The Garden Lady

Thoughts from Pyramid Lake

Musings from the mountains.

In case you haven't noticed, I feel a deep affection for this lake and these mountains.

Driving up I87, just about the time you get to Lake George the mountains become more visible and it is a feeling of "coming home". Hard to describe but anyone who loves the area knows just what I am talking about and knows the exact location where the shift in your mind takes place.

By the time you turn onto the road to Pyramid Lake, the traffic noise is left a mile and a half behind until all you hear on a quiet day at Pyramid is the sound of the wind in the trees and the birds. You check in, get your assigned place and unload your car quickly so you can get out and walk around.

This time, it was a cool and sunny day on arrival and I say hello to the red squirrels and chipmunks, the birds and the mice, the bugs and the trees. The sun glints on the water which is active in the breeze blowing in off the lake. The late summer, late afternoon sun illuminates the flowers that are planted along the beach area and the monarch butterflies flit in erratic patterns before your eyes - looking for that perfect flower to feed from. A squirrel scolds you for being in his way. in the shallows you can see the blue tailed fish swimming in small groups. Yes, God is here.

And so am I.

Being part of an annual retreat group, people you may not have seen in a year come filtering in, and hugs and smiles are exchanged. You can see the same look of joyful anticipation on every face and it warms your heart as the sun warms the air. No matter what our backgrounds or lives may be we are all for this time united in a common bond of affection for this place and one another.

The usual time of arrival is normally just enough time to unpack, visit a little and then - those wonderful meals in the rustic dining hall. Long center serving tables split the room in the center and tables on each side have room for 6-8 people apiece. More if you really try. When you have been coming here long enough you know how to make a fresh pot of coffee or fill the water coolers when it is needed. No one goes away hungry except by choice. The food is good - and plentiful. The conversations lively as you try to find a different group to sit with at each meal so you can catch up on the thoughts and news of the lives of this "family" you come to know and love.

After dinner if you are with a group, the orientation and perhaps a first conference is given and you walk back to your room or linger in groups for conversation at it's conclusion.

Perhaps one of my favorite sights is the lake at night, when the sun is setting or has set, the bats swoop over the waters for their evening meal and some folks make a bonfire and sit on the benches and chat, or maybe sing. You hear the crickets, an owl, the sound of the waves against the rowboats tethered to the docks. All is well....

Sunrise, or rather, pre-sunrise is a special time at the lake. Some mornings the mist lies thick on the water and you can not see past a few yards onto the water. Gliding out in a kayak or a canoe you paddle out into the mist and wait for the dance to begin. The mist rises, swirls, moves back and forth as the sun begins to break through. Or, perhaps the morning is clear and the colors of the sunrise are breathtaking. If the water is calm, it is almost black and glasslike in apperance and you can see a multitude of water gliders skimming the surface and an occasional fish snapping up a quick meal of them.

And then - the sounds you have waited to hear - the loons' call. Echoing across the lake it is hauntingly beautiful. The loons call, the mist dances, and the morning is pure miracle. You stop paddling and drift along the water. You drink it in and store the memories to take back with you. If you are lucky you will see the loons - swimming, feeding, diving under the water here to come up again WAY over there.

Coming back in coffee and breakfast await, conferences are held and then you have time to hike, explore, check out the marshlands or walk down to the waterfall. Whatever you wish - there is no lack of things to do. Some people go swimming if weather allows, some boat out to the island or paddle arond the lake, some hike to nearby ponds and bogs. I notice on the trails that the drier year has produced less mushrooms. The beaver lodges in the swampy area along the road are almost entirely visible. Fat spiders weave marvelous orb webs which are stunning in the early morning, when the dew sparkles on them and the light hits them just so they glisten. At this late time the wildflowers are full out. The Queen Anne's Lace, Goldenrod, Cardinal Flowers, Asters, Chickory, Thistle - the list goes on and on. Sr. Monica's garden is producing still in abundance and the herbs flower and seed. To every thing, there is a season. Each one, a treasure.

For the retreat I am on, perhaps my favorite time is coming. Missing sunsets at lakes' edge, we walk up the rock and root path to the log chapel. Mass is special here, with the cricket choir and loon accompanyment if you are lucky.The pines are visible through the windows and then they fade into darkness. You walk out along a lighted path but bring a flashlight! The smell of pine and balsam is in the air like a benediction at the end of day. Yes - all is well.

Laying in bed, I smell the lake and pines in the breeze and listen to the creatures of the night. The smell of a fire at the firepit may be present, the sound of conversation or laughter may drift on the air and you know yes, this is VERY good.

No matter how long you stay, the time seems to fly. On my last night I pack a few things but mostly, I walk around after dark and fill my senses with the sights, sounds and smells to carry back to everyday life. Ordinary miracles.

Thomas Merton wrote: "Here is an unspeakable secret: paradise is all around us and we do not understand. It is wide open."

But we have the incredible ability within each one of us to be carriers of that paradise. May that spirit live within all of us.

Pyramid Lake Pictures 2007
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