Echo Lake: September 20 and 21

1. It is cool these days, in the evenings or early mornings. By the way, Charlie is the best actor (he looked at me before I snapped this, and went back to work.) Because he never acts. He just is.

2. Blue overpowers the green.

3. The docks hold the weathered sailboat.

4. This tree, hanging over the lake, hints at the season nipping at our heels.

5. The 25 (or so) tomato plants of this year's bumper crop.

6. The faithful abandoned outhouse. It's now neighbor to the dark, rich compost pile.

7. In the still of late afternoon, the lake becomes a mirror.

8. Pulling the bands in closer.

9. Rensing's blond wood cabin faces the lake trees.

10. Dad starts the process of taking in the docks. First step: dismantle (with power drill) the boards that connect the two docks. Then move the sailboat over to where people would walk in to go swimming, if they were walking in to go swimming.

11. The trees do all the heavy lifting. They patiently lend their solid weight to the task of winching the docks out of the water.

12. The dock slowly rolls onshore, its summerlong floating come to an end.

13. The walkway has completely supplanted the stone stairs, which are lost in brush and overgrowth.

14. One dock in the water, left till tomorrow to drag out.