June 22, 2024
Police Academy
I woke up feeling rested and happy that it was Saturday morning. After taking the dogs out and feeding them, we had our morning coffee on the couch. We recently received a new shipment of coffee from Nespresso, and we were happy to try out the new flavors we selected. After, we changed clothes and loaded up the car for a trip to Lake Wilson, where we planned to walk the trail before eating breakfast.
When we arrived at the lake, the weather was already hot. Summer had officially started, and it was as if nature had flipped on a switch, increasing the heat to uncomfortable levels. The sun was bright, and we sprayed sunblock on our faces before heading onto the trail.
Near the main parking lot, I saw two people preparing inflatable kayaks, getting ready to head into the lake. I noted I would love to do this one day, and my wife said we should invest in kayaks, especially if we were going to stay in the area after school. I always envisioned shooting pictures of birds from the water and imagined all the cool images I would capture.
At the small inlet, on the west side of the lake, there was a family of mallard ducks standing just off the bank. The mother preened her feathers while keeping watch over her ducklings. I was delighted to see the baby ducks doing well, having grown as big as their parents. The last time I was at the lake, the chicks were small and I hoped they would all flourish. We kept moving around the trail and within ten minutes; I felt beads of sweat dripping down my forehead and back. The air felt thick, making it difficult to breathe.
As we walked toward the bridge, my wife drilled her physical examinations, asking me to present her with medical complaints. I was proud of her and it was obvious she had spent a lot of time studying the various exams over the past week. At the bridge, we stopped to take in the view, watching the bright sunlight dance off the lake’s ripples. There was a small boat powered by a trolling motor with two people fishing from it.
The water just south of the bridge had turned into a wonderful landscape. With the low water and emerging vegetation, the water looked emerald green. Far away, against the southernmost bank, a lone heron stood poised, occasionally plunging its head into the water to catch fish. In mid-spring, there were two baby herons in this area and I wondered how they were doing.
On the east side of the lake, there was another family of mallards with smaller chicks. They sat on the bank sunning, while a few of them took a Saturday morning nap. A lone heron stood off in the distance, perfectly reflected by the water. The heron had an odd shape, but we later realized its wings were half opened, distorting the gigantic bird’s silhouette. When we arrived closer, it walked off slowly, moving methodically, looking robotic.
Soaked in sweat, we arrived back at the parking lot, feeling hot. We sat in the car and cooled off before driving to the Cracker Barrel in Wilson to eat a hearty breakfast. The meal was tasty, and it felt good to eat after the long walk at the lake.
Full from breakfast, we started our normal weekend shopping rounds. Before groceries, however, we stopped at a shoe store where my wife picked up some Nike slip on sandals and I bought some new Reef flip-flops for summer. After, we stopped at Marshalls for dog toys, Target for water and dog food, and Lidl for all our other groceries. Before heading home, we filled my SUV with gas.
It felt good to walk through the front door of our house. We unloaded all the groceries and gave the dogs their new toys. It was always fun to see how excited they were to play with something new. They looked just like children on Christmas morning. My wife sat down to study while I cut my hair before showering to wash away the morning’s sweat.
Today, the temperature was going to be 95 degrees, so we agreed to relax indoors during the hottest part of the day. We planned to go back outside during the afternoon when it cooled. After my shower and my wife’s study session, we sat down on the couch and rented the movie Police Academy and watched it on my iPad. My wife had recently listened to a podcast featuring Steve Guttenberg, and she had never seen the movie. It was crazy to think this movie was now forty years old. It was a rare moment of relaxation for us both.
After the movie, we did our household chores, taking about an hour to clean up the house. When we were through, I made a cup of coffee and sat down to write while my wife immersed herself in her studies. After a long session, we relaxed a bit before my wife prepped skirt steak and vegetables for the Traeger, while I went outside and cleaned the grill.
Before cooking, we took a short walk into the forest. In the pasture, I spotted the doe and young buck that frequented the area. The new fawn, Natsu, was not with them, but was probably bedded down nearby. Mother deer often bedded down their young while they went out and searched for food.
We carried food scraps and the small picnic table we put together into the secret trail head. There, we sat everything up in front of the trail camera. There were carrots, apples, and watermelon on top of the table. I had to admit; it all looked pretty cute. My wife always had a way of making things special.
We also took food into the pine grove before moving deeper into the forest. My wife put me in front after walking through one spider web too many. This time of year, there were little triangular shaped spiders we disliked. She handed me the stick she had used to clear the webs, and I laughed because it was about a foot long, or three feet too short.
While we didn’t see any wildlife, it was nice to be out in the woods. The forest steamed like a jungle, however, and we were happy to get out of the heat once we arrived back home. Hungry, we grilled the meats and vegetables, which my wife used to make an amazing steak salad. The sunny evenings had us up later than usual, so, after a shower, I was happy to crawl into bed next to my wife.