and putting up with my energy. You can have a rest tomorrow!