About four years ago, we felt we needed to find a sport which we could do relatively easily now as well as forty years from now. After much searching we settled on purchasing flat water kayaks, since we have a lot of lakes, streams and rivers where we live here in Northeast Pa.

Today, was the first opportunity this year, we had to get our boats wet in a local reservoir. Recently the Corp of Engineers have decided to raise the water level in the lake by about 50' which would allow releases during the summer for whitewater enthusiasts down stream, while still maintaining a large reservoir which could manage flood flows.

We had never paddled the lake when it was at this level. Two pristine world class trout streams/rivers feed this lake. Paddling up one of the rivers we soon realized that raising the water level added about 3 miles, one way, to our paddle. We have always paddled up the streams until we hit whitewater and then turned around and paddled back to the put in.

Well, today as we paddled away from the shore, I asked Cheryl, "What do you think we are going to see today?" Every time we paddle, we have the ability to interact with nature on a up close and personal scale. However, today was special. We could tell we were coming up to the end of the river where we would be able to paddle, when we saw signs on the trees along the river cautioning to stay in the river and do not disturb the wildlife area.

And then it hit us, this is where the Bald Eagles are nesting on this river and sure enough there was a large male perched on the tree about 200' in front of us. We pulled over to the side of the river and sat and exchanged glances with the Bald Eagle. He dipped into the river and sat in the reeds, I can only guess while he enjoyed his fresh catch. We saw him majestically take off and circle up to the tree tops and disappear.

As we paddled and sliced our way up the river on the far side of the sand bar.......there it was about ten feet below the top of the 70' White Pine. A nest the size of a Volkswagen and a couple of Bald Eagles sitting in the nest. We thought we had seen eaglets flying overhead and I guess they use the nest as a base of operations.

Still glancing back at the nest I was now hugging the side of the river as it narrowed to a stream and right there, ten feet in front of me on the marshy edge of the stream was a gorgeous heron. I backpaddled to the other side of the stream and watched as the heron meticulously crept up the side of the stream looking for his lunch.

As we paddled upstream as far as we could go, our last interaction of the day was with a mother Cormorant and about 6 little, well I don't know what you call them but duckling size Cormorants...We took a break on a large boulder in the middle of the stream with our kayaks safely tucked on shore. The water cool and gin clear felt good, as we dangled our legs in the water.

As we slipped into our kayaks for the 1.5 hour paddle back to our car, we floated by the still stalking heron and nest of eagles which had a truly birds-eye-view in an environment free from any sounds other than the water flowing over the rocks and through the reeds, the sound of water dripping from the end of our paddles with each stroke and the warm sunny on our bodies.

Now, you may say, Hey! What does this have to do with gardening? For me, it is when we truly engage and experience nature in it's most natural setting that I get inspired to create gardens, ponds and waterfalls for our clients. Although these ornamental gardens may not be inhabited by Bald Eagles and Herons and we cannot kayak the water features, they will support Hummingbirds, Koi, frog, salamanders, tadpoles and Downy Woodpeckers.....close enough for me when I can't go out paddling!