November 8, 2026: November?

November has been kind to us so far.  On Wednesday, when the air was dead calm and the temperature rose to 74 degrees, I took a long slow paddle around the lake to soak in all the beauty that November day has to offer.

Looking north from the south end of Wicwas

From one end of the lake to the other, even out in the middle, there wasn't a ripple to be found.

And looking south from the north end.

There isn't much color left in the hills, just an occasional bright flash of yellow.

Even most of the blueberry bushes have shed their leaves now.  Only a few stubborn bushes in sheltered spots are still crimson red.

As I paddled slowly along the shoreline a few interesting items came into view such as this bird nest I'd paddled by multiple times this summer and never saw hidden in the leafed branches.

This nest is on a branch reaching out over the lake from a small island.  Eastern Kingbirds build their nests over water, so that's a likely homeowner.

Then this blueberry bush, suspended out  over the lake by a good two feet caught my eye. 

As the shoreline around it eroded away, the roots of the blueberry and the moss held the soil together. The roots now are exposed to air as they pass through what used to be soil and down through the lake and into the ground below.

I was more than three quarters of the way around the lake and hadn't seen any animal life - not even a goose - when I thought I saw a pair of ducks on the water.  I stopped to watch.  As I sat still, they came closer, and I realized the two shapes were in fact the body and tail of an otter!  It looked at me curiously for a moment or two.

Then continued on its way to do whatever it is that otters do.

If I only see one animal on an excursion, well, an otter is one to see!  But farther along I did find one more critter, one a lot less unusual.

Finally, one of the larger beaver lodges on the lake continues to grow.

A new collection of long stick or trunks have appeared on this lodge.

I sometimes wonder how a beaver manages to haul those large pieces of wood up on top of its lodge.

Eventually the reality of November will come, and the longer it's delayed, the greater the shock will be.  But until then, let's enjoy this extended fall season!