SPECTRUM 2007-2008

The porch swing at my in-laws’ house on Lake Nichols in Canyon, Minnesota, is my favorite place to watch the sunset. As I sit on the wicker porch swing, the vibrant hues of pink and purple mix with the golden yellow of the sun. The gusty wind off the lake subsides while the crickets and frogs tune up for their evening song of croaks and ribbets. I wrap myself in a blanket like a burrito, so the mosquitoes cannot use my veins as this evening’s main course. The crackle of wood and explosions of fireworks from a nearby neighbor’s home invade the serene picture in front of my swing. My nostrils fill with the smoky aroma of fireworks and campfire. The pinks and purples lose the battle with the dark night, and, little by little, a burst from a wayward star comes to life. The ancient pictures in the stars become clearer as stars fill the clear night sky, and the Big Dipper welcomes me with its “tip.”? The Northern pikes splash for their dinner in the nearby weeds like synchronized swimmers. As this phenomenon takes place on Lake Nichols, I sit and wonder when I can witness this beauty again.